Brazil's Lula Cancels Trip to China due to Pneumonia

On Saturday, Brzail's presidential palace announced President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has canceled his trip to China after contracting pneumonia.

Lula, 77, was admitted to a hospital in Brasilia's capital with flu-like symptoms and diagnosed with "influenza A bacterial and viral bronchitis," the palace said in a statement, citing a medical note signed by Dr. Anna Helena Germoglio.

The medical note said the left-wing leader's health was re-evaluated on Saturday and, despite the improvement, he was advised to "postpone the trip to China until the virus transmission cycle is over". His press office later confirmed the cancellation of the trip.

The palace mentioned that the Chinese authorities had been informed of the "repeated desire to set a date for the visit at a new date."

Lula was expected to leave for China for a multi-day visit on Friday or Saturday, however, the trip was postponed on Friday.

Lula was due to be accompanied by a delegation made up of ministers, senators, lawmakers, and hundreds of businessmen during his first state visit to Brazil's largest trading partner since taking office in January.

The Brazilian president and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, are scheduled to meet next Tuesday.

Trade, investment, and climate change were on the agenda, and 20 bilateral agreements were expected to be signed, according to a statement from the presidential palace on Thursday.

Lula, who rarely delays or cancels trips for health reasons, traveled to Argentina in January and the United States in February, marking a departure from Brazil's foreign policy under former far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, who showed little interest in international affairs or traveling abroad.