The government of Brazil has officially launched a request for consultations with the World Trade Organization (WTO) regarding new U.S. tariffs on Brazilian exports, as indicated in an official statement issued on Wednesday.
The action follows a 50% tariff on Brazilian imports to the United States imposed by former U.S. President Donald Trump. While some products were exempted, the blanket action was commonly perceived as a retaliatory measure.
Trump has attributed the tariff move to what he termed a "witch hunt" on the part of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who is at present on trial for attempting to orchestrate a coup after he lost the 2022 elections.
Though Brazil had previously signalled its intentions to refer the matter to the WTO, this is the official initiation of the process, even with continued challenges to the organization's dispute settlement body — one that has mostly been inoperable since Trump's initial tenure.
Terming the U.S. move a clear violation of trading norms, Brazil decried Washington for weakening the world trade architecture.
"The U.S. blatantly disregards fundamental obligations to the WTO," the statement asserted.
However, Brazil insisted that it is still willing to talk."The Brazilian government reaffirms its readiness to negotiate and expects the consultations to lead towards a solution to the matter," it added.
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