Brazilian President Lula Strengthens ASEAN Relations on Southeast Asian Tour

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was warmly welcomed in Malaysia and Indonesia during his Southeast Asia tour, where he is attending the 47th ASEAN Summit and strengthening bilateral ties. In Malaysia, Lula met with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to discuss expanding cooperation in trade, technology, renewable energy, and other sectors, alongside signing several memoranda of understanding. In Indonesia, President Prabowo Subianto expressed admiration for Lula's policies and highlighted the shared goals of improving welfare and economic growth between the two large developing nations, emphasizing enhanced cooperation in trade, defense, and energy. Lula's popularity in Brazil remains strong, buoyed by support for his progressive tax policies on the wealthy, with approval ratings near 51%. The visit also includes expected meetings with other world leaders such as U.S. President Donald Trump, amid ongoing geopolitical developments including U.S. tariffs on Brazilian products and Brazil's recent Supreme Court sentencing of former President Bolsonaro. Overall, Lula's tour underscores his role in fostering South-South cooperation and addressing global and regional issues through multilateral platforms like ASEAN and BRICS.