Brazil and United States Strengthen Ties with New Trade Facilitation Agreements

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Robert O’Brien, National Security Advisor to US President Donald Trump, began an official visit to Brazil on Monday in the city of São Paulo with the signing of a number of agreements that include multi-million dollar investments in the country.

This is the second visit in a month by a senior official of the Trump Administration to Brazil amid an election campaign in the United States, following a controversial stopover by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in a region bordering Venezuela.

The first trip focused on the situation in Venezuela and prompted a wave of criticism from leftist Brazilian legislators and former foreign ministers who interpreted Pompeo’s visit as an act of “provocation and hostility to a neighboring nation.”

O’Brien’s agenda had a markedly economic focus, at least in São Paulo. Trump’s advisor met with business executives from both countries at the headquarters of the Federation of Industries of the State of São Paulo (FIESP), Brazil’s most influential employer association.

O’Brien told reporters that the partnership between Brazil and the United States is “very important” because they are two “democratic” countries of “similar size” and expressed the Trump Administration’s desire to further strengthen ties with the Jair Bolsonaro government. In his opinion, the potential for economic and political cooperation between the two nations is “truly unlimited”. The United States is Brazil’s second-largest trading partner, behind only China.

“The Brazilian people love the American people and the American people love the Brazilian people, and I think the relationship between Trump and Bolsonaro is a prime example of that,” he said. He also welcomed investment treaties for a “future trade agreement” between the two powers, something that will have to be done “step by step”.

For his part, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said on Monday that Brazil’s relations with the United States are at their best and announced three trade facilitation agreements to ensure good practices and curb corruption. “This three-way package will help reduce bureaucracy and create even more growth in our bilateral trade with beneficial results for investment flows as well,” Bolsonaro said at a virtual summit organized by the US Chamber of Commerce.

Since taking office as President of Brazil on January 1st, 2019, Bolsonaro, a declared admirer of Trump, has focused his diplomatic efforts on strengthening his relationship with the United States.

Source: infobae