Brazil pushes China for closer farm ties with beef taking centre stage

Bulls stand at a cattle feed lot in the Amazon on June 28, 2017 near Chupinguaia, Rondonia state, Brazil. Image: Getty.

Dan Murtaugh and Tatiana Freitas

Hundreds of Brazilian agribusiness leaders flooded Beijing this week even before the arrival of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who's betting a high-stakes trip to China will further open the world's biggest commodities importer for his country's products, helping him make peace with a sector that overwhelmingly supported his predecessor in last year's election.