Brazil, India and China are preparing to coordinate a unified response to sweeping U.S. tariffs imposed by President Trump, signaling a revival of collective diplomacy within the BRICS bloc. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, currently holding the bloc’s rotating presidency, confirmed he will reach out first to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping to discuss how each nation is coping with the fallout and how they might align responses before engaging other BRICS leaders.
The Trump administration has already slapped Brazil with 50% tariffs while threatening similar punitive duties on Indian goods in response to New Delhi’s ongoing imports of Russian oil. In retaliation, India’s Modi vowed to defend its farming sector “even at personal or political cost,” denouncing the tariff hike as unjustified. Meanwhile, U.S. duties on Indian exports are expected to deepen, with the White House signaling additional increases above the initial 25% and an overall steep rise to 50% slated to take full effect in weeks ahead.
Lula has dismissed the idea of bilateral talks with Trump as humiliating, asserting that smaller nations lack bargaining leverage in one-on-one negotiations. Instead, Brazil has filed for consultations at the World Trade Organization and is pushing for a multilateral approach, believing a joint BRICS strategy could carry far more weight.
BRICS, representing a combined economic powerhouse and more than half the world’s population, now faces a defining test of cohesion in the face of escalating protectionism. With Brazil presiding over the bloc in 2025 and vested interests aligned towards reforming global governance, the coming days may mark a critical moment for solidarity against asymmetric economic pressure.
