Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's call for the Southern Common Market (Mercosur) to pursue a free trade agreement with China has been welcomed by experts as an encouraging signal of closer engagement with Beijing. Speaking at the recent Mercosur summit, Lula urged the South American bloc to deepen ties with China amid growing trade protectionism and uncertainty in the international economic environment. Ignacio Bartesaghi, director of the Institute of International Business at the Catholic University of Uruguay, described Lula's remarks as an important development, noting that Lula does not usually mention China in his Mercosur speeches. While China already serves as a crucial export market for Mercosur countries, a free trade agreement would offer opportunities to further expand market access, particularly for agricultural products.