Bolsonaro's anti-China rants have Beijing nervous about Brazil

Presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro is pictured during a news conference in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes

BRASILIA (Reuters) - The Chinese government is trying to make peace with Brazil's leading presidential candidate, Jair Bolsonaro, whose China-bashing threatens to chill a profitable trading relationship that has benefited both countries.

Chinese diplomats based in Brasilia have met twice with top Bolsonaro advisors in recent weeks, according to participants in the meetings. Their aim is to highlight cooperation with Latin America's largest country, whose grain and minerals have fuelled China's rise while lifting millions of Brazilians from poverty in the resulting commodities boom.