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CLIPPING INTERNACIONAL NEGINT Brasília, 30 de agosto de 2018
Índice I. OMC _______________________________________________ 2 U.S. Goes to WTO to Challenge Russian Response to Trump's Steel Tariffs ___ 2 China and Japan Agree That Protectionist Policies Harm Everyone__________ 3 II. NEGOCIAÇÕES REGIONAIS E BILATERAIS _________________ 3 Trump says he is optimistic Canada will join trade deal as Friday deadline looms _________________________________________________________ 3 Mexico rejects Trump claim it will ‘easily’ pay for border wall after new trade deal __________________________________________________________ 5 III. OUTROS ____________________________________________ 6 Acuerdo Mercosur-UE aún enfrenta dificultades en sectores agrícola y automotor _____________________________________________________ 6 El Mercosur y Canadá negociarán en septiembre _______________________ 8 Brazil suggests limiting Venezuelan entries, then backs off _______________ 8 Bunge, Santander offer loans to Brazil farmers preserving land ___________ 10
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I. OMC U.S. Goes to WTO to Challenge Russian Response to Trump's Steel Tariffs The Moscow Times (Rússia) The United States launched a complaint against Russia at the World Trade Organization (WTO) on Wednesday, challenging measures introduced by Russia in response to recent U.S. tariffs on global steel and aluminum exports. Imposed in July, the measures in question featuring extra duties on a limited range of U.S. goods were a limited response to the U.S. tariffs, aimed at compensating for just $87.6 million of the $537.6 million Russia expects the hike to cost its companies. The United States said Russia's measures broke WTO rules by applying only to U.S. imports, and not to goods from any other country, and because the rates of duty were higher than the maximum allowed under its WTO membership terms. Russia now has 60 days to settle the dispute, after which the United States could ask the WTO to set up a panel to adjudicate. "The United States has incorrectly interpreted the nature of the measures taken by Russia," Russia's economy ministry said in a statement. "We are acting within the framework of the WTO agreement on special protective measures, which allows countries to compensate for damages incurred as a result of 'special protective measures' taken by another country (in this case, the United States)," the ministry said. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on a conference call it was Washington's right to file a case to the WTO, but that "in this instance, Russia will, of course, use its full range of counter-arguments." The exchange comes amid a large-scale trade war between the United States and China, which has seen the world's two biggest economies slap major tit-for-tat duties on each other's imports.
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China and Japan Agree That Protectionist Policies Harm Everyone Bloomberg (Estados Unidos) Chinese and Japanese leaders agreed that protectionist and inward-looking policies harm everyone, and Japan called on China to work through the World Trade Organization to resolve such problems. Both nations agreed that "making protectionist moves, or using so-called inward-looking policies, isn’t in the interests of any nation," Japanese Finance Minister Taro Aso told reporters in Beijing after meeting with Chinese Vice Premiers Liu He and Han Zheng, There was also discussion of trade with the U.S. at the meetings on Thursday, Aso said.
II. NEGOCIAÇÕES REGIONAIS E BILATERAIS Trump says he is optimistic Canada will join trade deal as Friday deadline looms CNBC (Estados Unidos) President Donald Trump said Wednesday he is optimistic Canada will join the new trade deal the U.S. forged with Mexico that is intended to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement. "I think Canada very much wants to make the deal," Trump told reporters at the White House, while adding, "It probably won't be good at all if they don't." Trump also reiterated his Friday deadline for the U.S.' northern ally to join the NAFTA replacement, which he coined "The United States-Mexico Trade Agreement" earlier in the week. "They want to be part of the deal," Trump said of Canada. "We gave until Friday and I think we are probably on track. We'll see what happens." His remarks followed a roundtable discussion meeting in which he announced a grant for a program supporting drug-free communities. 3
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Canada's Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland later said on Wednesday that the NAFTA trade negotiations with the U.S. were at a "very intense moment" and that her country was looking for compromises that were "win-win" for all sides. "Our officials are meeting now and will be meeting until very late tonight. Possibly they'll be meeting all night long," Freeland told reporters after a meeting with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer. "This is a very intense moment in the negotiations and we're trying to get a lot of things done very quickly." Despite the tensions between the U.S. and Canada throughout the ongoing negotiations, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has signaled his willingness to meet Trump's Friday deadline. But, Trudeau said Wednesday at a press conference in northern Ontario, "No NAFTA deal is better than a bad NAFTA deal." Canadian trade officials were at the White House negotiating "late into the evening," Trump said at the meeting on Wednesday. "With Canada we're doing very well," he added. But if the talks break down, the U.S. may have to resort to slapping auto tariffs on Canada, according to Larry Kudlow, Trump's top economic advisor. "If we can't get a good strong fair deal with Canada ... the U.S. might have to resort to auto tariffs," Kudlow said Monday. Trump and other officials in his administration, including Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, have even hinted that the U.S. would be willing to simply move forward with Mexico. Stocks touched record levels after Trump announced the new deal Monday in a live speakerphone call with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto.
