Brazilian president arrives in Sanya

SANYA - Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff arrived Wednesday evening in Sanya City of south China's Hainan Province to attend the BRICS Leaders Meeting scheduled for Thursday.

Rousseff flew from Beijing to Sanya after concluding her two-day state visit to China.

Related readings:  BRICS countries set up liaison group to boost co-op  S. Africa president arrives in Sanya for BRICS summit  Russia gets support from BRICS to join WTO  Official urges BRICS to promote int'l monetary system

Chinese President Hu Jintao held talks with Rousseff during her stay in Beijing. The two leaders signed a joint communique that highlights their "broad consensus" on areas from trade to global governance.

The two countries also inked a long list of economic deals, including a purchase order for 35 Brazil's Embraer 190 commercial jets.

It was Rousseff's first state visit to China since she took office in January.

BRICS is a group acronym that refers to Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

Thursday's summit will focus on topics including the current international situation, global economic and financial issues, and cooperation among BRICS countries. The leaders of the five countries are expected to release a joint document after the meeting.

Rousseff said earlier that the BRICS group had made, was making, and would continue to make a great contribution to the world.

Prior to her trip to China, the Brazilian president said in an interview with Xinhua that the BRICS was an "extremely healthy" presence which had become one of the levers of multilateralism in the world.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev also arrived in Sanya on Wednesday afternoon to attend the BRICS summit.