Kuala Lumpur: Brazil is eyeing a partnership with the ASEAN to expand biofuel production, aiming to reduce global dependence on major energy-producing nations and accelerate the shift toward cleaner energy, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said on Sunday.
Speaking at the Leader Fireside Chat during the ASEAN Business and Investment Summit (ABIS) 2025, Lula said biofuels offer a cost-effective and scalable solution to reduce emissions across sectors including road transport, aviation, and maritime industries.
“The potential for expanding collaboration with Southeast Asia is immense. Together, we can create global biofuel markets based on sustainability parameters developed by the Global South, rather than standards imposed by richer countries,” Lula said.
The session, moderated by ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ASEAN-BAC) Indonesia chairman Anindya Novyan Bakrie, was held at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (MITEC) alongside the 47th ASEAN Summit and related meetings at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.
Lula also invited ASEAN nations to participate in the 30th Conference of the Parties (COP30) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), scheduled to take place in Belem, Brazil, from November 10 to 21, 2025.
“I’d like to invite all ASEAN countries to attend COP30. This will be a defining moment for world leaders, a call to action to adopt declarations and a clear roadmap to increase climate financing to USD 1.3 trillion,” he said.
Highlighting broader cooperation between Brazil and the region, Lula announced a new semiconductor collaboration with Malaysia, aimed at encouraging research, innovation, and investment through financing and tax incentives.
“Through this partnership, we will develop new materials for chip manufacturing. Brazilian and Malaysian companies will jointly set up semiconductor plants in southern Brazil,” he said.
Lula’s remarks came on the second day of his three-day official visit to Malaysia — his first since returning to office in January 2023. He was among several global leaders attending the opening ceremony of the ASEAN Summit, hosted by Prime Minister and ASEAN Chair 2025, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
