The Vice President of the Republic and Minister of Development, Industry, Commerce and Services, Geraldo Alckmin, said on Thursday night (13) that Brazil does not represent a “commercial problem” to the United States. 
Alckmin made the statement by commenting on the announcement by the US president, Donald Trump, of the application of reciprocity tariffs against any country that imposes taxes against US imports.
“It is natural that the new US government wants to evaluate its foreign trade, study, evaluate the issue of foreign trade. Brazil is not a business problem for the United States. Our trade balance of goods is balanced. We exported $ 40 billion and imported $ 40 billion, ”Alckmin said in a press conference.
“When we include services, the United States has a $ 7.4 billion surplus. It is the seventh largest surplus of the American trade balance. So we are not a business problem, ”he added.
The vice president stressed that of the ten most exported products in Brazil to the United States, only four are not taxed by the US customs, in the others, tariffs are imposed. Already in the ten most imported products in Brazil from the US, eight enter totally free of tariffs.
“The way of foreign trade is win-win. It is having reciprocity, it is not equal rate. Reciprocity is that you sell more where you are more competitive, where you are less competitive, you buy. Products you don’t have, you get. This is the rule and it is in this principle that we are going to work, ”he said.
Brazilian ethanol
Geraldo Alckmin also defended Brazilian ethanol and said he believed that the resolution of the commercial issue will be based on dialogue and understanding between countries. “In the case of ethanol, it is important to highlight that the ethanol of Brazil, it is sugarcane. He decarbones more, he has one third less of carbon footprint, ”he said.
The vice president said that one of the solutions could be the adoption of quotas for Brazilian products, as happened with steel in 2018, when the US also raised commercial barriers against the product.
“In the case of steel, back there, he walked to the quota, called Hard Quotabecause above a limit can not enter. This can be one of the ways, let’s deepen all these themes. ”
“Foreign trade is a path of dialogue, a path of understanding, a winning way, to look for alternatives. This is what will be done, ”he added.
Balance
The top ten Brazilian products exported to the US are: gross oils (without tax), semi -finished iron or steel products (7.2%rate), non -toasted coffee (9%), wooden chemical pastes (3.6% ), cast iron (3.6%), airplanes (no rate), gasolines (no rate), turbojato planes (no rate), boneless meats (10.8%), steel alloys (7.2%).
Already the top ten products from the US imported by Brazil are part of turborrectors (no rate), thrordinators of thrust (no rate), liquefied natural gas (no rate), gross oil oils (no rate), diesel (no rate) , naphthas (no rate), bituminous hulha (no rate), ethylene copolymers (20% rate), lubricating oils (no rate), polyethylens (20%).
