China Backs Brazil Against US Tariffs, Slams Washington’s ‘Bullying Practices’
BEIJING – China has expressed readiness to strengthen cooperation with Brazil in the face of what it denounces as “arbitrary” tariffs imposed by the United States, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Wednesday. The statement came during a phone call with Celso Amorim, chief advisor to Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, according to China’s Foreign Ministry.
Wang reiterated China’s full support for Brazil in defending its development rights and resisting “bullying practices” by the US. He stressed that the use of punitive tariffs as a political weapon violates the principles of the United Nations Charter and undermines the rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO). Beijing’s stance comes in response to President Donald Trump’s recent imposition of a 50% tariff on Brazilian imports, which he framed as part of a broader “witch-hunt” related to former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s alleged involvement in the 2022 election unrest.
Reacting to the US move, President Lula vowed to take the dispute to the WTO and use all international legal avenues to protect Brazil’s economic interests. “In 2025, we will resort to all possible measures, starting with the WTO, to defend our interests,” Lula declared at a public event in Brasília, adding that the government had already been working to expand foreign trade before Trump’s return to office.
Tensions have continued to rise between Brazil and the US, particularly after Washington sanctioned Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes for his role in probing the failed attempt to overturn Lula’s 2022 electoral victory.
