In an interview with journalists at the White House on Tuesday (30), US President Donald Trump spoke of his intention to sign a free trade agreement between Brazil and the United States. “Brazil is a great trading partner. They charge us a lot of tariffs, but other than that, we love the relationship,” said Trump.
US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross, who was in São Paulo (SP) on Tuesday (30), also stated that the United States is interested in closing a free trade agreement with Brazil. However, according to “Agência Brasil”, he considered that many stages of trade negotiations still need to be completed, and did not want to estimate the time needed for the agreement to be closed.
“Many components are needed [to reach an agreement]. However, we never concluded the bilateral investment treaty between Brazil and the United States, which would be a logical precursor to any type of Free Trade Agreement. There are many things in the trade dialogue that need to be done,” he said in a press conference after participating in an event in São Paulo at Amcham Brasil.
Ross also highlighted that for the trade agreement between Brazil and the US to move forward, it is necessary that the terms of the Mercosur treaty with the European Union do not create obstacles. “It is important that nothing in the agreement between Mercosur and the European Union be an impediment to a free trade agreement between Brazil and the United States. It is important to avoid obstacles that may inadvertently arise in the transaction between Mercosur and the European Union,” he said. Ross has a meeting scheduled for Wednesday (31), in Brasília, with Economy Minister Paulo Guedes.
