Brazil/US - Brazil calls on the US for dialogue and defends its "non-discriminatory" trade practices.

by August 19, 2025

MADRID, 19 (EUROPA PRESS)

The Brazilian government on Monday asked U.S. authorities to reconsider opening an investigation into the Ibero-American country's trade practices, a decision Washington announced in mid-July after imposing 50 percent tariffs on Brasilia, in what Brazilian authorities consider "inadmissible" allegations.

The Brazilian Foreign Ministry made this request in a report sent this Monday to the Department of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), which "proves that the Brazilian policies under investigation are transparent, non-discriminatory, and fully comply with international best practices and the country's obligations under the World Trade Organization (WTO)."

For this reason, the Brazilian diplomatic ministry has urged US authorities to opt for dialogue: "Brazil remains open to consultations and reaffirms its commitment to resolving trade concerns through cooperative and legal means."

However, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's administration has reiterated that it does not recognize "the validity or jurisdiction" of an action taken by the Donald Trump administration outside the WTO.

In mid-July, the U.S. government announced it was opening an investigation into Brazil's trade practices to determine whether they unfairly restrict U.S. exports to the South American country in six areas: digital trade, unfair preferential tariffs, enforcement of anti-corruption laws, intellectual property protection, ethanol trading, and illegal deforestation.

The USTR alleges, among other things, that "Brazil may undermine the competitiveness of U.S. companies operating in these sectors, for example, by retaliating against them for failing to censor political speech," referring to the South American country's Supreme Court's ruling in late June, which holds social media platforms responsible for illegal posts made by their users.

Meanwhile, the State Department's Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs has singled out Justice Alexandre de Moraes—who has imposed restrictions on the activity of US social media platforms in the Latin American country and is also the rapporteur in the coup case against former President Jair Bolsonaro—asserting that "he is toxic to all legitimate businesses and individuals seeking access to the United States and its markets."

In a statement released on its X social media account, the US agency also defended that "no foreign court can invalidate US sanctions or exempt anyone from the serious consequences of violating them" and warned that "non-Americans should act with caution: those who provide material support to human rights violators face risks of sanctions."

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