<p>President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva promised Thursday that "Brazil is back!" during a state visit to China aimed at strengthening trade ties and winning support for his push for peace in Ukraine.</p>.<p>The veteran leftist, who arrived in Shanghai on Wednesday night, is seeking to reposition Brazil as a key global player after four years of relative isolation under his predecessor Jair Bolsonaro.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/world-news-politics/brazil-hit-by-two-new-school-attacks-in-24-hours-1208753.html" target="_blank">Brazil hit by two new school attacks in 24 hours</a></strong></p>.<p>"The time when Brazil was absent from major world decisions is in the past," Lula said at a ceremony to inaugurate his political ally Dilma Rousseff as president of the BRICS New Development Bank (NDB).</p>.<p>"We are back on the international stage, after an inexplicable absence."</p>.<p>Lula will spend Thursday in Shanghai before heading to the Chinese capital to meet his counterpart Xi Jinping, with whom he is expected to discuss the Ukraine war on Friday.</p>.<p>Both China and Brazil have positioned themselves as mediators in the conflict, despite Western concerns that they are overly cosy with Russian President Vladimir Putin.</p>.<p>The Shanghai leg of Lula's trip has highlighted another key goal of the visit -- to deepen economic links between the two countries.</p>.<p>China is Brazil's biggest export market, buying tens of billions of dollars worth of soybeans, beef and iron ore.</p>.<p>Rousseff, a former leader of Brazil, will head the NDB, a multilateral lender jointly set up by Brazil, China, Russia, India and South Africa, until 2025.</p>.<p>After the inauguration ceremony, Lula visited a research centre run by Chinese telecom giant Huawei.</p>.<p>Video on the official Brazilian presidential Twitter account showed Lula being greeted by musicians in traditional dress playing classical Chinese instruments.</p>.<p>Huawei's chair then walked him through an exhibition showcasing the company's extensive presence in Brazil -- a contrast with the United States, where companies are effectively barred from doing business with the firm.</p>.<p>Lula later tweeted that he had been given a presentation on 5G and solutions in telemedicine, education and connectivity, describing it as "a very strong investment in research and education".</p>.<p>He was also set to meet the head of China's biggest electric carmaker BYD, which said in October that it planned to set up a vehicle manufacturing plant in northern Brazil's Bahia after Ford Motors closed its factory there.</p>.<p>The company is already making electric buses and cars in Brazil for the Latin American market.</p>.<p>Back in office from January after having led Brazil from 2003 to 2010, Lula is seeking to smooth relations with China, after ties deteriorated under Bolsonaro.</p>.<p>He was initially scheduled to make the trip in late March but had to postpone it after coming down with pneumonia.</p>.<p>About 40 high-level officials are accompanying him on the rescheduled visit, including cabinet ministers, governors and members of Congress.</p>.<p>In a delicate balancing act, he is also seeking closer ties with the United States, Brazil's second-biggest trading partner.</p>.<p>His visit with Xi comes after a high-profile White House meeting with President Joe Biden in February.</p>
<p>President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva promised Thursday that "Brazil is back!" during a state visit to China aimed at strengthening trade ties and winning support for his push for peace in Ukraine.</p>.<p>The veteran leftist, who arrived in Shanghai on Wednesday night, is seeking to reposition Brazil as a key global player after four years of relative isolation under his predecessor Jair Bolsonaro.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/world-news-politics/brazil-hit-by-two-new-school-attacks-in-24-hours-1208753.html" target="_blank">Brazil hit by two new school attacks in 24 hours</a></strong></p>.<p>"The time when Brazil was absent from major world decisions is in the past," Lula said at a ceremony to inaugurate his political ally Dilma Rousseff as president of the BRICS New Development Bank (NDB).</p>.<p>"We are back on the international stage, after an inexplicable absence."</p>.<p>Lula will spend Thursday in Shanghai before heading to the Chinese capital to meet his counterpart Xi Jinping, with whom he is expected to discuss the Ukraine war on Friday.</p>.<p>Both China and Brazil have positioned themselves as mediators in the conflict, despite Western concerns that they are overly cosy with Russian President Vladimir Putin.</p>.<p>The Shanghai leg of Lula's trip has highlighted another key goal of the visit -- to deepen economic links between the two countries.</p>.<p>China is Brazil's biggest export market, buying tens of billions of dollars worth of soybeans, beef and iron ore.</p>.<p>Rousseff, a former leader of Brazil, will head the NDB, a multilateral lender jointly set up by Brazil, China, Russia, India and South Africa, until 2025.</p>.<p>After the inauguration ceremony, Lula visited a research centre run by Chinese telecom giant Huawei.</p>.<p>Video on the official Brazilian presidential Twitter account showed Lula being greeted by musicians in traditional dress playing classical Chinese instruments.</p>.<p>Huawei's chair then walked him through an exhibition showcasing the company's extensive presence in Brazil -- a contrast with the United States, where companies are effectively barred from doing business with the firm.</p>.<p>Lula later tweeted that he had been given a presentation on 5G and solutions in telemedicine, education and connectivity, describing it as "a very strong investment in research and education".</p>.<p>He was also set to meet the head of China's biggest electric carmaker BYD, which said in October that it planned to set up a vehicle manufacturing plant in northern Brazil's Bahia after Ford Motors closed its factory there.</p>.<p>The company is already making electric buses and cars in Brazil for the Latin American market.</p>.<p>Back in office from January after having led Brazil from 2003 to 2010, Lula is seeking to smooth relations with China, after ties deteriorated under Bolsonaro.</p>.<p>He was initially scheduled to make the trip in late March but had to postpone it after coming down with pneumonia.</p>.<p>About 40 high-level officials are accompanying him on the rescheduled visit, including cabinet ministers, governors and members of Congress.</p>.<p>In a delicate balancing act, he is also seeking closer ties with the United States, Brazil's second-biggest trading partner.</p>.<p>His visit with Xi comes after a high-profile White House meeting with President Joe Biden in February.</p>