The consensus among experts from different areas heard by the CNN Brazil about the meeting between Chancellor Mauro Vieira and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is clear: a high-level meeting between the governments of Brazil and the United States is a big and positive step.
“A high-level meeting between the Brazilian government and the American government was something that months ago was thought impossible. […] And Rubio is not going to fill his schedule for something that is going to be completely useless; If it were to be filed, it wouldn’t be the Secretary of State who would sit down with the Brazilian chancellor”, ponders Robson Gonçalves, professor at FGV (Fundação Getulio Vargas).
The heads of foreign relations of both countries had a 10-minute conversation this Thursday (13), followed by a 1-hour meeting with the presence of negotiators. The Brazilian chancellor said that “all issues of the bilateral relationship” were addressed and that a .
The return of the White House, according to Vieira, “could come tomorrow or next week”.
Thus, Rubens Barbosa, former Brazilian ambassador in Washington, notes that the meeting still “does not mean a quick solution to the negotiations”.
Those closest to the private sector, such as former Secretary of Foreign Trade Walber Barral, now a partner at the BMJ consultancy, recognize that the meeting “is a sign of progress, but that the private sector has requested more data on the schedule”.
Since July, when the President of the United States, Donald Trump, exporters who have important customers in the United States have been looking for alternatives to survive the tariffs.
. Moldings, plywood, sawn wood, doors and flooring are some of the products that have their main buyers in the North American market.
“What the productive sector actually expects are effective results from these negotiations. The approximations have already been demonstrated, but the sense of urgency remains the same, since we do not see any effective results of progress”, observes Paulo Pupo, superintendent of Abimci (Brazilian Association of the Mechanically Processed Wood Industry).
“Our expectation is that this meeting will be the real start of negotiations based on economic data. But until it shows us effective actions, it is a little inefficient”, he points out.
Pupo sees Brazil falling behind while other countries are already beginning to draft trade agreements with the USA, such as bilateral understandings announced this Thursday.
Simplification of trade, reduction of bureaucratic barriers and commitment to mutual investment are some of the commitments made in these preliminary agreements.
“It is an indication of American interests, and several of them could be aligned with Brazilian interests. […] Investments and rare earths are also of interest to Brazil”, concludes Barral.
Gustavo Cruz, chief strategist at RB Investimentos, recalls that North American authorities had already been giving positive signals about fruit and coffee, other Brazilian products that have weight in the North American market and felt the price.
“We had a first half of discussions and a second of negotiations, relief. I understand that for Brazil these products that still have the 50% tariff can expect good news ahead”, points out Cruz.
Rubens Barbosa still remains cautious, however, noting that, unlike the Brazilian case, “the others were not influenced by ideological issues”. For Brazil, from now on, the former ambassador indicates that it is necessary to “continue to insist on commercial negotiations and avoid controversial statements”.
