Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's re-election as Brazil's president protects China's most important foothold in Latin America and gives Brazil room to play Beijing and Washington off against each other over its rare earth reserves, the South China Morning Post reports.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun congratulated Lula on Monday. China is Brazil's largest trading partner in the region, and Lula has stuck to a policy of non-alignment despite US pressure.
Analysts told the paper the result complicates President Donald Trump's push to curb Chinese influence in the Americas. Andre Pagliarini of Louisiana State University said Lula would not change course abroad and was expected to use interest from both powers to win the best terms for Brazilian rare earths. His defeated rival, Flávio Bolsonaro, had promised closer ties with the US.
Source: South China Morning Post
