BRASILIA AND SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL – Deputy United States Trade Representative Jayme White led a USTR delegation to Brazil for high-level meetings at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Economy. At the Ministry of Foreign Affairs he met with Minister Carlos França, Secretary of Trade and International Affairs Ambassador Sarquis José Buainain Sarquis, and Secretary for Bilateral and Regional Negotiations in the Americas Ambassador Pedro Miguel da Costa e Silva. At the Ministry of Economy, he met with Deputy Special Secretary for Trade and Foreign Affairs João Rossi. They discussed the entry into force this year of the Protocol on Trade Rules and Transparency, an update to the 2011 Agreement on Trade and Economic Cooperation (ATEC), which includes new commitments on trade facilitation, good regulatory practices, and anti-corruption. They also discussed next steps to deepen engagement under the ATEC, including regulatory work on sectors to support a resilient recovery, digital economy, and trade and environment, including circular economy issues, and plan for staff to have technical meetings in these areas. Ambassador White detailed the Biden-Harris Administration’s worker-centered trade policy, including U.S. priorities on labor rights and environmental protection.
In São Paulo, Ambassador White met with stakeholders representing environmental groups and with experts on environmental, social, and governance issues and on labor, including trade unions. He joined a dinner featuring leaders on diversity and inclusion efforts in Brazil. He also met with the American Chamber of Commerce and the Federation of Industries of the State of São Paulo (FIESP) to discuss challenges and opportunities for bilateral trade.
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