LatinNews Daily - 19 August 2026

*Brazil’s Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira has met with the secretary-general of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), Kao Kim Hourn, who is visiting Brazil from 17-22 August. According to an Asean press release, during the meeting both officials “reviewed the positive momentum” in Asean-Brazil relations and discussed ways to “advance cooperation in areas of mutual interest”. Brazilian government figures show that the annual trade balance in 2025 between Brazil and the 11 Asean member states totalled US$38.4bn, making Asean Brazil’s fifth-largest trading partner – behind China, the US, countries in the European Union (EU), and the Mercosur regional trade bloc. According to the same figures, Brazil’s trade with Asean has increased on average 15% each year since 2020. In the second half of 2025, when Brazil held the six-month rotating presidency of Mercosur, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was more vocal about boosting ties with Asean. He attended the Asean summit in Malaysia last October and expressed support for Mercosur trade talks with Southeast Asian countries such as Vietnam and Indonesia.

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