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The President of Bolivia, Luis Arce, has announced that he will not run for office again in the elections scheduled for August 17. The decision, made public a few hours before registration for the presidential race opened, follows a long path of divisions within the Movement for Socialism (MAS), the party that has governed the country almost uninterruptedly for over 20 years. "Today I make known to the Bolivian people with absolute firmness my decision to withdraw my candidacy for the presidential elections next August," Arce said, calling for unity in his political party, to prevent the "fascist project" designed to "destroy the plurinational state" from winning. The appeal was especially directed at his predecessor, who was once a political ally, Evo Morales, who is seeking a new mandate despite the various legal impediments certified by the Constitutional Court. “From this stage I challenge former President Evo Morales not to insist on being a candidate for the presidency,” he said.

An economist, 61 years old, Arce has also long been responsible for a social and economic crisis in the country that has brought his government's approval ratings to their lowest levels in years. The crisis in the availability of the dollar, which the Central Bank has kept tied to a relatively stable exchange rate with the Bolivian for years, and the poor supply of fuel, crucial in a country whose structure makes road transport dominant, are at the root of numerous social protests, often resulting in prolonged closures of the main roads. A poll in view of the presidential elections, published at the end of March by the company Captura, assigned Arce about 1 percent of the preferences.

The hope of the incumbent president is that the unity of the left-wing forces, once united in the MAS and now divided into three segments, can be recomposed. In addition to those of Morales and Arce, who was for a long time Minister of Finance in the governments of the "cocalero" leader, there is in fact a third front that refers to Andronicus Rodriguez, president of the Senate who surprisingly launched his candidacy in recent days, when the head of state was still in the running. A decision that had opened controversy for the possible further fragmentation of the vote, but which today, in light of Morales' renunciation, could be less serious. The political fracture between Arce and Morales, the former considered distant from the leftist values ​​proclaimed by the latter, has led over time to the division of the MAS into two blocks, both in parliament and in the country, protagonists of intense political and legal clashes. Lastly, in November 2024, Evo was ousted from the party he had led for 27 years, forcing him to take refuge in a new political force – Evo Pueblo – which proclaims total distance from the MAS.

Morales has theoretically exhausted the maximum limit of presidential mandates recognized by the Constitution, having also lost a referendum that he had called precisely to overcome the obstacle, but he does not intend to give up the race, denouncing a maneuver against him orchestrated by the right. The indigenous leader is also the protagonist of a delicate judicial affair: accused of sexual violence against minors and human trafficking, he is the subject of an arrest warrant that has been evading for months, sheltered by his most loyal supporters in the region of Cochabamba, which has always been his political and electoral bastion. Not infrequently, protests against the government's actions have been confused with clashes between supporters of Arce and those of Morales, a leader whom the president accuses of wanting to act only to prolong his political trajectory to the detriment of the interests of the people.

‘We’ll work with Latin American and Caribbean countries to firmly safeguard the international system,’ he said. On Tuesday, Chinese President Xi Jinping expressed support for Latin American countries in their rejection of foreign interference in domestic affairs.

This show of support for national sovereignty came during the opening address of the 4th China-CELAC Ministerial Forum, held with the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC). “China supports the countries of the region in safeguarding their national sovereignty and independence,” Xi said, urging CELAC nations to “pursue a development path suited to their national conditions.”

In addition to the foreign ministers of CELAC countries, the forum includes the participation of presidents Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil, Gabriel Boric of Chile, and Gustavo Petro of Colombia, who currently holds CELAC’s rotating presidency. Xi emphasized that China and Latin American countries are “important members of the Global South” and must remain united amid rising geopolitical tensions, bloc confrontations and increasing tendencies toward unilateralism and protectionism.

“We will work with Latin American and Caribbean countries to firmly safeguard the international system and speak with one voice on international and regional affairs,” he said.

“Development and revitalization are our inherent rights, and fairness and justice are our shared aspirations,” Xi added, in the face of “geopolitical turmoil and confrontation.” He highlighted joint efforts “to practice true multilateralism, uphold international fairness and justice, and promote the reform of the global governance system to advance multipolarity.”

The Chinese leader noted that trade between China and Latin America surpassed US$500 billion for the first time in 2024 and said his country is committed to continued mutual support with CELAC nations on issues concerning their “core interests and major concerns.”

Xi also announced that China would extend a US$9.2 billion line of credit to the region and enhance cooperation on security and law enforcement.

“We must deepen exchanges across various sectors and strengthen communication and coordination on significant international and regional issues,” Xi said. He added that Beijing will invite 300 political party leaders from CELAC countries to visit China to “exchange experiences on governance.”

The 4th China-CELAC forum will address issues including electrical interconnection, renewable energy, trade integration, projects linked to the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and access to natural resources such as lithium, rare earth elements, oil, and copper.

