China is willing to assist and deepen its cooperation with fellow BRICS founder nation Brazil against the “external uncertainties” of the United States and President Donald Trump’s tariff policy, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Wednesday.
The Chinese embassy in Brazil published a statement in Portuguese after Wang held a phone conversation with Celso Amorim, chief advisor to radical leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. According to Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian, Wang said during the phone call with Amorim that “using tariffs as a weapon to suppress other countries violates the U.N. Charter, undermines World Trade Organization rules and is both unpopular and unsustainable.”
“Under the strategic guidance of President Xi Jinping and President Lula, China and Brazil are making efforts to strengthen the Community of Shared Future for a More Just World and a More Sustainable Planet, Wang said, claiming that Brazil agrees with China’s stance in defending global “multipolarization” – meaning the erosion of American influence – and “global equality and justice.”
In the statement, Wang stressed that China firmly supports Brazil in “defending its right to development and resisting the intimidating practice of abusive tariffs.” Wang, describing China and Brazil as the largest developing countries in the Eastern and Western Hemispheres, asserted that the two nations have always supported each other in defense of the “common interests of the countries of the Global South.”
The Brazilian government is aiming to increase its diplomatic presence with China by establishing a tax advisory office in Beijing. A draft of the agreement reviewed by Reuters in late July reportedly cites the “growing complexity” of bilateral trade and the need to enhance cooperation on tax and customs matters as grounds for the prospective tax office.
Reuters pointed out that Brazil presently has four such offices abroad in the United States, Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay. According to the Brazilian Finance Ministry, which confirmed the prospective Beijing-based tax office plans to local outlets, “there is no political motivation” behind the move.
“Under the strategic guidance of the two presidents, the building of the China-Brazil community with a shared future for a more just world and a more sustainable planet has yielded fruitful outcomes,” Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun told a reporter at the Brazilian left-wing newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo on a Wednesday press conference.
“The mutually beneficial and friendly cooperation between China and Brazil has benefited the two peoples, promoted the modernization process of each country, and become a model of major developing countries working together for solidarity and cooperation,” he continued. “China is willing to work with Brazil to continually deepen cooperation in various fields and add more strategic dimensions to the China-Brazil community with a shared future,” he continued.
Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva looks on during a press conference at the BRICS summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on July 7, 2025. (PABLO PORCIUNCULA/AFP via Getty Images)
President Donald Trump signed an executive order last week identifying Brazil as a national security threat to the United States. He also imposed a 50 percent tariff on Brazilian goods entering the United States, which went into effect this week. President Trump cited the “witch hunt” against conservative former President Jair Bolsonaro and numerous censorship and persecution actions against conservative voices in Brazil committed by Supreme Federal Tribunal (STF) Justice Alexandre de Moraes as main reasons for the tariffs. Last week, Trump said that Lula can “call him anytime” to discuss tariffs.
According to Brazil’s Finance Minister Fernando Haddad, the ongoing tariff negotiations could see the inclusion of a prospective deal on Brazil’s critical and rare earth minerals after Lula publicly appeared to be firmly opposed to the idea. Haddad will reportedly hold a remote meeting with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on August 13. Haddad told reporters on Wednesday that depending on the “quality” of the conversation, the two officials could have a face-to-face work meeting in the future.
“At that point, the mood would already be geared toward an understanding between the two countries,” Haddad said.
Christian K. Caruzo is a Venezuelan writer and documents life under socialism. You can follow him on Twitter here