Xi tells Lula China supports Brazil against ‘external interference,’ Chinese state media says

Chinese President Xi Jinping told Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva that China supports Brazil in opposing “external interference,” Chinese state news agency Xinhua said after a call between the two leaders on Monday.

According to Xinhua, Xi said China valued Brazil’s international status and supported the country in safeguarding its sovereignty and independence, opposing external interference and contributing to regional and global peace and stability.

Brazil’s presidency said Lula and Xi also agreed on the importance of accelerating negotiations for a Mercosur-China agreement. It said the call lasted more than an hour.

Lula said he was committed to diversifying Brazil’s markets and trading partners as the country faced tariff pressure from the United States, its second-largest trading partner.

Washington imposed two rounds of tariffs on Brazilian products this month. These followed a major tariff increase in 2025 that AFP reported was retaliation for the coup-plot trial that sent former president Jair Bolsonaro to prison.

Lula has described the US tariff pressure as an attempt to exert political influence during an election year.

The call took place less than three months before Brazil’s election, in which Lula is set to face right-wing candidate Flavio Bolsonaro.

Brazil’s official account of the call did not say whether the issue of “external interference,” reported by Xinhua, was discussed.