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CLIPPING INTERNACIONAL NEGINT Brasília, 13 de junho de 2018

Índice I. OMC _______________________________________________ 2 WTO chief warns of global downturn if trade dispute escalates ____________ 2 Norway files WTO challenge over U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs __________ 2 II. NEGOCIAÇÕES REGIONAIS E BILATERAIS _________________ 3 Canada-US trade: How Trudeau might hit back against Trump ____________ 3 III. OUTROS ____________________________________________ 3 Uruguay toma la posta del Mercosur con ojos chinos ____________________ 3 Brazil probes California firm for 'biopiracy' of tropical fruit açaí ____________ 5 Brazil power grid braces for demand swings during World Cup games_______ 7

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I. OMC WTO chief warns of global downturn if trade dispute escalates Reuters (Reino Unido) If the trade conflict between the United States and other countries intensifies, it could negatively impact the global economy and there are indications this is already happening, the head of the World Trade Organization warned in newspaper. Asked if there was a risk for the global economy, WTO Director-General Roberto Azevedo told business daily Handelsblatt: “Absolutely. If the trade dispute escalates, there’s the risk of a global downturn and we’re already seeing signs that this downward process has already started.” He said it was crucial to maintain dialogue to avoid an escalation.

Norway files WTO challenge over U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs Reuters (Reino Unido) Norway filed a challenge to the U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum with the World Trade Organization on Tuesday. “In Norway’s view, the additional tariffs imposed by the U.S. on steel and aluminum imports are a violation of the WTO rules. Today we have therefore requested dispute settlement consultations with the US in the WTO,” Minister of Foreign Affairs Ine Eriksen Soereide said in a statement.

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II. NEGOCIAÇÕES REGIONAIS E BILATERAIS Canada-US trade: How Trudeau might hit back against Trump BBC (Reino Unido) Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has vowed Canada won't be "pushed around" by the US on trade. But just how much leverage does Canada - with over 70% of its trade heading south of the border - have against the US? US President Donald Trump has warned that Mr Trudeau's tougher talk on trade will cost Canada "a lot of money". It's the latest jab in a multi-day tirade from the American president against Mr Trudeau and the trade relationship between the two nations. On Tuesday, Canada's Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland shrugged off the comments, saying the country "expected moments of drama" when it came to matters of trade with the Trump administration. "Canada is prepared for any eventuality" and is ready with "a plan B, C, D and F and maybe to the end of the alphabet" if relations continue to sour, she said.

III. OUTROS Uruguay toma la posta del Mercosur con ojos chinos El Pais (Uruguai) Sin Nicolás Maduro en el "cuadro titular" —ya que Venezuela sigue suspendida— los presidentes del Mercosur se reúnen el fin de semana en Asunción. El mandatario paraguayo Horacio Cartes entregará la presidencia pro tempore a Tabaré Vázquez, quien liderará el bloque hasta fin de año. El canciller Rodolfo Nin Novoa dijo

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que Uruguay pretende acercar el Mercosur a China en busca de acuerdos comerciales que sirvan para ampliar la salida al mundo del bloque regional. "El acercamiento Mercosur-China será uno de los buques insignia, lo que no quiere decir que salgamos a sellar un acuerdo, sino que hay toda una tarea de preparación", dijo el ministro de Relaciones Exteriores ayer luego de una reunión con el embajador chino Wang Gang. En conversación con El País el canciller Nin Novoa agregó que la intención uruguaya es tener la mayor apertura posible, y en ese sentido se seguirá trabajando en las negociaciones con Canadá, Corea del Sur, Singapur, la Unión Europea, entre otras ideas que maneja su ministerio. Nin Novoa dijo que la impronta uruguaya que se buscará impulsar desde la presidencia pro tempore del Mercosur es tender lazos con China, que es uno de los principales socios comerciales no solo de Uruguay, sino también de Argentina, Brasil y Paraguay. Si bien sobre el acercamiento con China, Brasil ha manifestado en conversaciones informales algunas dudas, el canciller Nin Novoa explicó que desde la cumbre en Mendoza, un año atrás, el bloque ha tomado un impulso importante para salir al mundo. "Se ha empezado a hablar de que los países tenemos que tener más flexibilidad, que fue lo que propusimos", dijo el jefe de la diplomacia uruguaya. Uruguay ha logrado potenciar sustancialmente las relaciones bilaterales con China en los últimos meses. Desde la cumbre comercial "China-Lac" en Punta del Este a fines de 2017, el contacto entre delegaciones diplomáticas uruguayas y chinas sirvió para comenzar a hablar de acuerdos. Incluso los chinos manifestaron el interés de abrir negocios puntuales en Uruguay, entre los que estaría la construcción de una planta de autos eléctricos. El viejo continente. Otro de los grandes puntos en el que aún sigue enredado el Mercosur es el de las negociaciones con la Unión Europea. Las conversaciones llevan más de 20 años y en el Mercosur se mantenían las expectativas de acordar el tratado de libre comercio a comienzos de año.

