Brazil’s first lady, Rosângela da Silva, sparked an unexpected diplomatic incident at a high-profile dinner in Beijing, directly addressing Chinese President Xi Jinping about the perceived political bias of TikTok. The unscheduled intervention, which saw Ms da Silva claim the social media platform’s algorithm favoured right-wingers and posed a challenge for leftists, was reportedly met with a response from Mr Xi before being leaked to Brazilian media by the time dessert was served.
The dinner, held in early May, was intended to celebrate a significant diplomatic victory for President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who was accompanied by businessmen reportedly securing billions of dollars in investments. The event was a moment for the veteran leader to renew his international prestige alongside his Chinese counterpart.
