J.D. Vance group courted Brazil’s Flavio Bolsonaro over anti-China rare earth deal: report

A campaign document for Flavio Bolsonaro, the leading presidential candidate in Brazil's upcoming election, proposed a supply chain of rare earths to diminish China's influence, according to a local news outlet. The 22-page plan, written in English and dated March 19, was drafted by Andre Marinho, a close ally of Bolsonaro and a governor candidate in Rio de Janeiro.

Marinho claimed the document was never shown to American officials and had no connection to Flavio's campaign. Brazil, the world's second-largest rare earth reserves holder, has been competing with the US and China for them. The US has invested $2.8 billion in a Serra Verde mine and $750 million in the site, while China has offered Brazil a partnership.

Flavio Bolsonaro has been courting Washington throughout the campaign, with polls showing him level with the incumbent president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva before the first-round vote on October 4. The document emphasized three points to counter China: stopping the sale of raw ore abroad, avoiding dependence on Chinese processing chains, and aligning with Washington behind a parallel supply system.

Lula's foreign policy was labeled as pro-China and guided by geopolitical ambiguity, implying Brazil would become a supplier of raw materials to Chinese industry under Lula's leadership.