Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Friday welcomed Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on his first visit to the country, the two sides met in the capital Brasilia, and the South American leader bought the other country’s beef. I urged him to do so.
Brazil had hoped to use the bilateral talks to push for an agreement to open the Japanese market to Brazilian beef. It’s a goal the Latin American country has been pursuing since 2005. In his appeal to the prime minister, Lula argued that he should eat at a steakhouse during the period. his travels.
Brazil reassures foreign countries after meat scandal
“I don’t know what you had for dinner last night,” Lula said at a press conference, looking at Kishida and the Japanese delegation, before turning to Vice President Gerald Alkmin, who is also Minister of Industry, Commerce and Development. . And trade. “Please take Prime Minister Fumio to eat steak at the best restaurant in São Paulo. Then he will start importing our beef from next week.”
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (right) and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida shake hands with the media during a meeting at the Planalto Presidential Palace in Brasilia, Brazil, Friday, May 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Luis Nova)
Under the Lula administration, Brazil has stepped up efforts to export beef to international markets. Since Lula took office in early 2023, 50 countries, mainly in Asia, have lifted restrictions. According to Brazilian authorities, about 70% of the beef consumed in Japan is imported, with 80% coming from the United States and Australia.
“Our meat is cheaper and of better quality than the meat you buy. I don’t even know the price, but I’m sure our meat is cheaper and of very high quality,” Lula said. added.
Brazil exported more than 2 million pounds of beef in 2023, narrowly breaking the record set the previous year, according to official trade statistics. The country is the world’s largest exporter of beef, shipping to more than 90 countries. Eduardo Paes Savoia, Secretary of the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Asia and the Pacific, said that the hygiene status of the cattle industry is now “much better than it was in 2005, especially with regard to the certification of FMD-free areas even if they are not vaccinated.” It’s getting better,” he said. Reporters from Brasilia.
The cattle industry is also a major cause of the destruction of the Amazon rainforest and the Cerrado, a vast area of tropical savannah. Japan and Brazil have agreed to Japan’s support for restoration projects in devastated areas of the Cerrado. Additional cooperation agreements related to cooperation in cybersecurity and investment promotion, among others.
“There is great potential for bilateral cooperation to address global challenges,” Kishida said at a press conference after the bilateral meeting.
He added that he looks forward to strengthening Japan-Brazil cooperation in environmental protection measures, climate change and sustainable development, citing the Brazilian government’s recent contribution of $3 million to the Amazon Rainforest Conservation Fund. Mentioned. He also noted that 150 Japanese executives were participating in the trip.
The Brazilian president said Kishida’s first words to Lula were about the toll of flooding in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul, where 37 people had been killed and dozens more were missing as of Friday morning. It was said to be an expression of solidarity with the people.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Brazil is home to the world’s largest overseas Japanese community, with more than 2.7 million people of Japanese descent and their descendants. The first ships from the Asian country arrived in Brazil in his 1908 year, and immigration reached its peak between World War I and World War II.
Prime Minister Kishida will visit Asunción, Paraguay in the afternoon, where he will attend a business summit, meet with the Japanese community, and have dinner with President Santiago Peña. He plans to return to Brazil on Saturday morning to meet São Paulo’s Japanese community, speak at the University of São Paulo, and attend a business conference.
