MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Lula cancels trip to China due to health problems

Lula was diagnosed with bacterial and viral bronchopneumonia by influenza A

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva announced Saturday that he was canceling his trip to China due to health reasons. The South American leader, who skipped the XXVIII Ibero-American Summit in Santo Domingo to visit the Asian country instead, was to leave on Saturday and then on Sunday after a rescheduling that failed to meet Lula's recovery.

Read also: Lula reschedules departure for China after pneumonia diagnosis

The postponement has already been communicated to the Chinese authorities “with the reiteration of the desire to schedule the visit on a new date,” Agencia Brasil reported.

Lula was examined on Thursday at the Sírio Libanes Hospital in Brasilia, where he was diagnosed with bacterial and viral bronchopneumonia by influenza A and began treatment.

According to a note signed by Doctor Ana Helena Germoglio, despite the clinical improvement, the Presidency's medical service recommends postponing the trip to China until the viral transmission cycle is over. The trip had already been postponed from Saturday to Sunday, but now, it has no date to take place.

President Lula was to seek to expand trade relations between the two countries and his delegation would include dozens of Brazilian businessmen, governors, senators, deputies, and ministers.

With the cancellation of Lula's trip, the Minister of Finance, Fernando Haddad, and the President of the Senate, Rodrigo Pacheco, also canceled their visit to the Asian country at this time.

Lula was also to attend former President Dilma Rousseff's swearing-in as president of the Shanghai-based BRICS Bank.

(Source: Agencia Brasil)