Exports, Mercosur, and artificial intelligence: the topics Lula discussed with BRICS member countries

Among the engagements of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) at the BRICS Summit—taking place this Sunday (6) and Monday (7) in Rio de Janeiro (RJ)—are bilateral meetings with representatives of the bloc’s member countries. The defense of multilateralism and climate issues—especially in light of the upcoming COP30, scheduled to take place in Belém (PA) in November—were central themes in most conversations, but some specific topics also emerged.

In the meeting with Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang, the highlight was China’s commitment to accelerating the process of recognizing Brazil as free from avian influenza and foot-and-mouth disease without requiring vaccination, in addition to reviewing Brazil’s proposal for regionalization of the country’s animal origin certificates.

Lula and Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh celebrated the first-ever export of Brazilian beef to Vietnam and the first export of Vietnamese tilapia to Brazil.

Mercosur was on the agenda in meetings with both Pham and the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Khaled bin Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan. With Vietnam, Lula emphasized Brazil’s interest in launching trade agreement negotiations, while with the Middle Eastern country, both sides are working toward concluding a Trade Agreement by the end of the year.

Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu expressed interest in establishing cooperation to boost the country’s agricultural sector productivity and highlighted the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa) as a benchmark in agricultural research and innovation.

Meanwhile, with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali, cooperation on developing a Climate Risk Agricultural Zoning (ZARC) plan for the entire African continent was reaffirmed.

Multilateralism and digital issues
Beyond the specifics of each bilateral meeting, several recurring topics emerged: the defense of multilateralism and the reform of global governance institutions were present in nearly all conversations.

Multilateralism has been one of Lula’s most frequently repeated points in recent days. At the opening of the BRICS Business Forum on Saturday (5), the president stated that it is up to emerging countries to “defend the multilateral trade regime and reform the international financial architecture” in the face of a context of “resurgent protectionism.”
Another topic he mentioned on that occasion was the creation of “multilateral governance” over artificial intelligence. Similarly, digital topics were frequently discussed in the bilateral meetings, covering science and technology, artificial intelligence, semiconductors, and renewable energies in the case of China; energy transition, science, technology, and innovation, as well as space observation, with Nigeria; and artificial intelligence and computational language models with the United Arab Emirates.

Lula also reiterated the invitation to COP30, which will take place in Belém (PA) in November. Vietnam, Ethiopia, and China have already confirmed their attendance. In the case of China, the Brazilian president also requested support for launching the Tropical Forests Forever Fund (TFFF), which aims to reward ecosystem services provided by tropical forests, during the event.

Bola Ahmed Tinubu of Nigeria was invited to COP, and the United Arab Emirates reaffirmed their support for the event.

Source: Brasil de Fato

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