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Brazil’s Lula plans state visit for China’s Xi and talks in Amazon with US’ Biden

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Xi Jinping gets state visit in place of Biden, who will not make it to Brasilia

Brazilian President Luiz InAcio Lula da Silva is planning several engagements with his Chinese and US counterparts, built around their trips to the South American country – including one to the Amazon – for the Group of 20 summit in Rio de Janeiro next month.

US President Joe Biden will attend the multilateral summit in Rio de Janeiro in person, a senior White House official said on Wednesday, while a Brazilian government official confirmed that Lula will host Chinese President Xi Jinping for an official state visit immediately after G20.

Speaking at an event hosted by the Washington-based think tank Brookings Institution, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said that during the trip, Biden plans to widen discussions on the Partnership for Workers’ Rights.

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That initiative was launched with Lula on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly last year and is focused on combating forced labour, promoting investment standards that support “decent” jobs, empowering workers and eliminating discrimination in the workplace.

Lula and Biden, Sullivan said, will be “looking to expand that to include other countries”.

The White House official also emphasised that US participation in this year’s G20 summit will be focused on “spearheading an effort that calls for the international financial institutions and the major creditors in the private sector to step up their relief for countries facing high debt burdens”.

The global debt issue emerged as a high priority at India’s G20 summit last year, where Indian diplomats proposed that major lenders, particularly China – the world’s largest sovereign creditor – accept substantial reductions in lending rates.

Beijing rejected these calls, instead insisting that resolving the debt crisis required “joint action” and an “in-depth analysis of the causes of global debt issues and to solve the problem in a comprehensive and effective manner”.

The China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, affiliated with the Ministry of State Security, also accused India of using debt restructuring to discredit Beijing by promoting the “debt trap” theory – which suggests China lends to poor countries to extract strategic military and political concessions.

While Sullivan has confirmed Biden’s coming trip, the White House has not released an official schedule.

However the meetings end up, they underscore the extent to which Washington and Beijing are competing for influence in Brazil and more broadly across Latin America.

Lula revealed earlier this year that his administration was putting together “a proposal to join” the Belt and Road Initiative, China’s flagship infrastructure and investment project.

Washington is trying to counter the belt and road through funding led by its International Development and International Development Finance Corporation (IDFC) and other agencies.

Sources told The Post on Wednesday that the US president will travel first to the Apec Summit in Peru, a six-day event that starts on November 10, followed by a stop to a city in the Amazon rainforest before heading to the G20 summit.

The Amazon visit, planned for Belem – the 2025 COP 30 host city – comes at Brazil’s invitation and could include an announcement of US contributions to a fund designed to finance efforts to protect the forest, whose health is vital as a major “sink” for global carbon emissions.

According to sources, this stop also serves to fill a diplomatic gap left by Biden, who is unable to stick with tentative plans to hold bilateral talks with Lula in Brasilia after the G20.

Instead, the Brazilian president will receive the Chinese leader Xi there for a series of events headed by several ministers from both countries and a state dinner.

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This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (www.scmp.com), the leading news media reporting on China and Asia.

Politics

PDP to screen Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday as its sole Presidential aspirant For 2027 race

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The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), led by Tanimu Turaki, SAN, has scheduled to screen former president Goodluck Jonathan tomorrow, Tuesday, aMay 19, as the lone presidential candidate of party.

According to a statement from the PDP faction backed by the Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, Former Vice-President Namadi Sambo, former governor of Plateau State, Jona Jang and a former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Tom Ikimi have been listed among a committee of 14 members to screen Jonathan described as a lone candidate by the party.

Other members of the committee were Chief Olabode George, Babangida Aliyu, Maryam ciroma, Zainab Maina, Josephine Anenin, Dr. Abdul Bulama, Dr. Esther Uduehi, Edo State PDP chairman, Tony Aziegbemi, Dr. Sunday Solarium and Chief Anicho Okoro, who would serve as administrative secretary of the committee.

Last week, the national Publicity Secretary of the faction, Ini Ememobong, disclosed that former president Jonathan has successfully registered as a member of the party in the fresh digital registration exercise directed by INEC.

The PDP faction also announced that it was set to screen 748 house of representatives aspirants, 198 senatorial aspirants, and 112 governorship aspirants.

The screening committee would screen 2122 states houses of assembly aspirants. The exercise will commence tomorrow, Tuesday in different states.

According to the statement, the screening exercise would take place nationwide on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, at 10:00 a.m.

The statement said the Interim National Working Committee (iNWC) has also released the names of members to serve on the Screening Committees and Screening Appeal Panels.

