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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

Senator and right-wing presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro is seen during a rally in Brazil on August 17. Photo: AFP

US-China relations

J.D. Vance group courted Brazil opposition candidate for anti-China deal: report

Senator’s logo appears on a plan to trade rare earths and position against Beijing in exchange for support on his presidential bid.

13 Sep 2026 - 7:01AM

Brics

Internal splits threaten to slow Brics’ progress as bloc marks 20th anniversary

12 Sep 2026 - 10:00AMvideocam

Brics

Editorial | Brics summit could emerge as milestone in bloc’s unity

12 Sep 2026 - 7:15AM

Americas and the Caribbean

Brazil’s Flavio Bolsonaro under investigation over alleged corruption

The probe stems from questions over an investment Bolsonaro allegedly solicited from Daniel Vorcaro, owner of failed lender Banco Master.

11 Sep 2026 - 11:45PM

Brazilian right-wing presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro, of the Liberal Party (PL) at a campaign rally in Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais state, Brazil, on Wednesday. Photo: AFP

China-India relations

Xi in India, bank capital injections, EU-China trade

This week: Xi heads to India for Brics summit, state-owned banks and insurers get 360 billion yuan capital boost and China shows willingness to broker Trump-Kim summit. Next week: EU’s Von der Leyen delivers annual address as China trade deadline looms, defence officials attend Beijing Xiangshan Forum, Fed may raise interest rates, lanterns light up Hong Kong and more.

11 Sep 2026 - 5:00PM

China-Latin America relations

Brazil scraps tax on small parcels as Chinese platforms lose US and EU access

Congress cleared the measure days before it expired, handing Shein, Shopee and AliExpress a tariff-free lane into Latin America’s largest economy.

10 Sep 2026 - 5:49AM

China food security

Why China’s sugar stockpiles may blunt an El Nino-fuelled global supply crunch

The major sugar importer is expected to lean on strong domestic supplies amid soaring international prices.

8 Sep 2026 - 6:30PMvideocam

Farmers harvest sugarcane on March 18 in Guangzhou, China’s Guangdong province. Photo: Getty Images

Crime in Hong Kong

Hong Kong seizes HK$1.4b suspected drugs over summer as cartels target students

Customs says 150 people aged between 18 and 68 arrested and 6.1 tonnes of suspected drugs seized between May and August.

8 Sep 2026 - 10:46PM

Donald Trump

White House video games depict migrant captures, building border wall

Five online games promote President Donald Trump’s agenda, drawing sharp criticism from rights groups.

4 Sep 2026 - 1:55PM

Animal welfare in Hong Kong

Hong Kong considers DNA testing amid concerns over ‘fighting dog’ classification

Authorities studying use of genetic testing to identify breeds, but physical characteristics remain key to classification.

3 Sep 2026 - 2:16PM

Hong Kong authorities are studying DNA testing as a supplementary tool to identify breeds after concerns over the classification and seizure of suspected fighting dogs. Photo: Handout

Banking & finance

Citi boosts headcount, Invesco names new executive in Asia expansion

US financial firms Citigroup and Invesco are continuing to expand in Asia even amid geopolitical uncertainties.

1 Sep 2026 - 6:00PMvideocam

A Citibank building in New York. Photo: AP

China-Latin America relations

Brazil’s China borrowing, Colombia quake aid: 7 Latin America relations reads

From corruption allegations to US sanctions and Trump allegations, here are highlights from the SCMP’s foreign correspondents in August 2026.

31 Aug 2026 - 10:00PM

China-Latin America relations

Why Brazil’s rare earths will not break China’s magnet grip at least until 2032

Despite vast reserves, Brazil lacks the processing capacity and commercial plants needed to turn its own raw materials into magnets.

28 Aug 2026 - 3:33AMvideocam

Alibaba

Alibaba pushes into South America’s AI market with launch of Brazil data centres

The Chinese tech giant is rapidly building AI infrastructure in emerging markets amid an intensifying US-China tech rivalry.

27 Aug 2026 - 9:00PMvideocam

Alibaba Group Holding has pledged to invest US$56 billion to build AI infrastructure. Photo: Handout

China-Latin America relations

US critical minerals proposals to Brazil go unanswered as China looms

A US diplomat says Brasilia has not responded to two overtures, even as a US-backed rare earth acquisition in Brazil nears completion.

27 Aug 2026 - 2:33AMvideocam

Serra Verde’s Pela Ema mine in Brazil produces heavy rare earths from ion-adsorption clay deposits. Photo: Handout

China-Latin America relations

Brazil fines TikTok record US$30 million for profiting from children’s data

ByteDance penalised for allegedly collecting data from 1 in 5 Brazilian children and failing to block minors from using TikTok.

