President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva asked on Monday (8) union between the BRICS countries to face the tariff imposed by the United States. During a virtual meeting of the group, the petista stated that the members of the bloc became “victims” of illegal business practices and “tariff blackmail”.
Without directly quoting the US government, Lula has classified the surcharge as an instrument for gaining markets and interfering with internal issues in other countries. The president argued that BRICS reinforces economic integration and adopts measures that reduce the impacts of protectionism.
Lula’s speech was aligned with China’s president, Xi Jinping. The Chinese leader asked the allies an open economy based on opportunities sharing, and defended resistance to all forms of protectionism. Both highlighted the need for greater cooperation within the block.
The meeting, convened by Brazil in the exercise of the BRICS rotary presidency, lasted one and a half hours. According to a statement issued by the Brazilian government, the meeting also dealt with the reform of international institutions and the search for a more fair, balanced and inclusive global order.
According to Planalto, there was consensus among participants that the current moment requires greater coordination in the face of international economic and political instability. The note also pointed out that the meeting took place in a context of increasing tensions in global trade.
In the speech released by the Planalto, Lula stressed that sanctions and unilateral measures restrict the freedom of countries to strengthen trade relations with strategic partners. He stated that it is up to Brics to show that cooperation can overcome rivalries and ensure common development.
The Brazilian president also defended the reform of organisms such as the World Trade Organization (WTO). Brazil has already started consultations at the institution to negotiate with the United States a 50% tariff review recently applied to Brazilian products.
In addition to commercial issues, Lula addressed international topics such as the US military presence in the Caribbean, which he classified as a factor of tension. The president also defended a negotiated solution for the war between Russia and Ukraine and condemned Israel’s military action in the Gaza Strip.
The meeting was also marked by the preparation for important multilateral events, such as the United Nations General Assembly, COP 30, in Belém, and the G20 leaders summit in November. Lula took the opportunity to reinforce the invitation to the bloc countries to integrate the tropical forest fund, which will be launched during the Climate Conference.
Virtual meeting were attended by leaders and representatives of China, Russia, India, South Africa, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, United Arab Emirates and Ethiopia. As a host of the meeting, Lula reiterated Brazil’s commitment to the strengthening of multilateralism and the construction of collective solutions for global challenges.
