Lula leaving on Asian tour – meeting with Trump possible
Lula is due back in Brazil on Oct. 28
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was headed for Indonesia and Malaysia to participate in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit and the East Asia Summit (EAS).
He is also scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with local authorities and other visiting leaders, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. A possible encounter with US President Donald Trump is under consideration. Lula is due back on Oct. 28.
This is the first time a Brazilian president has participated as a guest in an ASEAN Summit, said Ambassador Everton Frask Lucero, director of the Department of India, South, and Southeast Asia at the Foreign Ministry.
Founded in 1967, ASEAN is a regional organization that promotes economic, political, security, and sociocultural cooperation among its members. During the upcoming summit, the association will formally welcome East Timor as its 11th member.
From an economic standpoint, the 11 countries – including East Timor, which is now joining the association – have a combined population of over 680 million and an aggregate GDP of approximately US$4 trillion. Taken together, they would constitute the world’s third-largest population and fourth-largest economy, Lucero noted.
The ambassador also emphasized that Brazil’s trade with ASEAN countries exceeded US$37 billion last year and continues to grow. If ASEAN were a single country, it would be Brazil’s fifth-largest trading partner, after China, the European Union, the United States, and Argentina.
Amid a climate of unilateral tariffs on international trade, ASEAN could expand opportunities for Brazilian exports. Last year, the bloc accounted for more than 20% of Brazil’s global trade surplus, with a favorable balance of US$15.5 billion.
Lula’s first stop will be Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia and the region’s largest economy, where the president will be received on a state visit to reaffirm the bilateral strategic relationship. It also reciprocates Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto’s visit in July, shortly after the 17th BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro.
The first official engagement will take place on Thursday morning. After a reception ceremony for the Brazilian delegation at the Indonesian presidential palace, Lula will hold a private session with President Subianto, followed by an expanded meeting with ministers from both countries to sign official agreements and make a statement to the press.
After lunch hosted by the Indonesian president, Lula will attend the closing of the business forum with representatives from both countries. Among the Brazilian participants alone, approximately 100 businesspeople are expected.
On Friday, the president will meet with ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn of Cambodia. In the afternoon, Lula will depart for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. On Saturday, he plans to meet with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. The two leaders have been fostering a political rapprochement in recent years, particularly because they share common views on global issues such as the Palestinian question, the war in Ukraine, the fight against hunger, and the need for reform in the global governance system.
What is interesting to note is that we are already a long-standing, traditional trading partner of Malaysia, but we had never elevated this partnership to a level that was, shall we say, more political, more visibly political. The trip to Malaysia now affirms that we are expanding our presence, that we have an active voice, and that we hold concrete interests in a country central to the growth dynamics of the Southeast Asian region – one of the most economically dynamic of this century, Lucero pointed out.
In terms of bilateral cooperation, Brazil and Malaysia are expected to sign memoranda on semiconductor production, a sector in which the Asian country is a powerhouse, as well as on other matters related to science, technology, and renewable energy.
Also on Saturday, Lula will receive an honorary PhD from the National University of Malaysia, where he will deliver a speech on Brazil’s vision for social, cultural, and political relations with Asia.
On Sunday, the South American leader will attend the opening session of the 47th ASEAN Summit, meet with Brazilian and Malaysian entrepreneurs, and participate in a forum with ASEAN business leaders, plus other engagements yet to be arranged. So far, only the meeting with India’s Narendra Modi has been confirmed.
That day, Lula is also expected to meet with US President Donald Trump amid talks of a rapprochement following the Republican head of State’s trade tariffs in August.
On Monday, Lula is participating in the 20th East Asia Summit (EAS), also in Kuala Lumpur, where he is expected to deliver a speech. The EAS is a forum bringing together 18 countries from Asia and Oceania, including the members of ASEAN, as well as Russia, the US, South Korea, Australia, India, China, Japan, and New Zealand. The meetings are usually held annually, typically following the ASEAN summits. (Source: Agencia Brasil)
The post Lula leaving on Asian tour appeared first on Veritas News.
