TOPIC

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Brazil

The latest news, analysis and opinion on Brazil. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.

Capital

Brasília

Head of State

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva

Head of Government

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva

A street performer takes part in the Procession of Light as it passes the Christ Church Cathedral en route to Dublin Castle in Ireland on Wednesday. Photo: PA Wire via dpa

Croatia

World begins to bid goodbye to 2025 with fireworks and icy plunges

Celebrations began as early as noon, as people around the world bid farewell to a challenging year.

39 minutes agovideocam

US-China relations

China buys two-thirds of pledged US soybeans as 2025 closes

3 hours agovideocam

China trade

China imposes beef-import quota, adds over-quota tariffs to guard local industry

31 Dec 2025 - 9:00PM

Jewellery

Nadine Ghosn on stacking luxury watches with her Crayola and Toothbrush jewellery

The designer likes to stack watches by maisons like Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet with her brand’s Crayola and Toothbrush jewellery.

30 Dec 2025 - 6:00AM

Nadine Ghosn on her favourite watches, and how her popular and quirky designs, including her Toothbrush and Crayola jewellery, came to be. Photo: Jocelyn Tam

China-Africa relations

How Algeria could help China plug iron ore gaps and gain pricing power

The Gara Djebilet deposit in the Sahara Desert was discovered decades ago but is only now coming into production.

28 Dec 2025 - 4:00PMvideocam

Electric & new energy vehicles

Chilean firms partner to form giant company to exploit lithium

Last month China approved the planned partnership between state-owned Codelco and private firm SQM, which features Chinese capital.

28 Dec 2025 - 5:17AM

Jair Bolsonaro

Brazil’s former president Bolsonaro has surgery to treat hiccups, wife says

Bolsonaro, 70, had been hospitalised on Wednesday for hernia surgery. In September, he was jailed for 27 years for ‍plotting a coup.

28 Dec 2025 - 7:25AM

Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro. Photo: AFP

Americas and the Caribbean

Brazil’s Bolsonaro backs son’s presidential bid, undergoes hernia surgery

The former president, who is serving a 27-year sentence for plotting a coup, was allowed to leave prison for the operation.

26 Dec 2025 - 10:00AM

China-Latin America relations

Brazil weighs visa-free entry for Chinese tourists and business travellers

Brazil saw nearly 80 per cent growth in Chinese tourists in 2024 and would join only two neighbours offering visa-free entry.

25 Dec 2025 - 12:38AMvideocam

SCMP Highlights

BYD’s big plans in Brazil, Xpeng tries to go global: 7 EV reads

From EV battery giants in China venturing into shipbuilding to BYD’s ambitious plans in Brazil, here are seven EV stories you may have missed.

24 Dec 2025 - 3:30PM

BYD’s confidence in Brazil was reinforced in October with the opening of the company’s large passenger vehicle factory in Camacari, in the northeastern state of Bahia. Photo: Handout

China-Russia relations

Russian LNG shipments to China surge 143% in November, overtaking Australia

Russian LNG accounted for 23.5 per cent of China’s total shipments, cementing Russia as its top energy partner after President Xi pledged deeper ties.

23 Dec 2025 - 11:00AMvideocam

A liquified natural gas storage tank is seen at a receiving terminal in China’s Jiangsu province. Photo: Reuters

Asean

Southeast Asian floods set to threaten more wildlife due to climate change

Environmental crimes and poor oversight are also worsening the risks faced by animals and trees.

23 Dec 2025 - 7:39PMvideocam

China economy

Opinion | Why China has moved to curb steel exports

China’s pivot to emerging markets has kept its export machine running. But frictions are growing and steel is the most visible flashpoint.

23 Dec 2025 - 7:49AM

Year in Review

10 most read Daily Pulse briefings of 2025

SCMP Plus looks back at the year’s 10 most popular Daily Pulse bulletins, covering China issues related to diplomacy, trade and economics.

22 Dec 2025 - 5:00PM

Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. Photo: AP

Americas and the Caribbean

Brazil’s Lula vows to veto bill slashing Bolsonaro’s 27-year prison term

The proposed law could see the ex-president spend just over two years behind bars for an attempted coup.

19 Dec 2025 - 2:09AM

Protesters rally against the sentence-reduction bill in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Sunday. Photo: EPA

Americas and the Caribbean

Brazil’s Congress passes bill to cut Bolsonaro’s 27-year prison sentence

If successful, the legislation could see Brazil’s former president serve a little over two years in prison for coup plot.

