
SAO PAULO/MILWAUKEE (Sept 30): Brazil is seeking a "full tariff reduction" in talks with the US, Trade Minister Marcio Elias Rosa told reporters on Wednesday after he met with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on the sidelines of a G20 meeting in Milwaukee.
The two countries will establish a working group to discuss issues related to a potential agreement on trade, the Brazilian government said in a statement, adding both sides aim to move swiftly towards a mutually acceptable understanding.
The tariff cuts Brazil is seeking include all US Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum, the 12.5% duty related to US forced labour allegations and a 25% tariff imposed under a Section 301 unfair trade practices investigation.
According to the statement, the US will submit a proposal in the coming weeks setting out the scope of negotiations, including tariff and non-tariff issues.
The meeting, which also included Brazil's foreign minister, Mauro Vieira, builds on bilateral engagement following a phone call in August between US President Donald Trump and his Brazilian counterpart, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
Brazil does not intend to use its so-called reciprocity law over tariffs against the US while trade talks continue, Lula told CNN International earlier this month.
Rosa told reporters that Greer did not bring up potential new tariffs of 100% on Brazil's purchases of Russian oil products under a sweeping new US sanctions law aimed at ending Russia's war in Ukraine.
Rosa also said that accessing Brazil's critical minerals wealth could become part of trade talks with the US, but that Brazil would offer similar opportunities to other countries if there are value-added investments in processing.
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