Lula announces that Brazil is close to joining the Silk Road

The president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva announced this Friday, the 19th, that the Brazilian government is preparing a proposal for Brazil’s accession to the project Silk Roadled by China.

During the credit release event of the BNDESnot worth R$ 10.75 billion for road works Dutra e Rio-SantosLula questioned the benefits that Brazil could obtain from participating in the project: “What do I gain? What does Brazil gain if we participate in this business? What is the important share of Brazil’s participation?”

The initiative of the Belt and Roadlaunched in 2013, already includes 151 countriesbut Brazil, Colombia e Paraguay have not yet joined, according to data from Fudan Universityem Shanghai.

Lula also confirmed his participation in the next meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and emphasized the importance of strengthening relations with China.

In addition to economic issues, Lula highlighted his efforts to restore Brazil’s image on the international stage during his third term.

He recalled challenges faced due to negative external perception during the previous administration and underlined his commitment to improving diplomatic relations, avoiding unnecessary conflicts with other countries.

“In that year and six months I had some important things to do, and one of them was to restore Brazil’s image in the world. We went through a period in which no one wanted to come here and no one wanted to welcome people there. Brazil became a kind of pariah. The citizen [Jair Bolsonaro] When he arrived at a meeting, all the presidents would move away so as not to greet him. This happens,” explained the president.

The President stressed that his administration has prioritized diplomacy and international cooperation, as evidenced by its numerous meetings with world leaders and the organization of significant international events in Brazil, including the G20 and future meetings of the BRICS it’s yes COP30.