Amcham Brazil participated this Monday (6), in Washington, DC, in the public hearing promoted by the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), within the scope of the investigation conducted by Section 301 on certain Brazilian trade policies and practices. During the hearing, the entity argued that the proposal to apply surcharges of up to 25% on certain Brazilian products tends to increase costs for US industry and consumers, cause trade diversion in favor of Asian competitors, increase the US trade deficit with these countries and weaken US economic and commercial influence in Brazil. Amcham reinforced the importance of a negotiated solution between the two governments that avoids the adoption of these tariffs, indicating concrete paths for the advancement of bilateral negotiations. Among them, the following were suggested: expanding market access in certain sectors, cooperation in critical minerals, extending the WTO moratorium on electronic transmissions and streamlining patent examination in Brazil. “Although the investigation is in its final stages and negotiations are complex, there is still room for both governments to intensify efforts in search of a negotiated solution. The application of new tariffs would be detrimental to both economies, with negative impacts on the productive sector and consumers in the United States, in addition to a loss of competitiveness for Brazilian exports to a crucial market,” says Abrão Neto, president of Amcham Brazil. The public hearing represents the final stage of the investigation conducted by the USTR. The US government's decision on the eventual implementation of the measures is scheduled for July 15th.
This text was translated by machine from Brazilian Portuguese.