On the afternoon of May 24 2004, President Hu Jintao held talks at the Great Hall of the People with President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil, who is paying a state visit to China. The two sides exchanged views in depth and reached wide consensus on further developing the strategic partnership between China and Brazil as well as on major international and regional issues.

The two heads of state jointly set the following four principles to guide the development of relations between the two countries:

First, the two sides should continue to coordinate with each other on an equal footing and enhance mutual political trust.

Second, the two sides should adhere to the principles of reciprocity and mutual benefit, and expand economic and trade exchanges.

Third, the two sides should maintain consultation and coordination and enhance international cooperation.

Fourth, the two sides should boost civil exchanges and deepen mutual understanding.

The two presidents agreed to join forces of the two countries in taking active measures to carry out the above-mentioned principles.

Hu Jintao highly appraised the strategic partnership between China and Brazil. He said that with three decades of efforts, especially with the establishment of the strategic partnership over 10 years ago, relations between China and Brazil have witnessed comprehensive development. There have been frequent exchanges of high-level visits, and cooperation in various fields has yielded fruitful results. Last year, bilateral trade volume hit another record-high, the first linear aircraft jointly produced by the two countries made a successful test flight, and the two countries launched and put into operation their first Earth Resources Satellite, a result of their joint research. All these have fully shown the dynamism of and potentials for South-South Cooperation in the field of high-tech. Moreover, the two countries have offered each other mutual support as well as close cooperation and safeguarded the common interests of developing countries.

Hu stressed that both China and Brazil are developing countries. Therefore the two countries hold identical or similar views on many important international issues and share wide common interests in international affairs. The two economies are highly complementary and boast great potentials and bright prospects for cooperation. The Chinese government places high priority on relations with Brazil and would like to work together with the Brazilian side by taking the occasion of the visit by President Lula as well as the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries to boost the strategic partnership for continuous and deepened development and make it a model as a new type of relations between developing countries.

Lula fully agreed to the comments made by Hu on relations between the two countries. He said that China holds a very important position in the foreign relations of Brazil, stressing that this very visit made by him to China with a strong line-up of entourage is a full epitome of the awareness of the importance of Brazil-China relations. Brazil has full confidence in the prospects for cooperation in political affairs, economy and trade, science and technology as well as many other areas, and hopes that the two sides can further boost cooperation in agriculture, energy, mineral resources, science and technology, space and information technology and infrastructure construction so as to deepen the strategic partnership between the two countries.

Lula added that Brazil would firmly adhere to the one-China policy and support China's stance on the Taiwan issue and other issues such as human rights. He said that his country would immediately address issues concerning the recognition of China's status as a market economy.

Hu expressed his appreciation and gratitude to Brazil for its firm support for China on the Taiwan issue and other issues such as human rights, adding that the recognition of China's status as a market economy by Brazil will enrich China-Brazil strategic partnership and push the economic and trade cooperation between the two countries toward further development.

Following the talks, the two heads of state signed the Joint Communiqué Between the People's Republic of China and the Federative Republic of Brazil and attended the signing ceremony of other 9 cooperative documents.

Prior to the talks, President Hu Jintao held a welcoming ceremony for President Lula on his visit to China at the square outside the East Gate of the Great Hall of the People. Also present at the ceremony were Liu Yongqing, wife of President Hu Jintao, Cheng Siwei, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), Tang Jiaxuan, State Councilor, Chen Kuiyuan, Vice Chairman of Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Lu Qiang, Vice Chairman of the Central Committee of the Chinese Democratic League, Li Zhaoxing, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ma Kai, Minister of State Development and Reform Commission, Zhang Yunchuan, Minister of Commission on Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense, Bo Xilai, Minister of Commerce and some other officials.