Coming back to power, Brazil's president Lula had the ambition to put his country at the head of the Global South. This has been thwarted by a new reality in international relations, as the front of non-Western countries is now dominated by China, associate fellow Alessandro Merli writes in an article for the ISPI think-tank newsletter. At the Rio G20 meeting, Lula's expectations were frustrated. Next stop for Brazil's foreign policy is the environmental summit COP30, where it may have better cards to play.