26 Aug 2026 - 2:54AMvideocam

US-China relations

US admits it lost the minerals race to China. Can Brazil exploit the rivalry?

Brazilian energy minister reveals Trump team’s concession as US announces major investment in South American rare earth mine.

25 Aug 2026 - 9:48PM

Get to Know

Meet Luana Lopes Lara, the self-made billionaire behind trading platform Kalshi

Having traded professional ballet for MIT, the Brazilian entrepreneur took over the Forbes wealth title from Lucy Guo and Taylor Swift.

25 Aug 2026 - 10:00AM

Luana Lopes Lara is the co-founder of prediction platform Kalshi. Photo: @luana_lopes_lara/Instagram

China-Latin America relations

Brazil presidential debate zeroes in on Chinese investment and US tariffs

‘What matters to Lulism is that we keep buying the finished product from China while we sell ore or sell our grain’: candidate Renan Santos.

24 Aug 2026 - 5:00PMvideocam

Animal welfare in Hong Kong

Hong Kong urged to adopt trait-based dog tiers, DNA checks after attacks

Proposal calls for risk tiers, certified handlers, muzzles or possible confiscation of highest-risk animals as authorities review fighting-dog rules.

24 Aug 2026 - 8:29PMvideocam

The Philippines

Philippines stakes claim as Latin America’s gateway to Asean

Shared history offers an edge, but analysts say the Philippines must deliver more than nostalgia to rival Singapore or Vietnam.

24 Aug 2026 - 4:40PMvideocam

Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Maria Theresa Lazaro (left) shakes hands with Chile’s Foreign Affairs Minister Francisco Perez Mackenna during a meeting on the sidelines of an Asean Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Metro Manila last month. Photo: EPA

Americas and the Caribbean

Brazil’s Lula seeks end to ‘baseless tariffs’ in call with Trump

Washington imposed two new sets of tariffs on Brazil in July, a key campaign issue ahead for the left-wing president ahead of the presidential election in October.

22 Aug 2026 - 4:51PM

Brazil’s President Lula da Silva speaks during a joint press conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (not pictured) at the Herrenhausen Palace in Hanover, Germany, on April 20. Photo: dpa

My Life

From Perth to the Pyramids, St Helena to Cheung Chau – 50 years of extraordinary travel

The Cheung Chau resident of 50 years talks about getting itchy feet at an early age, falling in love with Hong Kong at first sight, jumping into piranha-infested waters in Brazil and spreading the travel bug.

22 Aug 2026 - 9:45PM

Xinjiang

In Focus | As the US widens a Xinjiang trade ban, China’s cotton industry shrugs it off

Dozens of firms that source from the region were added to a US import blacklist, but few appear worried after years of diversification.

21 Aug 2026 - 6:15AMvideocam

US-China tech war

SpaceSail’s record funding fuels China’s satellite challenge to Musk’s Starlink

Company pairs landmark capital with rapid satellite deployment and overseas expansion as China’s private aerospace sector breaks new ground.

20 Aug 2026 - 2:00PM

SpaceSail operates China’s Qianfan constellation. Photo: Handout

Art

Italian police recover stolen Renoir, Cezanne and Matisse art worth millions

The three pieces were taken from a private museum earlier this year, in a nighttime heist that took less than three minutes.

15 Aug 2026 - 2:00AM

Italian Carabinieri officers pose with three artworks recovered following a police operation, in an image released on Friday. Photo: Italian Carabinieri via AP

Science

China, Brazil to launch 24/7 disaster early warning satellite for South America

The project will place Brazil among a small number of countries capable of developing and operating geostationary satellites.

14 Aug 2026 - 10:38PMvideocam

China-Latin America relations

US accuses 9 Latin American countries of helping China avoid Trump’s tariffs

More than 40 countries targeted for helping Beijing illegally avoid tariffs by rerouting trade via nations with lower American import duties.

14 Aug 2026 - 7:34AMvideocam

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Brazil

J.D. Vance group courted Brazil opposition candidate for anti-China deal: report

Senator’s logo appears on a plan to trade rare earths and position against Beijing in exchange for support on his presidential bid.

Internal splits threaten to slow Brics’ progress as bloc marks 20th anniversary

.css-1pcrwvc{color:#2aa191;}Editorial | Brics summit could emerge as milestone in bloc’s unity

Brazil’s Flavio Bolsonaro under investigation over alleged corruption

The probe stems from questions over an investment Bolsonaro allegedly solicited from Daniel Vorcaro, owner of failed lender Banco Master.

