Walfrido Warde, Brazilian lawyer and president of the Institute for Reform of State-Business Relations (IREE).

By Brasil 247 - In an interview with journalist Leonardo Attuch, editor of TV 247, Brazilian lawyer Walfrido Warde, president of the Institute for Reform of State-Business Relations (IREE) and a member of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's Economic and Social Development Council, offered an analysis of Brazil's role in the global power struggle between Washington and Beijing, following this year's United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Warde argued that Lula's Brazil operates pragmatically between the two strategic poles, preserving its autonomy in decision-making. 

Partnerships with China

Warde discussed the economic fallout from the Operation Car Wash anti-corruption investigation, which devastated Brazil's construction and infrastructure sector and opened the door to foreign competitors. He described the probe as part of a broader framework of economic warfare: "In fact, the FCPA (Foreign Corrupt Practices Act) was born as an instrument of commercial war." With Brazil's industrial champions weakened, he sees partnerships between Brazilian builders and Chinese firms as a potential path to restore capacity and employment.

On strategic issues, Warde urged Brazil to move beyond its traditional role as an exporter of raw materials and capture value in advanced industrial chains. Speaking about rare earth minerals, he called for a coherent industrial policy to strengthen domestic processing and innovation. 

In the automotive sector, Warde emphasized that the technological transition remains unsettled, with batteries, hydrogen and advanced biofuels all competing for space. 

Military cooperation and sovereignty

Warde also touched on defense policy in the context of global rearmament, noting that Brazil's security must be strengthened independently of political polarization. He said cooperation agreements with China could play a role if guided by national interests. For him, modernizing and equipping the armed forces is a state responsibility essential to safeguarding sovereignty.

Highlighting the mission of the IREE, Warde underscored that the think tank was created to "think about and defend public policies," fostering plural debate on security, geopolitics and development with participation from diplomats, military leaders, jurists and economists. His renewed mandate on Lula's Economic and Social Development Council, which runs through March 2027, reinforces that institutional role.

On the domestic political front, Warde argued that overcoming internal divisions is critical to building a competitive, sovereign nation. 

(Reported by Brasil 247 on September 25, 2025)