Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will travel to Manila to attend the 49th ASEAN Summit as a guest of the Philippines, two weeks after winning a fourth term, according to Rappler. The main summit is set for November 15 to 18. Lula will join US President Donald Trump, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres there.
The Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed Lula’s attendance on Friday, November 6, saying he was invited as a guest of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ASEAN spokesperson Dax Imperial said, "Brazil was invited as Guest of the Chair," according to Rappler.
Lula is expected to attend the UN Climate Change Conference (COP31) in Antalya, Turkey, from November 11 to 12, before arriving in the Philippines on November 13, Rappler reports. Agencia Brasil says he is scheduled to make a state visit on November 14, a day before the summit, and to leave Antalya on the night of November 12 on a flight of about 14 hours.
Lula is also expected to give a speech at the opening of the summit. According to Agencia Brasil, Brazilian diplomacy views this as a sign of respect and a privilege for a non-member, since the opening speech is usually reserved for the host leader.
Brazil formally requested in January to upgrade its relationship with ASEAN from Sectoral Dialogue Partner to Dialogue Partner, the highest level of engagement, Agencia Brasil reports. The request has not been reported as accepted. The same outlet says trade between Brazil and ASEAN countries rose from US$3 billion in 2003 to US$38 billion in 2025, an average annual growth rate of 12%.
Lula, 81, won a fourth term on October 25 in a result that defied polls, beating Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, son of former president Jair Bolsonaro. He was president from 2003 to 2011 and was jailed from 2018 to 2019 on corruption charges that were later overturned. Rappler reports that his fourth term could be his most difficult, after voters elected the most conservative Congress since the return to democracy in the 1980s.
The reports do not include any comment from the Philippine government beyond the DFA confirmation and the ASEAN spokesperson’s remarks. Six countries have requested bilateral meetings with Lula, but none is confirmed, per Agencia Brasil. The date and time of his press conference have not been set, and the outcome of Brazil’s partnership request is not reported.
Most details rely on Rappler and Agencia Brasil. Rappler has labelled its article as AI-generated, and the Agencia Brasil piece was available only in Portuguese, so its English figures are translated from the original text.
Lula is due in Antalya on November 11 and 12, then in Manila for a state visit on November 14, and the summit runs November 15 to 18. Bilateral meetings, a press conference and a decision on the ASEAN partnership upgrade remain unconfirmed.
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This article was written with AI assistance from the published reporting listed above. It is part of the World Brief daily news podcast.