18 Dec 2025 - 1:55PM

China-Latin America relations

BYD plans giant Brazil factory to scale electric bus and truck production

The new plant would dwarf BYD’s current Brazil operation, lifting output from about 600 units over a decade to up to 7,000 a year.

18 Dec 2025 - 5:14AM

China food security

Explainer | What does future hold for Brazil, US in China’s soybean balancing act?

The two countries remain top suppliers, but efforts to promote self-sufficiency are set to reduce reliance on imports.

18 Dec 2025 - 1:12AMvideocam

Soybeans are loaded into a truck in Dwight, Illinois, in August. Photo: Getty Images

United States

Opinion | For Trump, the only communists to really dislike are those at home

The limited discussion of China in the new US national security document indicates that the US president’s focus is on domestic challenges to his authority.

17 Dec 2025 - 8:30PMvideocam

Video | Storm topples Statue of Liberty replica in Brazil

The 40-metre (131ft) replica was a promotional display for Brazilian retail store chain Havan.

17 Dec 2025 - 5:36PM

Crime in Hong Kong

Hong Kong customs seizes HK$256 million of suspected cocaine hidden in ship hull

Underwater robots help detect 417kg of suspected cocaine wrapped in 11 waterproof packages concealed behind grate of sea chest.

17 Dec 2025 - 3:34AM

Underwater robots were used to locate the packages stashed in the cargo ship’s sea chest. Photo: Edmond So

China-Latin America relations

Mexico stands by its decision for 50% tariffs on Chinese goods

Government defends tariff package as vital to supporting domestic workers and producers, and not aimed at curbing imports from China.

31 Dec 2025 - 5:20AMvideocam

Mexican Economy Secretary Marcelo Ebrard on Monday defended his country’s decision to impose new tariffs on imports from China. Photo: AP

Commodities

Chinese mining giant CMOC buys four Brazilian gold mines to expand

CMOC will own the Aurizona, RDM, Fazenda and Santa Luz mines, with 8 tons of combined annual gold output.

15 Dec 2025 - 12:55PM

China-EU relations

Brussels ramps up China de-risking while France and Germany pull further apart

Raids, probes and new screening rules collide with widening splits between Paris and Berlin over how tough to be on Beijing.

12 Dec 2025 - 3:03AMvideocam

China technology

Opinion | Why the Global South is embracing Chinese AI

The US champions AI as an autonomous agent, a content creator. China exports a vision of AI as a digital nervous system for the real economy.

10 Dec 2025 - 10:26AMvideocam

The Chinese approach, forged in the fires of domestic industrial competition, views AI as “relational infrastructure”: a connective tissue for physical systems. It is designed to get its hands dirty, such as in mining, ports and factories. Photo: Adobe Stock

China-Latin America relations

US senators warn of China-cartel links forming a global ‘Silk Road of crime’

At a Senate hearing, officials described Chinese money brokers as key to laundering cartel funds and fuelling the illicit fentanyl trade.

30 Dec 2025 - 5:03AMvideocam

US Customs and Border Protection display plastic bags of fentanyl after being seized at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago. US lawmakers say Chinese money brokers and Latin American cartels have merged their operations into a system that blurs the line between trade and trafficking. Photo: Reuters

US-China trade war

‘A slap in the face’: some US farmers unhappy with Trump’s US$12 billion bailout

US soybean growers, who were hit hardest by tariff disputes, have voiced frustration that overdue funding falls well short of what they need.

31 Dec 2025 - 6:52AMvideocam

Jair Bolsonaro

Bolsonaro’s son says he could drop his Brazil presidency bid ‘for a price’

Flavio Bolsonaro’s announcement comes as his allies push for amnesty for his father, the jailed former president.

8 Dec 2025 - 11:02AM

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Brazil

World begins to bid goodbye to 2025 with fireworks and icy plunges

Celebrations began as early as noon, as people around the world bid farewell to a challenging year.

China buys two-thirds of pledged US soybeans as 2025 closes

China imposes beef-import quota, adds over-quota tariffs to guard local industry

Nadine Ghosn on stacking luxury watches with her Crayola and Toothbrush jewellery

The designer likes to stack watches by maisons like Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet with her brand’s Crayola and Toothbrush jewellery.

How Algeria could help China plug iron ore gaps and gain pricing power

The Gara Djebilet deposit in the Sahara Desert was discovered decades ago but is only now coming into production.

