Lula’s trip to China will include meetings with Chinese authorities and a visit to the Banco dos Brics in an attempt to placate Dilma Rousseff.| Photo: Joedson Alves/EFE

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed, this Friday morning (17), part of the agenda that President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) will fulfill on his trip to China at the end of the month. The Brazilian entourage departs on the 26th and returns on the 31st, and will also be made up of parliamentarians, governors, ministers and businessmen.

According to the Itamaraty, meetings are planned in Beijing with Chinese President Xi Jinping, with Prime Minister Li Qiang, and with the president of the National People’s Congress, Zhao Leji. Among the themes of the bilateral meetings are trade agreements, investments, reindustrialization, energy transition, climate change and world peace and security.

In Shanghai, Lula will visit the headquarters of the New Development Bank (NDB), also called “Banco dos Brics”, where he should try to convince the board members to approve the appointment of Dilma Rousseff (PT) to the presidency of the institution. The bank announced, last week, the beginning of the transition process for the departure of the current president, Marcos Troyjo.

China is Brazil’s biggest trading partner since 2009, and one of the main sources of investment in Brazilian territory, with US$ 105.5 billion last year alone. The amount was one of those responsible for the surplus of the Brazilian trade balance last year, according to studies by the Getúlio Vargas Foundation (FGV).