Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro to compete in Brazil’s election — Deutsche Welle

Brazil will hold presidential elections on October 4, with incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Flávio Bolsonaro, the eldest son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, as the main contenders. According to polls, they have roughly equal support in the event of a second round, Deutsche Welle English reports.

Approaches to foreign policy

Lula supports multilateral diplomacy, dialogue and trade with all countries. China has long remained Brazil’s most important trading partner. Speaking at the opening of the UN General Assembly in New York, Lula stressed that Brazil is not under anyone’s control.

Flávio Bolsonaro supports a conservative alliance with the United States and other right-wing states. He said that one of his first steps if elected would be to review Brazil’s participation in BRICS, since, in his view, the group only provokes the United States. He also criticized China’s efforts to reduce the dollar’s dominance in the global financial system.

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Relations with China

Former Brazilian diplomat and minister Rubens Ricupero suggested that under a Flávio Bolsonaro presidency, Brazil’s political relations with China could cool, although he does not expect significant changes in trade. Leonardo Paz, an expert at the Getulio Vargas Foundation, also considers it unlikely that Bolsonaro would take an extremely aggressive position toward Beijing because of the importance of the Chinese market for Brazil’s agricultural sector.

Paz noted that the key issue in the event of Bolsonaro’s victory would be the degree of pressure from Washington aimed at distancing Brazil from China. Deutsche Welle also notes that, if Flávio Bolsonaro wins, he is expected to dismantle environmental protection policies.