Brazil and US to meet ‘immediately’ in search of tariff solutions, Lula says

KUALA LUMPUR – Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said he had a positive meeting on Oct 26 with US President Donald Trump, and their respective teams would start “immediately” to discuss tariffs and other matters.

Mr Trump and Mr Lula spoke on the sidelines of the Asean summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in a meeting to overcome tensions between Brazil and the US after Mr Trump

increased tariffs on US imports of most Brazilian goods

to 50 per cent from 10 per cent in early August.

“We agreed that our teams will meet immediately to advance the search for solutions to the tariffs and sanctions against Brazilian authorities,” Mr Lula said in a message on X following the meeting.

Mr Trump had linked the tariff move to what he called a “witch hunt” against the South American country’s former president Jair Bolsonaro.

The US government also put sanctions on a number of Brazilian officials, including Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who oversaw the trial that led to Bolsonaro’s conviction for attempting a coup.

Ahead of the meeting on Oct 26 though, Mr Trump said he could reach some agreements with Mr Lula.

“I think we should be able to make some pretty good deals for both countries,” Mr Trump said.

Mr Lula has previously described the tariff hike a “mistake”, citing a US$410 billion (S$532 billion) US trade surplus with Brazil over 15 years.

Brazil’s Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira said negotiations will start immediately to work on solutions and a meeting with the US delegation was planned for Oct 26.

“We will establish a negotiation schedule and establish the sectors we will talk about so that we can move forward,” Mr Vieira told journalists at the summit, adding that Brazil had requested tariffs be suspended during the negotiation process.

It was not immediately clear if the request was agreed to by the United States.

“We hope to conclude bilateral negotiations that address each of the sectors of the current American (tariffs on) Brazil in the near future, in a few weeks,” Mr Vieira added.

Bolsonaro was not mentioned in the meeting, said Mr Marcio Rosa, the executive secretary for Brazil’s ministry of development, industry and commerce, who stood next to Mr Vieira.

Higher US tariffs on Brazilian goods have begun reshaping the global beef trade, pushing up prices in the United States and encouraging triangulation via third countries such as Mexico, while Brazilian exports to China continue to boom. REUTERS