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Mexico rejects Trump claim it will ‘easily’ pay for border wall after new trade deal Global News (Canadá) Mexico says it will not pay for a border wall under its new trade agreement with the United States – or under any other circumstances – despite U.S. President Donald Trump’s latest claim to the contrary. Trump irked Mexican officials on Tuesday by repeating his claim that Mexico will ultimately pay for his campaign promise to build a wall between the two countries. “Yeah, the wall will be paid for, very easily, by Mexico,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, following a photo op with FIFA president Gianni Infantino. Trump was responding to shouted questions from a reporter at the time. “It’ll ultimately be paid for by Mexico,” the president said. Mexico’s foreign minister, Luis Videgaray Caso, rejected Trump’s claim on Twitter later in the day. Videgaray Caso also praised the trade understanding between the two countries, saying that the outlook for their relationship is “very positive.” Videgaray Caso later retweeted a message from Arturo Sarukhan, the former Mexican ambassador to the U.S. “Mexico and the U.S. have done – and can do – great things together,” Sarukhan wrote. “The one thing that we will not be doing together, is building a wall.” Trump has repeatedly boasted that Mexico will pay for his promised border wall. Mexican officials have never committed to doing so, and have occasionally refuted Trump’s claims on Twitter, his preferred social media platform. Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto previously shot down Trump’s claims with a tweet in May. “No, Mexico will NEVER pay for a wall. Not now, not ever,” he wrote in a tweet addressed to Trump.
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Mexico and the U.S. announced they’d reached an agreement to replace NAFTA on Monday, with Canada pressured to sign on by Friday. Trump announced the agreement in a conference call with Pena Nieto, who is nearing the end of his term. President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador will take office on Dec. 1. Obrador has said he wants to work with Trump on illegal immigration, but he has no intention of paying for a border wall with the U.S.
Instead, he wants to improve job
prospects and wages so people will stay in Mexico. The Trump administration is seeking US$25 billion from Congress to build the wall.
III. OUTROS Acuerdo Mercosur-UE aún enfrenta dificultades en sectores agrícola y automotor El Observador (Uruguai) Los negociadores de un acuerdo de libre comercio entre el Mercosur y la Unión Europea quieren sellarlo en setiembre, pero diferencias respecto de la carne vacuna, el azúcar y la industria automotriz podrían desbaratar esas esperanzas, dijo el canciller de Brasil, Aloysio Nunes. Cuestiones relacionadas con la propiedad intelectual, las reglas de origen y los servicios de transporte marítimo también deben ser definidas, dijo Nunes en una entrevista el jueves. "La UE no ha respondido a los movimientos del Mercosur como esperábamos", agregó. El Mercosur –un bloque conformado por Argentina, Brasil, Paraguay y Uruguay– ha solicitado un período de transición de 15 años para la importación de vehículos y autopartes europeos, frente a los 10 años originalmente propuestos, para amortiguar el impacto en su industria.
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A cambio, ha ofrecido una cuota generosa para importaciones de Europa durante la transición que "prácticamente anula" su efecto, según Nunes. La resistencia de la UE a abrir el acceso a algunas exportaciones alimentarias del Mercosur sigue siendo un obstáculo central para completar el acuerdo largamente postergado, que se ha estado negociando desde 1995. Nunes señaló que no veía ninguna posibilidad de modificar la cuota ofrecida por la Comisión Europea para las importaciones de carne vacuna de 99.000 toneladas anuales, que es menor que la oferta europea hecha en 2004. Pero el Mercosur insiste en que la cuota ingrese libre de aranceles. Lo mismo aplica para el azúcar del Mercosur, que tendrá una cuota de 150.000 toneladas anuales, pero aún debe pagar un arancel de 98 euros por tonelada, lo que dificultaría la competencia en el mercado azucarero europeo, dijo Nunes. "Si nos ofrecen una cuota, debería ser una cuota real libre de aranceles, no una cuota ficticia", añadió. Nunes manifestó que el Mercosur, el cuarto bloque comercial más grande del mundo, ofrece a la UE un gran mercado de consumidores de clase media ansiosos por comprar productos europeos. Debido a que las negociaciones comerciales con Estados Unidos se congelaron tras la victoria de Donald Trump en las elecciones presidenciales del 2016, la UE ha sellado acuerdos comerciales con Japón y México, y el Mercosur es el que sigue en la lista. En términos de reducción de aranceles, podría ser el acuerdo comercial más lucrativo del bloque hasta la fecha, con ahorros potencialmente tres veces mayores que los logrados en los acuerdos con Canadá y Japón combinados. Nunes dijo que el Brexit no tendría ningún impacto en el trato UE-Mercosur, más allá de servir como base para una futura negociación con Reino Unido.
