WASHINGTON - United States Trade Representative Robert B. Zoellick will travel to Brazil the week of March 11-14 to meet with senior government leaders and officials, legislators, and private sector leaders to discuss ways to promote trade liberalization in the Western Hemisphere and throughout the world.

"Brazil is an important friend and trading partner of the United States - its leadership was instrumental in helping to launch the new global trade negotiations in Doha last November. We expect to build on these successes and work closely with Brazil on advancing trade in the hemisphere," said Zoellick. "This will be my first visit to Brazil as the U.S. Trade Representative, and I look forward to meeting with and listening to diverse Brazilian voices in the government, business community, and civil society on ways to promote opportunity, prosperity, and hope through trade."

From March 11-14 Zoellick will be in Brazil, meeting with President Fernando Henrique Cardoso and Foreign Minister Celso Lafer, and other senior Brazilian government officials, including key Brazilian legislators.

Zoellick will be in Sao Paulo on Wednesday, March 13, for a series of meetings with business groups and opinion leaders. He plans to visit Wal-Mart Sao Paulo's International Global Sourcing Summit, which is devoted to showcasing how foreign investment can stimulate local economic activity. He will deliver a major address to members of the American Chamber of Commerce on the U.S.-Brazil relationship. Zoellick will also visit a local organization that is using private sector support and expertise to help underprivileged youth develop computer skills. In addition, he will participate in a roundtable discussion with representatives of local organizations working in the areas of the environment, labor, AIDS prevention, and small business development.

The U.S.-Brazil trading relationship expanded rapidly in the last decade. Brazil is currently our 13th largest trading partner, with $30.4 billion in total (two way) trade in goods. U.S. goods exports to Brazil have almost doubled since 1994. U.S. imports from Brazilian goods increased almost 70% in the same time period. The stock of U.S. foreign direct investment in Brazil was $35.6 billion in 2000, a 3.6% increase from 1999. This investment is primarily concentrated in the manufacturing, finance, and banking sectors.