China’s Xi, Brazil’s Lula meet in Beijing to boost ties

By EMILY WANG FUJIYAMA and MAURICIO SAVARESE
Associated Press

BEIJING (AP) — Chinese leader Xi Jinping has met with visiting Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva as part of a push to boost ties between two of the world’s largest developing nations. The meeting came on the second day of Lula’s visit to China, his country’s most important trading partner and ally in his bid to challenge Western-dominated economic institutions. The visit included the swearing-in on Thursday of former Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff as head of the Chinese-backed New Development Bank, which is funding infrastructure projects in Brazil and elsewhere in the developing world. Following their meeting, the two leaders oversaw the signing of agreements in areas ranging from agriculture to aeronautics.