BEIJING/SAO PAULO, Jan 23 (Reuters) - Chinese leader Xi Jinping assured his Brazilian counterpart on Friday that China would stand by Latin America's biggest economy and the Global South, and called for both nations to maintain the role of the United Nations, state news agency Xinhua said.
Xi's comments in a telephone call with President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva followed the latter's criticism of the U.S. attack on Venezuela in an opinion piece in the New York Times this week.
Xi said China and Brazil should safeguard the shared interests of the Global South and jointly maintain the role of the United Nations in the "current turbulent international situation", the agency said.
Lula's office confirmed the 45-minute call, saying that both leaders "reiterated their commitment to strengthening the United Nations as a path to safeguarding peace and stability in the world".
U.S. MOVE STOKES WORRIES IN LATIN AMERICA
The U.S. three weeks ago seized Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to be prosecuted on narcotics charges. Since then, U.S. President Donald Trump has proposed a Board of Peace that some fear may be intended to rival the U.N.
The U.S. action in Venezuela stoked worries among Latin American countries about the risk of similar interventions by force on their turf, and prompted criticism from the United Nations.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told Britain's BBC that the U.S. was putting the founding principles of the United Nations, including the equality of member states, at risk.
In his January 18 piece, Lula wrote that the future of Venezuela and any other country must remain in the hands of its people.
"In more than 200 years of independent history, this is the first time that South America has come under direct military attack by the United States, though American forces previously intervened in the region," he said.
"It is crucial that the leaders of the major powers understand that a world of permanent hostility is not viable. However strong those powers may be, they cannot rely simply on fear and coercion."
TRUMP'S MOVES CHALLENGE CHINESE INFLUENCE
Trump's threat to use force to acquire Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory, has also opened a rift with security allies across the Atlantic.
U.S. bombings and the capture of Maduro challenge China's influence in Latin America and the Caribbean, where Xi has promised new credit lines and infrastructure investment.
"China is willing to remain a good friend and partner to Latin American and Caribbean countries," Xi told Lula.
He said a 2024 strategic partnership to align China's Belt and Road Initiative with Brazil's plans on farming, infrastructure and the energy transition exemplifies solidarity and cooperation among Global South countries.
China also seeks to help build a China-Latin America community with a shared future, he said.
Lula told Xi that Brazil would move to grant exemptions from some categories of short‑stay visas for Chinese citizens, in reciprocity for a visa waiver measure adopted by China since last year, the Brazilian government said.
(Reporting by Liz Lee, Ryan Woo and Beijing newsroom; Additional reporting by Gabriel Araujo in Sao Paulo; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
