RIO DE JANEIRO, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has announced that Brazil will grant exemptions from certain categories of short-term visas to Chinese citizens, in reciprocity for China's visa exemption policy for Brazilian nationals, the Brazilian presidency said on Friday.

According to an official statement, the decision was made in the context of deepening cooperation between Brazil and China, with the aim of further facilitating people-to-people exchanges and promoting bilateral interaction.

The Brazilian government said the specific implementation date of the visa-free policy will be announced at a later time. ■