Amsterdam – April 2025 — Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will embark on a pivotal international tour in May, underscoring Brazil’s renewed focus on South-South cooperation and multilateral diplomacy. The trip includes two high-profile stops: Moscow and Beijing.
Lula will begin his journey in Russia on May 9, where he will attend Victory Day celebrations, commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory in World War II. Invited personally by Russian President Vladimir Putin, Lula’s presence signals Brazil’s continued engagement with BRICS partners, even as global tensions reshape international alliances.
Following the commemorations in Moscow, Lula will travel to China to participate in the China–Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) Summit, held between May 12 and 13. The summit will convene leaders from Latin America and the Caribbean with Chinese President Xi Jinping to strengthen political, economic, and infrastructural cooperation.
This marks Lula’s second official visit to China since the beginning of his third presidential term. His first trip in April 2023 set the stage for a rejuvenated bilateral relationship, further reinforced by Xi’s subsequent visit to Brasília later that year. The upcoming summit will likely touch on themes such as trade diversification, sustainable development, and multilateral reform.
The timing of the summit is significant. It comes amid ongoing trade tensions between China and the United States, as Washington continues to pursue protectionist measures, including tariffs and technological restrictions initially instituted during Donald Trump’s presidency and maintained under President Joe Biden. As China seeks to expand its influence in the Western Hemisphere, its deepening engagement with CELAC countries challenges decades of U.S. dominance in the region.
For Brazil, the trip reflects a broader foreign policy goal: positioning the country as a leading voice for the Global South. Lula has repeatedly emphasized the importance of a multipolar world order, one in which emerging economies have greater say in global governance.
“The world is no longer unipolar,” Lula said recently. “Brazil will work with all partners—East and West, North and South—to build a fairer and more balanced international system.”
Observers expect that Lula’s meetings with both Putin and Xi will not only reaffirm Brazil’s commitment to the BRICS alliance but also advance regional priorities such as infrastructure investment, technology transfer, and climate resilience through South-South collaboration.
