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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

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov speaks during a session at Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Antalya, Turkey on Saturday. Photo: Reuters

Donald Trump

Russia’s Lavrov says balance of power shifting to emerging economies

At the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Turkey, Lavrov said the foundations of globalisation powered primarily by the US had ‘come to an end’.

18 Apr 2026 - 11:42PMvideocam

Spain

Spain signs deals with Brazil as Sanchez builds anti-Trump bloc

18 Apr 2026 - 5:23AM

Science

China’s space station crew to ‘maximise opportunities’ with extra month in orbit

17 Apr 2026 - 6:31PMvideocam

United States

Lula blasts Trump’s fear-based rule, calls for ‘great maturity’

‘Trump has no right to wake up in the morning and threaten a country,’ Brazil’s president says.

16 Apr 2026 - 6:38PMvideocam

A woman walks next to an anti-US mural on a street in Tehran, Iran, on Sunday. Photo: WANA via Reuters

SCMP Highlights

Brazil blacklists BYD, some foreign brands may exit China: 7 EV reads

From Telsa regaining world’s top spot to Chinese carmakers gaining rapid ground in Europe, here are seven EV stories you may have missed.

15 Apr 2026 - 3:30PM

China-Latin America relations

China and the US want rare earths. Brazil will share – on one condition

Move comes as Washington locks US$565 million deal with Brazil’s only operating rare earth mine.

15 Apr 2026 - 5:48AMvideocam

China’s private sector

Chinese firms drawn to Brazil as they seek anchor for Latin America expansion

Chinese brands like Mixue, BYD, and Geely are surging into Brazil, leveraging strong trade ties and local strategies for growth.

14 Apr 2026 - 2:57PM

Chinese ice cream and beverage chain Mixue opened its first Brazilian store in Sao Paulo, on April 11, 2026. Photo: Reuters

China-Latin America relations

BYD made Brazil’s slave labour list. The man behind the decision lost his job

Union said sacking is part of pattern of political meddling in slavery cases.

14 Apr 2026 - 6:25AMvideocam

United States

Former Brazil spy chief arrested by ICE in Florida

The fugitive ex-intelligence head, convicted of plotting a coup with Jair Bolsonaro, was arrested for a minor traffic ‌violation and then referred to ICE.

14 Apr 2026 - 12:48PM

United States

Swalwell suspends California governor bid amid sexual assault allegations

Front-runner exits race as former staffers and fellow Democrats demand he also resign from Congress.

13 Apr 2026 - 2:02PM

Eric Swalwell, who had been a front-runner for the governorship of America’s most populous state. Photo: TNS

Americas and the Caribbean

Peru presidential run-off looms as Fujimori leads troubled vote

Daughter of former strongman is ahead in the race, but logistical issues have forced a one-day voting extension for tens of thousands.

13 Apr 2026 - 6:18PMvideocam

Keiko Fujimori after voting on Sunday. Photo: AP

Technology

Opinion | AI pessimism is a luxury the Global South cannot afford

Young, developing states must ride the tech waves if they don’t want to fall further behind and learn from others’ mistakes.

12 Apr 2026 - 4:30PM

China-Latin America relations

Cattle prices rocket as Brazil set to exhaust Chinese beef quota by May

As Beijing tariff nears, Brazil’s exporters are rapidly reaching their quota for China, forcing South American industry to seek new buyers.

10 Apr 2026 - 5:13AMvideocam

China-Latin America relations

Brazil blacklists China EV giant BYD for its slave labour conditions

Government officials said staff were working excessively long hours while being kept in degrading circumstances in their accommodation.

8 Apr 2026 - 4:49AMvideocam

BYD’s electric vehicle factory’s construction site in Camaçari, Brazil, in December 2024. Photo: Reuters

Indonesia

Bali rocked by spate of murder cases – is Indonesian island more dangerous now?

The cases allegedly involving foreign suspects have spurred concerns that gang disputes have moved from other countries to the island.

2 Apr 2026 - 6:30PMvideocam

Igor Komarov, a 28-year-old Ukrainian, was kidnapped and later found dead in a suspected murder in Bali in February. Photo: YouTube

China-Latin America relations

Brazil exporters bypass local banks to tap China’s US$1 trillion Sinosure fund

As Brazilian interest rates price out local lenders, Sinosure is quietly reshaping how Chinese goods reach the market.

