BRASILIA/NEW DELHI, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a phone conversation on Thursday, reaffirming their commitment to bilateral cooperation and multilateralism in the face of rising global trade tensions.

The two leaders exchanged views on various regional and global issues of mutual interest. "They recalled the goal of increasing bilateral trade to over 20 billion U.S. dollars by 2030. They also agreed to expand the scope of the agreement between Mercosur and India," the Brazilian Presidency said in a statement.

In a post on his official X account, Modi described the conversation as "good."

"We are committed to deepening our strategic partnership including in trade, energy, tech, defense, health and more. A strong, people-centric partnership between Global South nations benefits everyone," he wrote.

Lula confirmed he would pay a state visit to India in early 2026. As part of the preparations, Brazilian Vice President Geraldo Alckmin will travel to India in October to attend the trade monitoring mechanism meeting, accompanied by ministers and business leaders.

The conversation also touched on collaboration within the BRICS group. The two leaders reviewed the outcomes of the recent BRICS Summit in Brazil and discussed coordination for India's upcoming presidency of the bloc.

The discussion came shortly after the United States announced steep tariff increases on goods from both Brazil and India. ■