Brazil's agriculture minister Carlos Favaro said on Sunday that the Chinese government would decide on a new date for Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva'sLula da Silva's visit to the country, and that the signing of agreements between Beijing and Brasilia has been postponed.
All government actions are postponed, including those of the Agriculture MinistryAgriculture Ministry. Favaro, who arrived in China last week, said during a news conference in Beijing.
When the Chinese government is ready, with an available schedule, the visit will be rescheduled, and we will return to signing all memorandums and agreements. The Brazilian government announced that leftist President Lula, who took office in January, had cancelled his high-profile trip to China, scheduled for Mar 27 - 31, after being diagnosed with bacterial and viral bronchopneumonia caused by influenza A.
The visit, which included meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday, was viewed as a significant effort by the new president to improve relations with Brazil's largest trading partner after a period of rocky relations under former President Jair Bolsonaro, who campaigned for office using anti-China rhetoric that continued into his first years in government.
According to Favaro, there is a more fraternal climate with Lula returning to the presidency, which opens commercial opportunities. He also stressed that his trip to China had already secured an important gain, with Beijing approving the resumption of Brazilian beef and authorizing new plants. On February 23, sales to China were stopped by Brazilian authorities after the discovery of an atypical case of mad cow disease.
The minister said there were still no agreements between Brazilian and Chinese companies that are expected to be announced on March 29. Approximately 240 Brazilian business leaders were expected to arrive in China, a third coming from Brazil's farm sector, which sends most of its beef, soybeans and wood pulp to China.