2 Apr 2026 - 5:25AMvideocam

China-Latin America relations

US threats for Chile, China tariffs Mexico: 7 Latin America relations reads

From Panama Canal woes to an undersea cable scandal in Chile, here are highlights from the SCMP’s foreign correspondents in March 2026.

1 Apr 2026 - 11:00PM

US-China trade war

Trump pitches China trade ‘win’ to US farmers ahead of Xi meeting, midterms

Claims come despite farmers remaining unsure if China will meet its 25 million-tonne commitment for 2026, as planting season approaches.

28 Mar 2026 - 6:21AMvideocam

US President Donald Trump gestures to farmers from the Truman balcony of the White House in Washington on Friday. Photo: AFP

Jair Bolsonaro

Brazil court grants house arrest for jailed Bolsonaro due to ill health

Judge authorises an initial 90-day medical reprieve for the former president following his hospitalisation.

25 Mar 2026 - 11:16AM

US-China relations

US tracks 23 Chinese port projects in Latin America, general tells Congress

Top US commander says Chinese port and space projects across Latin America are all seen as potential dual-use military assets.

18 Mar 2026 - 5:08AMvideocam

China-Latin America relations

China wants Brazil’s biggest port terminal. Washington just said no

US consul-general Kevin Murakami told port executives the Santos megadeal should not fall into ‘unwanted hands’.

17 Mar 2026 - 3:12AMvideocam

Tecon Santos 10, a planned 621,000-square-metre container terminal in Brazil’s port city of Santos, is expected to boost the country’s capacity by 3.25 million TEUs under a 25-year concession. Photo: Reuters

Electric & new energy vehicles

Chinese carmakers step up global expansion using idled foreign facilities

Great Wall Motors, Geely and other Chinese carmakers are using an asset-light strategy to accelerate their growth overseas.

15 Mar 2026 - 8:00PM

China’s Great Wall Motor is in talks with Mercedes-Benz to share the German carmaker’s factory in East London, South Africa. Photo: Reuters

Americas and the Caribbean

Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro in ICU with pneumonia

The ex-president, who is serving a 27-year sentence for an attempted coup, was moved from prison to a hospital in Brasilia.

14 Mar 2026 - 1:09AMvideocam

China-Latin America relations

Amid China cable fallout, Chile’s president ends term, calls for unity

Undersea fibre-optic cable project linking Chile to Hong Kong enraged US, causing dispute that defined Gabriel Boric’s final weeks in office.

12 Mar 2026 - 5:08AMvideocam

China-Latin America relations

US threats and a Chinese cable scandal mark first day for Chile’s new president

The US forced Chile to cancel a Chinese undersea cable. Now the region is asking who gets to decide what infrastructure Latin America builds.

12 Mar 2026 - 12:54AMvideocam

Jose Antonio Kast was elected as Chile’s president in November after his Republican Party won just over 58 per cent of the vote. Photo: Reuters

US, Israel war on Iran

Why has the US-Israeli war on Iran left Brics speechless?

As Tehran retaliates against its Gulf neighbours, the newly expanded bloc built for trade is discovering the limits of its own unity.

10 Mar 2026 - 3:32PM

A plume of black smoke rises from the port of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday last week following a suspected Iranian strike. Photo: AFP

Americas and the Caribbean

Trump offers Latin American leaders US missile strikes to hit drug cartels

The US president launched a 17-nation ‘counter cartel’ coalition at his ‘Shield of the Americas’ summit.

8 Mar 2026 - 1:46AM

US, Israel war on Iran

US submarine strike on Iranian warship near Sri Lanka rattles the region

Experts say the strike highlights the risk of the conflict spreading into Asian waters and tests India’s careful diplomatic balancing.

5 Mar 2026 - 6:00PMvideocam

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Brazil

Russia’s Lavrov says balance of power shifting to emerging economies

At the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Turkey, Lavrov said the foundations of globalisation powered primarily by the US had ‘come to an end’.

Spain signs deals with Brazil as Sanchez builds anti-Trump bloc

China’s space station crew to ‘maximise opportunities’ with extra month in orbit

Lula blasts Trump’s fear-based rule, calls for ‘great maturity’

‘Trump has no right to wake up in the morning and threaten a country,’ Brazil’s president says.

