Brazil’s president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, proposed in Manila on Saturday 14 November that Brazil and the Philippines join their supply chains for critical minerals, semiconductors and microelectronics. He spoke during the first visit to the Philippines by a sitting Brazilian president, in the 80th year of diplomatic relations.
For US readers, the idea touches a live problem: chips and electronics depend on minerals that China still dominates. A Brazil-to-Philippines channel would be one more route around that concentration, though it is a proposal, not a signed deal.
A Speech Built on Democracy and Minerals
Lula said on Saturday 14 November that Brazil and the Philippines, as regional innovation hubs, have much to gain from integrating supply chains for critical minerals, semiconductors and microelectronics. No investment amount or company was attached to the idea.
He opened with the election. Facing extremism and attempts at outside interference, he said, Brazilians chose sovereignty, democracy and social justice, and chose not to bow their heads when they could raise them, in a line Lula tied to the Filipino national hero José Rizal.
Rizal is the Philippines’ national hero, a writer executed under Spanish colonial rule in 1896. Lula won re-election in the runoff on Sunday 25 October, according to the Brazilian Senate.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva at a ceremony in Brazil in 2024. File photo.Why It Matters to the United States
Rare earths, a group of metals used in magnets, chips and defence kit, are the pressure point. The US Geological Survey (USGS, the federal geology agency) estimated in its February 2026 summary that China produced 270,000 tonnes of the world’s 390,000 tonnes in 2025, while Brazil produced 2,000 tonnes.
The same USGS summary puts Brazil’s reserves at 11 million tonnes, the second-largest figure among countries that report one, against 44 million for China. It also says China tightened export controls in April and October 2025, then suspended the October measures for one year in November, while the April controls stayed in effect.
Brazil therefore holds the resource but little output. Any link with Philippine electronics makers would be a long-term effort, and none has been funded or dated.
What Lula and Marcos Covered
Lula said on Saturday that an energy cooperation memorandum signed in August is being carried out, according to the Brazilian government. He also invited Marcos to join the Belém Commitment on Sustainable Fuels, a Brazilian-led pledge to expand biofuels.
Lula cancelled two speeches in Manila on Saturday because he had lost his voice, but the bilateral meeting with Marcos went ahead. Two agreements, one on agriculture and one between the two countries’ competition authorities, were reported signed, and we could not confirm them from an official text.
You can follow wider coverage on our Brazil news page and our Latin America hub.
What It Means for You
Investors in chipmakers and electronics firms should read this as a signal about where supply chains may diversify, not as a change in prices or contracts today. Brazil’s rare-earth output is tiny, so any shift would take years of mining and processing investment.
Travellers and expats gain little directly, but Brazil also exports beef, pork, chicken and corn to the Philippines. Trade of nearly US$3 billion a year is small, so the headline is strategy, not volume.
What Is Not Known
No investment amount, timetable or company has been named for the minerals-and-chips idea. The signing of new agreements on Saturday is reported but not confirmed by an official text.
It is also not confirmed that the Rizal line comes word for word from his writings. This article will be updated if either government publishes a joint statement.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Lula propose in the Philippines?
On Saturday 14 November he proposed integrating Brazilian and Philippine supply chains for critical minerals, semiconductors and microelectronics. He did not announce a funded project.
Who is José Rizal?
Rizal is the Philippines’ national hero and a writer. Spanish colonial authorities executed him in 1896.
How much do Brazil and the Philippines trade?
Lula said on 14 November that bilateral trade has nearly quadrupled in 20 years and now approaches US$3 billion. That is a small share of either country’s global trade.
Why does this matter to the United States?
China produced an estimated 270,000 of the world’s 390,000 tonnes of rare earths in 2025, the USGS reports. Any new supply route for chip minerals is of interest to US manufacturers and policymakers.
Sources: US Geological Survey, Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026, Rare Earths, February 2026; Presidency of Brazil, statement by President Lula in Manila, 14 November 2026; Presidency of the Philippines, announcement of the Brazil state visit, 10 November 2026