Chilean firms partner to form giant company to exploit lithium

Last month China approved the planned partnership between state-owned Codelco and private firm SQM, which features Chinese capital.

Brazil’s former president Bolsonaro has surgery to treat hiccups, wife says

Bolsonaro, 70, had been hospitalised on Wednesday for hernia surgery. In September, he was jailed for 27 years for ‍plotting a coup.

Brazil’s Bolsonaro backs son’s presidential bid, undergoes hernia surgery

The former president, who is serving a 27-year sentence for plotting a coup, was allowed to leave prison for the operation.

Brazil weighs visa-free entry for Chinese tourists and business travellers

Brazil saw nearly 80 per cent growth in Chinese tourists in 2024 and would join only two neighbours offering visa-free entry.

BYD’s big plans in Brazil, Xpeng tries to go global: 7 EV reads

From EV battery giants in China venturing into shipbuilding to BYD’s ambitious plans in Brazil, here are seven EV stories you may have missed.

Russian LNG shipments to China surge 143% in November, overtaking Australia

Russian LNG accounted for 23.5 per cent of China’s total shipments, cementing Russia as its top energy partner after President Xi pledged deeper ties.

Southeast Asian floods set to threaten more wildlife due to climate change

Environmental crimes and poor oversight are also worsening the risks faced by animals and trees.

.css-1m2rp1p{color:#34b8b5;}Opinion | Why China has moved to curb steel exports

China’s pivot to emerging markets has kept its export machine running. But frictions are growing and steel is the most visible flashpoint.

10 most read Daily Pulse briefings of 2025

SCMP Plus looks back at the year’s 10 most popular Daily Pulse bulletins, covering China issues related to diplomacy, trade and economics.

Brazil’s Lula vows to veto bill slashing Bolsonaro’s 27-year prison term

The proposed law could see the ex-president spend just over two years behind bars for an attempted coup.

Brazil’s Congress passes bill to cut Bolsonaro’s 27-year prison sentence

If successful, the legislation could see Brazil’s former president serve a little over two years in prison for coup plot.

BYD plans giant Brazil factory to scale electric bus and truck production

The new plant would dwarf BYD’s current Brazil operation, lifting output from about 600 units over a decade to up to 7,000 a year.

.css-sioo19{color:#c79a00;}Explainer | What does future hold for Brazil, US in China’s soybean balancing act?

The two countries remain top suppliers, but efforts to promote self-sufficiency are set to reduce reliance on imports.

Opinion | For Trump, the only communists to really dislike are those at home

The limited discussion of China in the new US national security document indicates that the US president’s focus is on domestic challenges to his authority.

.css-rcruog{color:#C79A00;}Video | Storm topples Statue of Liberty replica in Brazil

The 40-metre (131ft) replica was a promotional display for Brazilian retail store chain Havan.

Hong Kong customs seizes HK$256 million of suspected cocaine hidden in ship hull

Underwater robots help detect 417kg of suspected cocaine wrapped in 11 waterproof packages concealed behind grate of sea chest.

Mexico stands by its decision for 50% tariffs on Chinese goods

Government defends tariff package as vital to supporting domestic workers and producers, and not aimed at curbing imports from China.

Chinese mining giant CMOC buys four Brazilian gold mines to expand

CMOC will own the Aurizona, RDM, Fazenda and Santa Luz mines, with 8 tons of combined annual gold output.

Brussels ramps up China de-risking while France and Germany pull further apart

Raids, probes and new screening rules collide with widening splits between Paris and Berlin over how tough to be on Beijing.

Opinion | Why the Global South is embracing Chinese AI

The US champions AI as an autonomous agent, a content creator. China exports a vision of AI as a digital nervous system for the real economy.

US senators warn of China-cartel links forming a global ‘Silk Road of crime’

At a Senate hearing, officials described Chinese money brokers as key to laundering cartel funds and fuelling the illicit fentanyl trade.

‘A slap in the face’: some US farmers unhappy with Trump’s US$12 billion bailout

US soybean growers, who were hit hardest by tariff disputes, have voiced frustration that overdue funding falls well short of what they need.

Bolsonaro’s son says he could drop his Brazil presidency bid ‘for a price’

Flavio Bolsonaro’s announcement comes as his allies push for amnesty for his father, the jailed former president.

Opinion | Why China has moved to curb steel exports

Explainer | What does future hold for Brazil, US in China’s soybean balancing act?

Video | Storm topples Statue of Liberty replica in Brazil