Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva ended his trip to Spain on Wednesday (Apr. 26) with a meeting with Spanish President Pedro Sánchez at the Moncloa Palace.
Shortly before his departure, the head of state of the largest economy in Latin America stressed that the concern of some countries about China’s economic growth contradicts the principles advocated by the Washington Consensus in the 1980s.
The consensus is a set of neoliberal recommendations aimed at economic development.
Regarding the war between Russia and Ukraine, the Brazilian president defended the creation of a “G20 of peace.”
The statement came during a meeting with Spanish President Pedro Sánchez and after signing three memoranda of understanding of higher education cooperation between the two countries’ labor ministries and a memorandum of understanding in science, technology, and innovation.
“When I see that some countries are concerned about China’s growth, I wonder if we remember the discourse in the 1980s after the famous Washington Consensus when the idea emerged that the world would no longer have a problem if it were globalized.”
“Even the younger ministers remember a speech made 43 years ago that said globalization was the way out for humanity,” the Brazilian president said.
Lula added that because of the Washington Consensus, “all the American megacorporations invested, not to develop China, but to take advantage of China’s cheap labor at the time.”
“The Chinese knew how to take advantage of the investment.”
“But when Trump ran [for the US presidency], he started saying it was necessary to remove China-based companies.”
“It was too late because China is already the second largest economy in the world, and it may be the first next year,” Lula pointed out.
The Brazilian president said that Chinese growth differs from other countries because it has been achieved without war.
“This is proof that only with peace can you use the money produced by the people to create jobs and social wealth.”
“I worry about the war between Russia and Ukraine.”
“No one can doubt that we Brazilians condemn the territorial violation that Russia has committed against Ukraine.”
“The mistake has happened, and the war has started.”
“Now, it is useless to say who is right and wrong. What we need now is to end the war.”
Lula says a “reckoning” cannot be discussed until the shooting stops.
“That’s what happens in this and all the other wars.”
“But we live in a very strange world where all the permanent members of the UN Security Council are the biggest arms producers and sellers.”
“And they are the world’s biggest belligerents.”
“So I wonder if it is not up to us, the other countries that are not permanent [members] of the UN Security Council, to change something.”
“Why are Brazil, Spain, Japan, Germany, India, Nigeria, Egypt, and South Africa not [permanent members]? ”
“Who decides today are the winners of World War 2, but the world has changed.”
“We must build a new international mechanism to do things differently.”
“I think it is time to change things and create a so-called G20 of peace, which should be the UN,” he added.