Vice-President Gerard Alcumin (PSB) said this Saturday (15 November) that the US announcement on the reduction of the 50% tariffs imposed on imports of coffee, meat and fruit, some of the items most affected by the tariffs imposed on Brazil in August, is positive and that the government of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) will “continue to work towards further reductions”.
According to the North American government, the measure has retroactive effect and came into effect at 12:01 this Thursday (November 13). The reduction in this case refers only to the 10% reciprocal tariff that President Trump applied on April 2 of this year. The 40% additional tax on Brazil, officially announced by the Republican Party at the end of July, remains in effect.
President Trump’s partial withdrawal was made after taking into account “information and recommendations” provided by authorities, progress in negotiations with commercial partners, and demands from the domestic market. On Thursday (November 13), Foreign Secretary Mauro Vieira met with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington, D.C., to continue tariff negotiations.
According to the Trumpist prime minister, the two countries discussed “issues of mutual importance” and emphasized building a “mutually beneficial framework” for trade relations between the two countries. The two sides are expected to hold a new round of negotiations soon. At the same time, after announcing the tariff cuts, President Trump said he didn’t think further cuts were necessary.