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Sin embargo, eso no ocurrió por diferencias respecto a las cuotas de productos que ambos bloques podrían comercializar. "Seguimos discutiendo -lastimosamente- nuestra relación comercial con la Unión Europea, han aparecido algunas dificultades que no estaban en la agenda", comentó Nin a la prensa. El canciller agregó a El País que el interés del Mercosur por alcanzar el acuerdo se mantiene. "Estamos trancados con el tema de las indicaciones geográficas, lo que falta son números, son cuotas y cantidades. La oferta que nos hicieron de arroz no fue buena. El Mercosur está interesado. Pero no quiere decir que vayamos a cerrar cualquier cosa", comentó el ministro de Relaciones Exteriores. La Cámara de Industrias del Uruguay organizó la semana pasada una reunión para intercambiar con la delegación europea que estuvo en Montevideo. "Tal espacio de intercambio entre el sector oficial y empresarial, significó una importante oportunidad para que el sector industrial nacional, tome contacto directo con el equipo negociador en su

conjunto,

pudiendo

transmitir

y

haciendo

conocer,

de

manera

directa,

sus

inquietudes", informó la gremial en un comunicado.

Brazil probes California firm for 'biopiracy' of tropical fruit açaí Reuters (Reino Unido) Brazilian prosecutors said on Tuesday that they were investigating a U.S. company for alleged ‘biopiracy,’ accusing it of illegally using genetic components of the tropical berry açaí in nutritional supplements it sells. The federal prosecutors office for the northern state of Amapá, a main producer of açaí, said that the company Sambazon Inc had used the genetic material of the fruit without permission. Biopiracy is the unlawful appropriation or commercial use of biological materials, such as medicinal plant extracts, that are native to a particular country without providing fair financial compensation to its people or government. 5

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Sambazon representatives in Brazil and its headquarters in California did not immediately reply to requests for comment. Privately-held Sambazon makes fruit juices, fruit packs, frozen desserts and snacks, powders and energy drinks based on açaí imported from Brazil, the company’s website says. Rich in antioxidants and amino acids, açaí is thought to be one of the most nutritional fruits of the Amazon basin and has become a favorite for health-conscious Californians. The Brazilian government’s environmental agency Ibama fined Sambazon 75,000 reais ($20,000) last year for not obtaining permission to use açaí genetic material for technological development. In its defense, the company said its products were made by simply adding ingredients to açaí pulp. The new investigation seeks compensation for the communities that produce açaí in the Amazon rainforest in Amapá state, from where Sambazon imports the fruit, the federal prosecutor in charge of the investigation, Rodolfo Lopes, told Reuters. Besides failing to get authorization from Brazil’s council for the management of genetic biodiversity, Sambazon had not fulfilled a promise to share profits from using açaí genetic material with the communities that picked the berries, he said. Lopes said a pickers association complaint in 2008 had led to the fine and now the seeking of civil damages. Founded in 2000, Sambazon began by processing açaí into packs of frozen pulp mixed with guaraná, another berry from the Amazon that contains natural stimulants, and selling it to juice bars and fitness clubs in Southern California. Açaí smoothies supplanted wheatgrass protein shakes as the drink of choice among athletes and body builders. Sambazon now sells its products in grocery stores across the United States.

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Brazil power grid braces for demand swings during World Cup games Reuters (Reino Unido) The Brazilian government has prepared the country’s power grid to deal with the wild swings in demand for electricity as most people in the soccer-mad country tune out everything except their televisions to watch the national team play in the Fifa 2018 World Cup. Brazil comes to a near paralysis when the “seleção”, winner of a record five trophies, plays for the World Cup. Power demand falls sharply close to the start of the games, then surges during halftime breaks as people rush to grab a drink in the refrigerator or make microwave-popcorn. As play resumes, power demand falls sharply again. “Such events cause system behavior that is totally different from normal days,” said Álvaro Fleury Veloso da Silveira, IT director at national grid operator ONS. “But we are used to it,” he said. Brazilians abandon their daily routines on World Cup game days for the national team. Schools change class times or cancel them altogether. Companies let employees go home early or set up televisions so people can watch in the workplace. The Fifa 2018 World Cup starts on Thursday in Russia. Brazilians celebrate national team game days like holidays, with people getting together to party whenever possible. To guarantee sufficient electricity for sudden surges in demand, Silveira says more power plants than normal are put on alert, prepared to boost production if necessary. Other soccer-crazy nations, such as the United Kingdom, have similar preparations in place. In Brazil, the swings in demand can reach up to 11,000 megawatts, for instance when a game finishes in the evening and people go back to their routines at the same time public lighting is turned on.

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