President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said in an interview with Record TV that his government will file an official complaint with the World Trade Organization (WTO) in an effort to reverse the 50 percent tariffs on commercial exports to the United States announced by Donald Trump. If the initiative fails, however, Brazil will adopt proportional retaliatory measures, the president assured.
“Without a doubt, our first step will be to seek negotiation. But if that fails, we will apply the Reciprocity Law. If he imposes a 50 percent tariff on us, we will do the same,” the president said.
Lula intends for the WTO appeal to be coordinated with other countries affected by the US tariffs.
“At the WTO, you can find a group of countries that have been taxed by the US. There is a whole process we can follow. If none of that works, we will have to apply the Reciprocity Law,” he added.
The Brazilian law cited by the president, sanctioned in April, establishes criteria for the suspension of trade concessions, investments, and obligations related to intellectual property rights in response to unilateral measures by a country or economic bloc that harm Brazil’s international competitiveness.
Support for Businesses
Lula stated that he will create a committee, with the participation of exporters to the US, to assess the new trade scenario with the United States.
“I’m not referring to a crisis cabinet, but to a cabinet to rethink Brazil’s trade policy with the US,” he observed.
The president promised to support the business sector and work to ensure that Brazilian products no longer sold to the US are bought by other countries.
“We will have to protect [the productive sector]; we will have to find other partners to buy our products. Brazil’s trade with the US represents 1.7 percent of GDP. It’s not that we can’t survive without the US. Obviously, we want to sell,” pointed out the Brazilian president.
Respect and Sovereignty
In a segment of the interview published on his social media, Lula once again demanded respect from Trump and criticized the way the letter was disclosed — even before it officially reached the recipient.
“Brazil is a country that has no grudges with anyone. Here, everything is resolved through conversation. I thought President Trump’s letter was apocryphal. It’s not customary to send correspondence to another head of state via the website of a country’s president,” he criticized.
Lula recalled the bicentennial diplomatic relations between Brazil and the US and highlighted that he maintained good relations with all American leaders he interacted with over the past two decades.
“Brazil has a 201-year relationship with the United States — a virtuous diplomatic relationship that benefits both sides. I got along well with all the presidents: Clinton, Bush, Obama, and Biden. Brazil is a country of dialogue,” Lula stated.
Bolsonaro
Regarding Trump’s demand to prevent former President Jair Bolsonaro from being tried for the crime of attempted coup d’état, Lula said that the Brazilian Judiciary is independent.
“I do not interfere in the Judiciary because the Judiciary here is autonomous,” he said.
“What he cannot do is think that he was elected to be the sheriff of the world. He can do whatever he wants in the US, but here in Brazil, we Brazilians are in charge,” the president continued.
Lula also blamed Bolsonaro for the sanctions imposed on Brazilian trade: “The former president must take responsibility because he agreed with Trump’s tariffs on Brazil. In fact, it was his son who went there to convince Trump.”
The president was referring to federal deputy on leave Eduardo Bolsonaro (PL-SP), son of the former president, who currently resides in the United States.
Source: Agência Brasil