With pneumonia, Lula cancels meeting with ministers and postpones trip to China

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) was diagnosed with mild pneumonia, on the night of this Thursday (24), after tests carried out at the Sírio Libanês hospital. The consultation took place after returning from the trip to Rio de Janeiro.

Due to the respiratory illness, the start of the trip to China will be postponed from Saturday (25) to Sunday (26). The agenda set for this Friday (24), which would have included a meeting with ministers and government leaders in Congress, has been canceled until further notice, according to the Presidency’s Communication Secretariat. People’s Gazette.

“The President of the Republic, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is in Alvorada after tests at the Sírio Libanês hospital last night. The President has mild pneumonia and will therefore postpone the start of his trip to China until Sunday,” the President’s team said at twitter.

In addition to Rio de Janeiro, the president was also in Paraíba and Pernambuco throughout this week.

Intense schedule in China

Also according to the Presidency’s Communications Secretariat, Lula’s trip to China has an intense schedule of meetings and events with Chinese authorities. There is still no information if the commitments are still confirmed, if they will be postponed or if there will be another minister representing the president.

Among the main diplomatic meetings is a meeting with the Chinese President, Xi Jinping, with the Prime Minister Li Qiang, and with the President of the National People’s Congress, Zhao Leji, on Tuesday (28). The bilateral agenda involves issues related to trade, investments, reindustrialization, energy transition, climate change, cooperation and peace agreements.

On Wednesday (29), there will be a business event promoted by the Sino-Brazilian High Level Commission and by the Ministry of Development, Industry, Commerce and Services, with the participation of more than 240 Brazilian businessmen. There will also be an event on the 27th, promoted by Cebri (Brazilian Center for International Relations), with around 100 businessmen.

On the 30th, president Lula has a scheduled trip to Shanghai to visit the headquarters of the New Development Bank (NDB), which may elect Dilma Rousseff (PT) to the presidency this Friday (24).