The leading business organizations of Brazil and the United States have urged both governments to preserve existing trade ties and avoid the imposition of new customs duties on Brazilian imports.
The joint appeal was outlined in a collaborative letter released by the National Confederation of Industry (CNI) and co-signed by the American Chamber of Commerce for Brazil (Amcham Brazil) and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
The document was addressed to Brazilian Minister of Development, Industry, Commerce, and Services Marcio Elias Rosa; Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira; U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer; and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The three entities stated that the current window for bilateral dialogue, which gained momentum following a May meeting between the presidents of both nations, presents a critical opportunity to negotiate solutions. They argued that a diplomatic agreement would prevent new trade barriers and restore business confidence between the Americas’ two largest economies.
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The business coalitions proposed a structured, two-phase approach to resolve the mounting trade tensions:
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Short-term priority: The immediate phase focuses on resolving an active U.S. investigation under Section 301 of its trade law, aiming to block the rollout of new tariffs targeting specific Brazilian goods.
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Long-term cooperation: The second stage advocates for expanding talks to cover structural issues capable of deepening broader economic and commercial cooperation.
The private sector prioritized market liberalization for raw materials, industrial components, capital goods, and products tied to energy security, data centers, and artificial intelligence infrastructure.
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Additionally, the letter recommended aligning regulatory frameworks in the automotive, pharmaceutical, animal health, and medical device sectors. It called for strengthened intellectual property protections by reducing patent review backlogs in Brazil, intensifying joint crackdowns on piracy and counterfeiting, advancing critical mineral initiatives, and fully enforcing the anti-corruption protocol of the Agreement on Trade and Economic Cooperation (ATEC).
The business-led initiative arrives as Washington considers sweeping new trade restrictions against Brazil. U.S. trade authorities recently proposed tariffs of up to 25% on more than 4,100 Brazilian products, citing allegedly “unfair” and discriminatory practices that harm domestic American companies.
Simultaneously, Washington has floated an additional 12.5% duty on imports from Brazil as part of a global probe accusing 60 countries of failing to properly monitor and combat goods manufactured using forced labor.
These proposals follow a turbulent period in bilateral trade; last year, the United States imposed a 50% tariff on a vast array of Brazilian imports. While the measure was eventually halted by a court order, it still caused a sharp decline in Brazilian exports to the United States, which remains Brazil’s second-largest trading partner behind China.
