In the face of intensified geopolitical assertiveness from the US, China has reaffirmed commitment to the Global South and the international order in call with Brazilian leadership, reports Reuters.
Chinese President Xi Jinping reached out to his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Friday, assuring him that China would stand with Brazil and the Global South, and called on both countries to maintain the role of the UN.
The call came days after the New York Times published an opinion piece by Lula. Criticising the US attack on Venezuela, the piece frames the bombings and capture of Venezuelan President Nicholás Maduro as part of a larger pattern of “intensified attacks on the authority of the United Nations and its Security Council.”
“When the use of force to resolve disputes ceases to be the exception and becomes the rule, global peace, security and stability are jeopardised,” he wrote, warning that unilateral actions threaten social stability, trade and investment, increase migration and undermine states’ capacity to address transnational threats like organised crime.
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Two days after the attack on Venezuela, US President Donald Trump announced the formal establishment of his so-called Board of Peace, authorised by the UN as part of the Gaza peace plan. He later characterised it as a potential replacement for the UN, which he claimed “never helped” him. The United States is the only permanent member of the UN Security Council currently onboard with the project; China and Brazil have not yet responded to invitations to join.
When speaking with Lula, Xi said China and Brazil should work together to maintain the role of the UN in the “current turbulent international situation.” Lula’s office confirmed the 45-minute call, saying that both leaders “reiterated their commitment to strengthening the United Nations as a path to safeguarding peace and stability in the world.”
Growing US hostility toward Latin America and the Caribbean is a rebuff to China’s peaceful engagement in the regions, where Xi has promised new lines of credit and infrastructure investment.
Xi reiterated China’s commitment to building a “shared future” with the two regions, assuring Lula that “China is willing to remain a good friend and partner to Latin American and Caribbean countries.”
