The meeting took place on the second day of Lula’s visit to China, which is Brazil’s biggest trading partner and an ally in the Brazilian president’s efforts to challenge Western-dominated economic institutions.

The two leaders used the opportunity to strengthen ties between the world’s two largest developing countries, with a particular focus on agriculture, energy and infrastructure development.

During the meeting, Xi emphasized to Lula that China’s development will create new opportunities for Brazil and the world.

– We have a great relationship with China, a relationship that is getting stronger every day, the Brazilian president said before the meeting.

Lula and Xi also discussed the Ukraine war, and they agreed that dialogue and negotiations were the only way to resolve the crisis.

As part of Brazil’s visit, former President Dilma Rousseff was sworn in on Thursday as head of China-backed development bank DNB. It supports infrastructure projects in Brazil and several other countries.

The bank presents itself as an alternative to the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, which often set loan conditions that developing and developing countries have criticized as too stringent.

China is Brazil’s largest export recipient and Brazil’s largest international investor, but Lula has spoken critically of China’s direct ownership of Brazilian companies.

[ Xi sier Kina må trene på «faktisk strid» ]