Lula wants to count on the international scene by promoting the global South and non-alignment Lula wants to count on the international scene through ambitious diplomacy, tarnished by polemical declarations
The return to the White House of Donald Trump, re-elected on November 5, is feared by the Brazilian leader – unlike his predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro (2019-2022), whose diplomacy was often aligned with that of his American counterpart. The prospect of renewed American protectionism could push Brazil further into the arms of China and into a posture of non-alignment towards the West. Since 2009, China has been Brazil’s largest trading partner. Today, it absorbs around 30% of its exports, compared to only 11% for the United States and 14% for the European Union (EU). Brasilia plans to adopt Chinese standards for new technologies and seal agreements on key sectors such as vaccines, artificial intelligence and telecommunications. He also plans to join the “new silk roads” promoted by President Xi Jinping. Russia is an important partner of Brazil within BRICS, and is an indispensable supplier of fertilizers for local agriculture. Since the start of the war in Ukraine, Lula has adopted an ambiguous position, condemning the Russian invasion, while holding NATO responsible. According to him, the blame is shared between Moscow and kyiv. He also refuses to apply sanctions against Russia. A historic ally of Chavista power in Venezuela, Lula has long protected the legitimacy of Nicolas Maduro, president since 2013. But the latter’s contested re-election in July has sparked tensions between Brasilia and Caracas. In October, Lula vetoed Venezuela’s entry into BRICS+. The Brazilian head of state approved, in 2024, the enlargement of BRICS to four new members, including Iran, the bête noire of Donald Trump. In addition to the Islamic Republic, the integration of Ethiopia and Egypt allows us to reconnect with a certain idea of “non-alignment” as it emerged in 1955 during the Bandung conference. Its ambition is to build another world, around the conception of a global South. Invited to the African Union summit in Addis Ababa in February, Lula created controversy by declaring that “what is happening in the Gaza Strip with the Palestinian people has not happened at any other time in the history. In fact, this has already happened: when Hitler decided to kill the Jews.” But his country remains dependent on China and the West