Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said he took encouragement from remarks by visiting Chinese President Hu Jintao suggesting Beijing would back a larger role for Brazil at the United Nations, including a permanent seat on a reformed Security Council.
Lula stopped short of calling it an explicit endorsement, and Brazilian officials acknowledged that China is reluctant to openly back Brazil's candidacy to avoid appearing to endorse similar ambitions by Japan and India. Brazil, Germany, India, and Japan had jointly sought permanent council seats during the UN General Assembly in September 2004.
The two leaders, meeting in Brasilia, agreed their countries should work together within the UN and the World Trade Organization to protect the interests of developing nations.
Hu Jintao arrived in Brazil for a five-day visit focused on expanding bilateral trade. The trip produced early results: Brazil granted China market-economy status, and in return Chinese markets were opened to Brazilian meat exports. Brazil is China's leading trade partner in Latin America, while China had become Brazil's third-largest trading partner overall.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this AFP wire report, first published in November 2004, in its own words.