Brazil Shifts Course, Pushes for China Trade Deal After Trump Tariffs

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed on Sunday to speed up talks for a trade deal between China and the Mercosur trade bloc. The move marks a sharp reversal for Brazil, which for years led resistance to such an agreement within the South American group. The two leaders spoke by telephone for more than an hour, according to a statement from the Brazilian presidency. They “coincided on the importance of speeding up the talks for a Mercosur-China agreement,” the statement said. The shift comes after recent U.S. tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump, which have pushed Brazil to seek new trade partners. Mercosur includes Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay. A deal with China would give the bloc access to the world’s second-largest economy.