Brazil blacklists BYD, some foreign brands may exit China: 7 EV reads

From Telsa regaining world’s top spot to Chinese carmakers gaining rapid ground in Europe, here are seven EV stories you may have missed.

China and the US want rare earths. Brazil will share – on one condition

Move comes as Washington locks US$565 million deal with Brazil’s only operating rare earth mine.

Chinese firms drawn to Brazil as they seek anchor for Latin America expansion

Chinese brands like Mixue, BYD, and Geely are surging into Brazil, leveraging strong trade ties and local strategies for growth.

BYD made Brazil’s slave labour list. The man behind the decision lost his job

Union said sacking is part of pattern of political meddling in slavery cases.

Former Brazil spy chief arrested by ICE in Florida

The fugitive ex-intelligence head, convicted of plotting a coup with Jair Bolsonaro, was arrested for a minor traffic ‌violation and then referred to ICE.

Swalwell suspends California governor bid amid sexual assault allegations

Front-runner exits race as former staffers and fellow Democrats demand he also resign from Congress.

Peru presidential run-off looms as Fujimori leads troubled vote

Daughter of former strongman is ahead in the race, but logistical issues have forced a one-day voting extension for tens of thousands.

.css-1pcrwvc{color:#2aa191;}Opinion | AI pessimism is a luxury the Global South cannot afford

Young, developing states must ride the tech waves if they don’t want to fall further behind and learn from others’ mistakes.

Cattle prices rocket as Brazil set to exhaust Chinese beef quota by May

As Beijing tariff nears, Brazil’s exporters are rapidly reaching their quota for China, forcing South American industry to seek new buyers.

Brazil blacklists China EV giant BYD for its slave labour conditions

Government officials said staff were working excessively long hours while being kept in degrading circumstances in their accommodation.

Bali rocked by spate of murder cases – is Indonesian island more dangerous now?

The cases allegedly involving foreign suspects have spurred concerns that gang disputes have moved from other countries to the island.

Brazil exporters bypass local banks to tap China’s US$1 trillion Sinosure fund

As Brazilian interest rates price out local lenders, Sinosure is quietly reshaping how Chinese goods reach the market.

US threats for Chile, China tariffs Mexico: 7 Latin America relations reads

From Panama Canal woes to an undersea cable scandal in Chile, here are highlights from the SCMP’s foreign correspondents in March 2026.

Trump pitches China trade ‘win’ to US farmers ahead of Xi meeting, midterms

Claims come despite farmers remaining unsure if China will meet its 25 million-tonne commitment for 2026, as planting season approaches.

Brazil court grants house arrest for jailed Bolsonaro due to ill health

Judge authorises an initial 90-day medical reprieve for the former president following his hospitalisation.

US tracks 23 Chinese port projects in Latin America, general tells Congress

Top US commander says Chinese port and space projects across Latin America are all seen as potential dual-use military assets.

China wants Brazil’s biggest port terminal. Washington just said no

US consul-general Kevin Murakami told port executives the Santos megadeal should not fall into ‘unwanted hands’.

Chinese carmakers step up global expansion using idled foreign facilities

Great Wall Motors, Geely and other Chinese carmakers are using an asset-light strategy to accelerate their growth overseas.

Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro in ICU with pneumonia

The ex-president, who is serving a 27-year sentence for an attempted coup, was moved from prison to a hospital in Brasilia.

Amid China cable fallout, Chile’s president ends term, calls for unity

Undersea fibre-optic cable project linking Chile to Hong Kong enraged US, causing dispute that defined Gabriel Boric’s final weeks in office.

US threats and a Chinese cable scandal mark first day for Chile’s new president

The US forced Chile to cancel a Chinese undersea cable. Now the region is asking who gets to decide what infrastructure Latin America builds.

Why has the US-Israeli war on Iran left Brics speechless?

As Tehran retaliates against its Gulf neighbours, the newly expanded bloc built for trade is discovering the limits of its own unity.

Trump offers Latin American leaders US missile strikes to hit drug cartels

The US president launched a 17-nation ‘counter cartel’ coalition at his ‘Shield of the Americas’ summit.

US submarine strike on Iranian warship near Sri Lanka rattles the region

Experts say the strike highlights the risk of the conflict spreading into Asian waters and tests India’s careful diplomatic balancing.

Opinion | AI pessimism is a luxury the Global South cannot afford