MANILA – Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will make the first state visit by a sitting Brazilian president to the Philippines on Nov. 14, meeting with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to strengthen bilateral ties and attending the 49th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits.
The visit coincides with the 80th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Brazil, established on July 4, 1946.
Lula, who was reelected two weeks ago, will attend the ASEAN leaders’ summit on Nov. 15 as Guest of the Chair.
The Philippines will host the regional gathering from Nov. 15 to 17, bringing together Southeast Asian leaders and dialogue partners, including United States President Donald Trump.
Marcos invited Lula to join the summit plenary as part of efforts to expand ASEAN’s engagement with partners outside the region.
Lula’s participation will mark his second consecutive attendance at an ASEAN leaders’ summit, following his appearance at the 2025 meeting in Malaysia.
Brazil, Latin America’s largest country and economy, is currently an ASEAN Sectoral Dialogue Partner and is seeking to upgrade its status to Dialogue Partner, a higher level of engagement with the regional bloc.
During their bilateral meeting, Marcos and Lula are expected to discuss cooperation in multilateral forums and among Global South countries, as well as ways to expand ties in trade and investment, agriculture, energy, science and technology, defense, and technical cooperation. (Darryl John Esguerra/PNA)
