Lula Visits the Philippines to Expand Trade and Address 60-Day Pork Import Suspension

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva arrived in the Philippines on Friday, Nov. 13, for meetings focused on strengthening diplomatic and commercial ties with Southeast Asia. His visit comes days after the Philippine Department of Agriculture announced a 60-day suspension of pork imports from Brazil, the Philippines’ leading supplier of the meat. Brazil’s government is monitoring the effects on exporters and is expected to seek a reversal of the decision during Lula’s stay.

Brazilian Agriculture and Livestock Minister André de Paula is accompanying Lula and is scheduled to meet with Philippine Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. Representatives of the protein industry are also expected to take part in the discussions. The temporary measure applies to all countries exporting pork to the Philippines and followed a safeguards investigation launched by the Philippine government. In explaining its decision, the government said rising imports from 2021 through August 2026 had caused “serious and substantial injury” to the domestic pork industry and that critical circumstances warranted immediate action to prevent potentially irreparable harm. Brazilian exports of fresh pork to the Philippines totaled $530.9 million from January through September 2026.

Diplomatic sources say the Philippine measure is consistent with international trade rules and that room remains for negotiations, which are expected to begin during Lula’s visit to Manila. Brazil’s trip had been scheduled before the dispute arose. Lula’s main commitment is the 49th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit, where he will make his second consecutive appearance. At the 2025 meeting in Malaysia, he met with U.S. President Donald Trump. Since 2023, Lula has visited several Asian countries, including Vietnam, Japan, South Korea and China, as Brazil works to strengthen ties with the region.

The visit is part of Brazil’s strategy to broaden and diversify trade partnerships, particularly following U.S. tariffs introduced under Trump. In 2025, trade between Brazil and the Philippines totaled $2.7 billion, while trade with ASEAN exceeded $38 billion. Brazil sees potential to expand sales of products including coffee, açaí, juices, processed foods, pasta and cookies. The government is also seeking to renew the recognition of equivalence for Brazil’s sanitary inspection system, a certification that allows certain animal products to be exported to the Philippines. The current certification expires in February 2027.

Brazil also wants to upgrade its ASEAN relationship from sectoral dialogue partner, a status it has held since 2022, to full dialogue partner. That designation would increase Brazil’s participation in the bloc and could support commercial partnerships among member countries. The category includes the United States, Japan, Canada, South Korea and the European Union. Brazil hopes the process will be completed at next year’s summit in Singapore, although the Foreign Ministry says internal procedures and rules could make the change take time. Lula’s invitation to attend the bloc’s leaders’ summit for a second year in a row is viewed positively in the bilateral relationship.

More than 100 Brazilian companies, including Vale, JBS and Embraer, have confirmed plans to attend a business forum with public- and private-sector representatives from both countries. Organized by the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency, the event is intended to support expanded trade. Philippine companies are interested in buying Embraer aircraft, and the Philippine government has also expressed interest in Brazilian defense equipment. Infrastructure is another area under consideration. Enrique Razon Jr., head of port operator ICTSI and described as the Philippines’ wealthiest person, is interested in meeting Lula and in the planned Tecon 10 auction for a concession to operate a terminal at the Port of Santos. The auction has not yet been launched amid government complications, while ICTSI already operates two terminals in Brazil, in Pernambuco and Rio de Janeiro. Ports and Airports Minister Tomé Franca is also in the Philippines and is expected to lead discussions on the sector.