It added that the publication of the screening details “is in accordance with the party’s guidelines and timetable for the conduct of the 2027 general elections.”

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Oshiomhole wins Edo APC senatorial primaries unopposed

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A former governor and incumbent Senator, Adams Oshiomhole, along with his counterpart Senator Joe Ikpea, sailed through the All Progressives Congress senatorial primary in Edo unopposed, and securing their tickets without a single vote cast against them.

Also Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama emerged the winner in the APC primary for the Edo South senatorial district.

Ogbeide-Ihama won in the seven local government areas of Edo South in the results announced by the Chairman of APC National Assembly Primary Election, Muhammed Ajana at the Urokpota Hall, Benin.

He polled 27,154 votes while his opponents, Senator Neda Imasuen, got 13,580, and Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu got 6785.

The elections were hitch-free in Edo North and Edo Central, where there was no contest against the incumbents, Senators Oshiomhole of Edo North and Ikpea of Edo Central, respectively.

Ajana at the Urokpota Hall said the collation arose from votes cast in the seven local government areas made up of 77 wards where elections were conducted by members of the committee.

He said, “There are seven local governments that make up the Edo South Senatorial District. We have heard from the Returning officers from the seven local government areas. From the collation, the cumulative result we have for Edo South Senatorial District is this; Ogbeide-Ihama with 27,154 votes, Imasuen with 13,580 votes and Ize-Iyamu with 6, 785.

“This is the total reflection of what has transpired from the ward level to the local government and the Edo South senatorial district collation centre. With this we await further directives from the National Secretariat, we have done our best by collating the results which is our mandate, to collate the results and send them to the National Secretariat.”

However, it was gathered that Ize-Iyamu emerged as the APC candidate for Edo South Senatorial race. He claimed to have clinched the party’s ticket after defeating Ogbeide-Ihama and Imasuen.

It was claimed that the Chief Returning Officer, Abubakar Muhammad Kabiru, officially declared Ize-Iyamu the winner after securing the highest number of votes cast.

On his part, the senator representing the district condemned the exercise describing it as a sham allegedly designed to favour a preferred aspirant.

Imasuen spoke while reacting to events at his polling unit in Umagbae North Ward 5, Urhokuosa where he said he was denied the opportunity to vote following what he described as a chaotic and manipulated process.

The lawmaker accused leaders of the party of openly adopting a preferred candidate ahead of the exercise and intimidating members into supporting that aspirant.

He said, “There is nothing satisfactory about this sham of election they did today and it is very unfortunate because as a loyal party member, I expected something better than this.”

He said the warning signs emerged days before the primary when some ward chairmen allegedly informed him that they had been directed not to receive him during consultations.

Imasuen claimed that some ward leaders openly told him the party had already adopted a preferred aspirant, identified as Hon. Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama, making further consultations unnecessary.

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Ajuloopin Suffers Setback as Home Ward Rejects Third Term Return Bid in Kwara APC Primary

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The re-election bid of the member representing Ekiti/Isin/Irepodun/Oke-Ero Federal Constituency, Hon. Raheem Tunji Olawuyi, popularly known as Ajuloopin, suffered a major setback on Friday after party members in his home ward, Omu-Aran Ward 1, boycotted the All Progressives Congress APC House of Representatives primary.

According to party stakeholders and observers present at the exercise, no valid election took place in the ward after members refused to participate in protest against what they described as the lawmaker’s poor performance after three consecutive terms in the House of Representatives.

Sources in the ward said efforts by some political figures and loyalists to persuade members to back Ajuloopin’s ambition failed, with party faithful insisting they would not endorse what they termed an attempt to impose his candidacy again.

The boycott led to a breakdown of the electoral process in Omu-Aran Ward 1, with many members staying away from the polls entirely. Stakeholders have called on the APC Electoral Committee to disregard any result purportedly presented from the ward, arguing that no credible primary was conducted there.

Political observers in the constituency described the development as a significant blow to Ajuloopin, noting that the rejection came from his own ward and among constituents most familiar with his record.

Preliminary reports from other parts of Irepodun, Isin and Oke-Ero local government areas, where voting proceeded, also indicated weak support for the incumbent. Many party members were said to have voted for alternative aspirants.

APC stakeholders have urged the party leadership to review reports from affected wards and accept only authentic and verifiable results to preserve the credibility of the primaries. They stressed that internal democracy was critical to the party’s prospects in the constituency and warned against imposing unpopular candidates ahead of the 2027 elections.

With tension rising across the federal constituency, party faithful said the leadership must listen to grassroots members and allow delegates and supporters to determine the outcome of the primaries.

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