Foreign policy is among the priorities of President-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who takes office on January 1st. One of the challenges of the Foreign Affairs portfolio, under the command of Ambassador Mauro Vieira, will be to resume its leading role in tackling climate change.
The first step in this direction took place days after the second round of the elections, when Lula, now president-elect, went to Egypt to participate in COP27, the United Nations Climate Conference. On the occasion, Lula said that Brazil is “back” and proposed that a new climate conference be held in the Amazon.
Also in the sights of the new government is the strengthening of mechanisms such as Mercosur and Brics, a group formed by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. The defense of a structural reform of the United Nations (UN) and the conquest of a seat in the Security Council of the entity are other foreign policy challenges.
Strengthening strategic trade partnerships, such as China’s, is also a priority. The Asian country accounted for the largest share in Brazilian exports in 2021: 31.28% of the total, or US$ 87.7 billion.
international agenda
Lula’s first international trip, after taking office as President of the Republic, will be to Argentina, where he will participate in the Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (Celac), at the end of January. According to the future chancellor, Mauro Vieira, Lula intends to implement a policy of rebuilding bridges, in the first place with South American neighbors, restoring all contact and negotiation mechanisms, and also with Latin America in general.
Lula’s trips to the United States and China are also planned for the first quarter.
Shortly after the confirmation of Lula’s victory in the second round, the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, sent a letter of greetings to the elected official. “I was pleased to receive a letter from President Xi Jinping, reinforcing his congratulations on the election result, the friendship and global strategic partnership between our countries and the long-term vision of relations between Brazil and China,” he announced in a message on Twitter.
In November, the government of the United States (USA) also made a gesture of rapprochement with Brazil. Lula had a meeting with US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and other representatives of Joe Biden’s government in Brasília. At the meeting, Lula was invited to visit Washington, even before taking office, which was not possible.
Jake Sullivan told the president-elect that Joe Biden intends to meet him in person to express a real commitment and motivation to protect the Amazon and talk about a variety of supports that his country can provide, “not just technical, but also financial.”
