China's Xi calls for unity in talks with Brazil's Lula amid US trade rupture
sudden rupture in trade relations with the United States.
The call on Tuesday morning Beijing time, requested by Lula, had been in preparation for several days, according to Brazilian officials. Advisers at the Planalto Palace and the foreign ministry had been in contact with Beijing since last week to arrange the timing, which had to accommodate the 11-hour time difference with the Chinese capital.
During the call, Xi told Lula that bilateral relations were at their best ever and that the nations should work together to set an example of solidarity and self-reliance for the Global South, according to Chinese state news agency Xinhua.
Sources told the South China Morning Post that the decision to press ahead with the meeting came after Lula consulted senior ministers about the potential impact of new US trade measures and the diplomatic message he wanted to send.
The conversation took place four days after US President Donald Trump's administration
imposed a 50 per cent tariff on a broad range of Brazilian exports, measures that threaten billions of dollars in annual trade.
Hours earlier, Washington extended a 90-day pause on similar duties for Chinese goods, highlighting a stark difference in treatment between Beijing and Brasilia.
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