The vice president and Minister of Development, Industry and Commerce, received on Tuesday (29) representatives of US companies Meta, Google, Amazon, Apple, Visa and Expedia. The meeting takes place a few days from the expected beginning of the 50% tariff of Brazilian exports to the United States and amid the attempt of the Brazilian government to negotiate and avoid the imposition of sanctions.
“We want to move on all convergences. We have much more convergence than divergence,” said the vice president, commenting on the meeting in an interview with journalists in his office. This is the second meeting with representatives of the calls Big Techs Since the announcement of taxes against Brazil, almost three weeks ago. This time, according to Alckmin, companies presented an agenda that includes issues related to the “regulatory environment, economic opportunity, technological innovation and legal certainty”.
“We are proposing a work table, “said the vice president.” Speaking of economic opportunity, Brazil will be the data center champion, “he said. Asked how the discussion of the regulation of Big Techs In Brazil it could evolve in this scenario, Alckmin adopted a cautious tone and said the government would not be in a hurry to accelerate this discussion.
“This issue of regulating Big Techsof social networks, it is an issue that is under discussion in the world. So let’s learn. Where has it been implemented in Europe? What worked out? What did the criticism take? We should not be in a hurry in this. I think we should check the comparative legislation and listen, listen and dialogue, “he said.
The interests of US technology companies in Brazil are one of the central themes exposed by Donald Trump in the letter sent to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva earlier this month when he announced the tariff. In the document, Trump determined the opening of investigation into what he called “continuous attacks from Brazil to digital business activities of American companies”.
In addition to the representatives of the technology giants, the vice president stated that the meeting was accompanied, through video conferencing, by a representative of the US Secretariat of Commerce, who was not named. That Participation was a request from US Secretary of Commerce, Howard Lutnickin a new conversation with Alckmin that occurred on Monday, said the deputy.
“And on the tariff issue, we are committed to preventing us from having a totally unjustifiable rate of 50%, and from the great countries of the world, there are three that the United States have surplus: United Kingdom, Australia and Brazil. And of the 10 products they most export, in eight the aliquot is zero, does not pay import tax to enter Brazil,” Alckmin insisted.
Besides meeting with representatives of Big Techsthe Vice President received this Tuesday representatives of the Federation of Industries of the State of Rio de Janeiro (Firjan). The state is a large exporter of oil and steel to the US market. Who also met with Alckmin was the governor of Ceará, Elmano de Freitas, and the state’s business representatives, which is the most exported, in proportionate terms, to the United States. More than 40% of Ceará foreign sales is destined for the richest country in the world, including items such as steel, iron, fish, crustaceans, machines, shoes, among others.
