Businessmen Regret Lula's Absence in China, but Meetings Will Go On

In Beijing, the delegation says that, although with less visibility, negotiations for trade advances are set to continue in the next few days

In China, the entourage of Brazilian businessmen lamented the absence of president Lula, due to pneumonia. They said that his coming would have been important to symbolize the resumption of a closer relationship with China. However, they add that talks with Chinese companies and authorities will continue this week without any change.

A new date for Lula's visit has not yet been set. The president would travel this weekend and spend a few days in China, where he would meet with leader Xi Jinping and sign a series of agreements, on things such as cooperation and exchange in semiconductor technologies, 5G, 6G, and the next generations of mobile networks, artificial intelligence and photovoltaic cells (for solar energy generation).

Brazilian businessmen regret Lula’s absence in China, but negotiations will not stop. Foto: Guilherme Martimon / MAPA

"It's a shame, his presence would have been very expressive to consolidate ties after the distance that was built in recent years, which has to be fixed", says Etivaldo (Vadão) Gomes, founder of Frigoestrela and former federal deputy for the PP ( Progressive Party) of São Paulo. "But it does not hinder the negotiations."

After celebrating the resumption of Chinese meat imports, announced a few days ago in Beijing, the sector is now seeking to change protocols to facilitate business, for example, releasing the Brazilian product 'on the bone', as it's done with the Uruguayan one. "This was one of the subjects we wanted to discuss with Lula himself", says Gomes. "It is necessary that Lula come soon."

He and Márcio Rodrigues, from Masterboi, hope that Lula's visit will now be rescheduled for May, as has been speculated. That's when a world food fair takes place in Shanghai, which should bring back a good part of the agribusiness delegations. "It is very important, the first post-pandemic fair, with producers from all over the world", says Rodrigues.

The entourage of businessmen and sector organizations organized by the Ministry of Agriculture to accompany the Brazilian president's visit to China had more than one hundred names, most of them linked to the meat sector.

Chinese importers, in last week's conversations with Brazilian producers, were predicting a second semester with the highest historical consumption of agricultural products, due to the recovery of the economy in China. Also due to other factors, such as research that would indicate, in the country's market, young people switching from pork to beef.

Translated by Cassy Dias

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