Since 2009, China has been Brazil’s largest trading partner, with trade steadily increasing to reach a record US$158 billion in 2023. On Tuesday, Chinese President Xi Jinping welcomed Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva with honors at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, where the two leaders held a closed-door meeting before signing new bilateral agreements.

“For years, the international order has needed deep reforms. In recent months, the world has become more unpredictable, more unstable and more fragmented. China and Brazil are determined to unite against unilateralism and protectionism,” Lula said. He is taking part in the 4th China-CELAC Ministerial Meeting.

The Brazilian president also voiced opposition to trade wars, stating they “have no winners,” “increase prices,” “suppress economies” and “erode the incomes of the most vulnerable people in each country.”

“President Xi Jinping and I support fair trade based on the rules of the World Trade Organization,” Lula emphasized. Xi, for his part, stressed that China and Brazil will jointly defend free trade and the multilateral system. He said the two countries must stand together against unilateralism, protectionism and acts of intimidation.

The text reads, “If virality were not driving analysis in Brazil, this powerful image of Lula and Xi Jinping would be duly interpreted as a show of unity and strength of the Global South through multilateralism and the Brazilian would be celebrated as a statesman, because he is.”

Xi also noted that both nations should align their development strategies, advance the building of a China-Brazil community, promote greater solidarity and cooperation among Global South countries, and strengthen collaboration in infrastructure, agriculture, energy and the energy transition.

Since 2009, China has been Brazil’s largest trading partner, with trade steadily increasing to reach a record US$158 billion in 2023. That year, Brazil registered a favorable trade surplus of US$51 billion. Bilateral cooperation spans nearly all sectors, under a broad strategic partnership agreement in effect since 2012.

On the global stage, in addition to being members of the G20, Brazil and China — along with Russia, India and South Africa — are founding members of BRICS, the economic cooperation group that also includes Iran, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Ethiopia. Brazil holds the rotating BRICS presidency in 2025 and will host the next summit, raising expectations that Xi will visit the country in the coming months. He last visited Brazil in November 2024.

Trump’s speech at the investment conference followed him signing a number of bilateral agreements during a state visit with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Among the agreements secured is a nearly $142 billion defense sales deal, providing the kingdom with “state-of-the-art warfighting equipment and services from over a dozen U.S. defense firms,” the White House said.

That commitment is nearly double Saudi Arabia’s 2025 defense budget, which totaled $78 billion. The White House’s announcement does not say when the defense deal is expected to conclude. Bin Salman, who spoke before Trump at the investment conference, said the aim is to raise the U.S.-Saudi partnership to $1 trillion across the military, security, economic and technological sectors. Economists point out that making good on that investment pledge will be a challenge for the kingdom, which faces sky-high costs for its own Vision 2030 investment ambitions.

Lower global oil prices and big-ticket public spending projects have brought about widening budget deficits for Riyadh. The White House also announced commitments from Saudi digital infrastructure business DataVolt to pursue a $20 billion investment in AI data centers in the U.S.

The total investment figure also includes a combined $80 billion in commitments from DataVolt, Google, Oracle, Salesforce, AMD and Uber to invest in both the U.S. and Saudi Arabia, according to the White House.

The U.S. President’s visit comes amid ongoing turmoil in the Middle East. On Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump arrived in the Saudi capital Riyadh, kicking off his visit to the Middle East amid calls for Washington to play a role in facilitating regional stability.

Trump was greeted at King Khaled International Airport by Prime Minister and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, known as “MBS” and considered Saudi Arabia’s strongman, who extended his hand at the bottom of the plane’s stairs before escorting him to the airport’s Royal Lounge.

The four-day whirlwind tour will take Trump to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, where he intends to meet with Gulf leaders and finalize investment deals worth trillions of U.S. dollars.

The visit comes amid ongoing turmoil in the Middle East: negotiations between the United States and Iran over nuclear issues have shown little progress; Israel’s offensive in Gaza continues; and there are no clear signs of de-escalation in its hostilities with Yemen’s Houthis and Lebanon.

The United States has come under widespread regional criticism for backing Israel’s military escalation and proposing the relocation of Palestinians from Gaza. Regional analysts hope that Washington could play a meaningful role during Trump’s visit by promoting a ceasefire and easing tensions.

With many issues in the Middle East “unsolved,” the need for the United States to coordinate with regional countries appears to be “more pressing than ever,” said Abdulaziz Sager, chairman of the Gulf Research Center. Saudi Arabia marks Trump’s first major official overseas visit of his second term. On his inauguration day in January, Trump said that he would choose Saudi Arabia as his first destination “if Saudi Arabia wanted to buy another 450, or 500 billion.”