Lula Wins Fourth Brazil Term, Former China Envoy Calls It Blow to Trump

Lula’s win in Brazil deals blow to Trump’s Latin America push: former China envoy

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s re-election has been described as a major turning point for Latin America and US-Latin American relations.

Jorge Heine, Chile’s former ambassador to China, said the result could slow Washington’s regional push.

Heine described Lula’s re-election as a “major setback” for US President Donald Trump’s effort to assert American primacy in the region.

Lula secures a fourth non-consecutive term

Lula defeated Flavio Bolsonaro in Sunday’s run-off, winning 51.8 per cent of the vote and securing a historic fourth non-consecutive term.

Flavio Bolsonaro is a Brazilian senator, the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro and an ally of Trump.

The result gives Lula another term at the centre of Brazil’s political direction while placing the election in a wider regional context, according to Heine.

“I do think the re-election of President Lula marks a major turning point in Latin America and in US-Latin American relations, while also having a broader significance for the Global South,” Heine said.

Wider significance for the Global South

Heine served as Chile’s ambassador to China from 2014 to 2017 and is now a non-resident fellow at the Quincy Institute.

His assessment links Lula’s victory to both regional politics and the broader position of the Global South.

The comments also point to a possible slowing of Washington’s effort to expand its influence in Latin America after Trump’s push to assert American primacy in the region.

Lula, who turned 81 on Tuesday, now returns to the regional spotlight after defeating a candidate aligned with Trump.

Source: South China Morning Post