Flavio Bolsonaro says he would work with China and US as Brazil’s president

Flavio Bolsonaro said he would work with the US and China if he becomes Brazil’s president, after a surprise election performance left him poised to join a wave of conservative leaders pushing Latin America closer to Washington.

Bolsonaro finished ahead of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva by about two points in Sunday’s first-round election, a result that sparked a surge in Brazilian assets due to investor views that he is more likely to pursue market-friendly financial policies.

Bolsonaro would take 52 per cent to Lula’s 48 per cent of valid votes, excluding blank and invalid ballots, in the October 25 run-off, a Datafolha poll released on Thursday evening showed. The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus two percentage points. Bolsonaro outperformed Datafolha’s final poll of the first round by about five points.