Xi in India, bank capital injections, EU-China trade

Brazil scraps tax on small parcels as Chinese platforms lose US and EU access

Congress cleared the measure days before it expired, handing Shein, Shopee and AliExpress a tariff-free lane into Latin America’s largest economy.

Why China’s sugar stockpiles may blunt an El Nino-fuelled global supply crunch

The major sugar importer is expected to lean on strong domestic supplies amid soaring international prices.

Hong Kong seizes HK$1.4b suspected drugs over summer as cartels target students

Customs says 150 people aged between 18 and 68 arrested and 6.1 tonnes of suspected drugs seized between May and August.

White House video games depict migrant captures, building border wall

Five online games promote President Donald Trump’s agenda, drawing sharp criticism from rights groups.

Hong Kong considers DNA testing amid concerns over ‘fighting dog’ classification

Authorities studying use of genetic testing to identify breeds, but physical characteristics remain key to classification.

Citi boosts headcount, Invesco names new executive in Asia expansion

US financial firms Citigroup and Invesco are continuing to expand in Asia even amid geopolitical uncertainties.

Brazil’s China borrowing, Colombia quake aid: 7 Latin America relations reads

From corruption allegations to US sanctions and Trump allegations, here are highlights from the SCMP’s foreign correspondents in August 2026.

Why Brazil’s rare earths will not break China’s magnet grip at least until 2032

Despite vast reserves, Brazil lacks the processing capacity and commercial plants needed to turn its own raw materials into magnets.

Alibaba pushes into South America’s AI market with launch of Brazil data centres

The Chinese tech giant is rapidly building AI infrastructure in emerging markets amid an intensifying US-China tech rivalry.

US critical minerals proposals to Brazil go unanswered as China looms

A US diplomat says Brasilia has not responded to two overtures, even as a US-backed rare earth acquisition in Brazil nears completion.

Brazil fines TikTok record US$30 million for profiting from children’s data

ByteDance penalised for allegedly collecting data from 1 in 5 Brazilian children and failing to block minors from using TikTok.

US admits it lost the minerals race to China. Can Brazil exploit the rivalry?

Brazilian energy minister reveals Trump team’s concession as US announces major investment in South American rare earth mine.

Meet Luana Lopes Lara, the self-made billionaire behind trading platform Kalshi

Having traded professional ballet for MIT, the Brazilian entrepreneur took over the Forbes wealth title from Lucy Guo and Taylor Swift.

Brazil presidential debate zeroes in on Chinese investment and US tariffs

‘What matters to Lulism is that we keep buying the finished product from China while we sell ore or sell our grain’: candidate Renan Santos.

Hong Kong urged to adopt trait-based dog tiers, DNA checks after attacks

Proposal calls for risk tiers, certified handlers, muzzles or possible confiscation of highest-risk animals as authorities review fighting-dog rules.

Philippines stakes claim as Latin America’s gateway to Asean

Shared history offers an edge, but analysts say the Philippines must deliver more than nostalgia to rival Singapore or Vietnam.

Brazil’s Lula seeks end to ‘baseless tariffs’ in call with Trump

Washington imposed two new sets of tariffs on Brazil in July, a key campaign issue ahead for the left-wing president ahead of the presidential election in October.

From Perth to the Pyramids, St Helena to Cheung Chau – 50 years of extraordinary travel

The Cheung Chau resident of 50 years talks about getting itchy feet at an early age, falling in love with Hong Kong at first sight, jumping into piranha-infested waters in Brazil and spreading the travel bug.

.css-1f6sr3w{color:#727272;}In Focus | As the US widens a Xinjiang trade ban, China’s cotton industry shrugs it off

Dozens of firms that source from the region were added to a US import blacklist, but few appear worried after years of diversification.

SpaceSail’s record funding fuels China’s satellite challenge to Musk’s Starlink

Company pairs landmark capital with rapid satellite deployment and overseas expansion as China’s private aerospace sector breaks new ground.

Italian police recover stolen Renoir, Cezanne and Matisse art worth millions

The three pieces were taken from a private museum earlier this year, in a nighttime heist that took less than three minutes.

China, Brazil to launch 24/7 disaster early warning satellite for South America

The project will place Brazil among a small number of countries capable of developing and operating geostationary satellites.

US accuses 9 Latin American countries of helping China avoid Trump’s tariffs

More than 40 countries targeted for helping Beijing illegally avoid tariffs by rerouting trade via nations with lower American import duties.

Editorial | Brics summit could emerge as milestone in bloc’s unity

In Focus | As the US widens a Xinjiang trade ban, China’s cotton industry shrugs it off