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El Mercosur y Canadá negociarán en septiembre BAE Negocios (Argentina) Los negociadores del Mercosur se reunirán con sus homólogos de Canadá entre el 17 y el 21 de septiembre, y el grado de consenso es tal que en esta ronda podría haber un intercambio de ofertas hacia un acuerdo de libre comercio. Fuentes de la Cancillería señalaron a BAE Negocios que "con Canadá hubo una muy buena segunda ronda. Definimos el trabajo por delante, puntos en común y dificultades. Y el intercambio de ofertas ocurriría en la próxima ronda". Las fuentes gubernamentales indicaron que luego de que se suscribiera en marzo el acta de entendimiento para las negociaciones, "en la ronda de Ottawa se analizaron el 40% ó 50% de los capítulos; y ahora fue una ronda completa". La negociación incluye otra reunión antes de fin de año en el Mercosur. "Los textos de estos 12 ó 13 capítulos con Canadá ya deberían estar intercambiados para diciembre, lo que significa que lo que quedaría de diciembre ya versaría sobre la negociación de los textos", detallaron. La agenda del mes de septiembre para el bloque sudamericano viene muy cargada. Entre el 10 y 14 de septiembre, en la ciudad de Montevideo, el Mercosur mantendrá rondas paralelas con la Unión Europea por un lado, y con Corea del Sur. En el primer caso, la aspiración de máxima es arribar a un consenso general que permita anunciar un acuerdo de carácter político. Aunque lo que aparece como una traba, es el proceso electoral que se desarrolla en Brasil.
Brazil suggests limiting Venezuelan entries, then backs off The Washington Post (Estados Unidos) Brazilian President Michel Temer said Wednesday that authorities were considering significantly reducing the number of Venezuelans entering Brazil each day but backtracked hours later — a sign of how fraught the issue has become as thousands flee political and economic turmoil in the neighboring country. 8
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Between 700 to 800 Venezuelans are entering Brazil each day, and Temer said in a radio interview that authorities were discussing issuing chits to arriving Venezuelans to limit the number of entries and help better respond to the needs of those who do enter. Officials “are thinking about providing, who knows, chits in order that 100, 150, I don’t know 200 enter each day,” he told Radio Jornal. “Each day, a set number will enter to organize better these entries.” But in a statement later in the day, Temer’s office said handing out the chits would only be to improve the government’s ability to help the migrants and was not meant as a way of “closing off the entry of Venezuelans to Brazil.” The statement did not reference the lower daily figures that Temer gave during the interview, but his office said the government’s position is that entries would not be limited. The back-and-forth came as Temer toughened his criticism of Venezuela, calling the humanitarian crisis there “unacceptable.” The situation in Roraima state, where most Venezuelans enter Brazil, has also become increasingly difficult, and Temer decided Tuesday to deploy military troops there. Roraima’s homicide rate has spiked this year and is now the highest in Brazil. “We offered humanitarian aid — food and medicine (to Venezuela). The government refused,” Temer said. “The government refuses there, and Venezuelans come here.” Temer suggested that if President Nicolas Maduro’s government would accept aid, fewer Venezuelans would flee. Maduro has resisted such offers, contending there is no crisis and that what’s really needed is for the U.S. to lift economic sanctions. More than 50,000 Venezuelans, many of whom are hungry or sick and have little or no money and belongings, have applied for refugee or resident status in Brazil in recent years. Authorities in Roraima state say the federal government needs to do more to help them deal with the influx. Since 2014, an estimated 2.3 million Venezuelans have fled their country’s growing humanitarian crisis, including shortages of food and medicine, according to the United Nations. Some countries, like Peru and Colombia, see thousands enter each day, and the influx has strained the resources of countries around the region and led to xenophobia and sometimes violence.
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In Brazil, angry residents of a border town hurled rocks at Venezuelans earlier this month and set fire to their belongings after migrants were blamed for an attack on a local storeowner. In response to the influx, several countries have tightened entry requirements recently but Brazil has so far resisted such measures. Roraima’s government has tried a few times to shut the border to stem the flow, but the federal government and courts have so far pushed to keep it open. Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Bunge, Santander offer loans to Brazil farmers preserving land Reuters (Reino Unido) Commodities trader Bunge Inc, bank Banco Santander Brasil and conservation group The Nature Conservancy are promoting a scheme to finance Brazilian farmers who commit to preserve virgin land, they said on Wednesday. The program expects to make available $50 million in loans starting in September that will be repaid in 10 years, they said in a news conference in São Paulo. The first lines of credit are expected to fund three or four farmers undertaking preservation projects, with no current plans to expand it beyond a pilot scheme, according to Bunge and Santander representatives. The initiative suggests grain handlers may be responding to pressure to support conservation efforts as China’s appetite for soybeans drives acreage and production growth in Brazil. The loans are targeted at farm operations based in Brazil’s Cerrado, a vast tropical savanna where more than 105,000 square kilometers (40,540 square miles) of wild vegetation have been destroyed since 2008, according to government figures.
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The Cerrado is one of the fastest growing soybean regions in Brazil, the world’s secondlargest producer and biggest exporter of the oilseeds. Santander will provide 65 percent of the funding, with Bunge accounting for 30 percent and The Nature Conservancy for 5 percent. Farmers are forecast to expand the country’s soybean planted area for the 12th consecutive year, to just above 36 million hectares, amid strong demand from buyers in Asia in the 2018/2019 cycle that kicks off in September. In May, grain trading houses including Bunge Ltd and Cargill Inc and dozens of farm operations were fined a total of 105.7 million real ($25.6 million) for activities in the Cerrado including buying soy produced in areas off-limits to farming under environmental rules.
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