Economy & Trade
Brazil seeks WTO talks over new US tariffs
Brazil has requested consultations with the United States at the World Trade Organization over new US tariffs on several Brazilian products, the foreign ministry said.
The ministry said Brazil submitted the request on July 27 under the WTO dispute settlement system. It said Brazil considers the US measures “unjustified and incompatible” with international trade rules.
President Donald Trump's government has imposed two rounds of tariffs on Brazil this month. The measures include a 25 percent tariff linked by Washington to alleged unfair trade practices and a 12.5 percent tariff linked to alleged use of forced labor.
A request for consultations is a preliminary step toward opening a WTO panel.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who is seeking re-election in October, has denounced the US tariffs as election interference. Lula has accused right-wing candidate Flavio Bolsonaro, a Trump ally and son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, of encouraging US tariff pressure for electoral advantage. Flavio Bolsonaro denies the accusation.
Uncertainty notes
The supplied material does not say how the United States responded to Brazil's WTO request.
The allegations behind the US tariffs and Lula's election-interference accusation are disputed or attributed claims.
Source
AFP news report published on .