President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will visit China from March 26 to 31, during which time he will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping. On his way back, Lula will stop in the United Arab Emirates for a one-day visit, before arriving in Brasília on April 1.
According to the Brazilian Foreign Affairs Ministry, Lula will discuss the environment and seek to increase bilateral investment and improve trade relations. The United Arab Emirates currently receives only 1 percent of Brazil’s exports.
Lula will meet with the organizers of COP28, to be held in Dubai in November, and is expected to reaffirm Brazil’s commitment to preserving the Amazon. In a best-case scenario, the president would get the Gulf nation to pledge a contribution to the Amazon Fund, which finances sustainable development efforts. The two countries will also discuss renewable energy projects. Despite being an oil and gas powerhouse, the United Arab Emirates has shown interest in investing in clean energy sources.
The Brazilian president is also expected to discuss infrastructure investments in Brazil with managers of the sovereign wealth funds Mubadala Investment Company and Abu Dhabi Investment Authority.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan insisted on Lula’s visit to continue the close relationship the two nations enjoyed during the Jair Bolsonaro administration. Lula reportedly considered postponing the visit due to Ramadan, but decided to go ahead at Abu Dhabi’s insistence.
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