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发帖数: 18523 | 1 Obama Tells Rousseff He Wants U.S. to Be Among Brazil’s ‘Best Customers’
Obama arrived yesterday to Brasilia juggling the demands of a five-day tour
with a crisis in Libya after an international
coalition began military action against forces loyal to Muammar Qaddafi.
Today, in Rio de Janeiro, he’s scheduled to
visit a shantytown and the city’s iconic Christ the Redeemer statue with
his wife, Michelle, and their daughters, Malia
and Sasha.
Officials from the two governments yesterday signed 10 agreements pledging
coordination within the Group of 20
nations, the joint development of aviation biofuels and promotion of
educational exchanges. They also completed a
trade and economic cooperation agreement aimed at streamlining trade through
the removal of non-tariff barriers.
Obama’s visit, less than three months after Brazil’s first female
president took office, highlights the nation’s growing
clout. Brazil is now the fourth-biggest U.S. creditor, holding $198 billion
in Treasuries, and American exports to the
country have more than doubled over the past five years.
“The United States doesn’t simply recognize Brazil’s rise, we support it
enthusiastically,” Obama, 49, told reporters.
The U.S. president highlighted Brazil’s recent offshore oil discoveries,
the largest in the Americas since 1976, as an
area where the two countries can vastly expand their economic relations.
“We want to help you with the technology and support to develop these
oil reserves safely, and when you’re ready to
start selling, we want to be one of your best customers,” he said.
Distance From Lula
Rousseff’s efforts to distance herself from her predecessor and mentor,
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, assured Obama a
welcome reception. Since taking office, Rousseff has surprised friends and
foes alike by pledging to rein in spending,
expressing concern over China’s policy of undervaluing the yuan and
downplaying Lula’s friendly relations with Iran.
While reciprocating Obama’s praise and acknowledging his “great” efforts
to rebuild the U.S. economy, Rousseff
reiterated Brazil’s longstanding complaint over U.S. trade barriers on its
agricultural exports. Among them are U.S. farm
subsidies and the 54 cents-per-gallon tariff on imports of Brazilian ethanol
that Congress renewed in December.
“We seek more fairness and balanced trade relations,” said Rousseff. “For
us, it’s fundamental that we eliminate
barriers that have arise against our products” including ethanol, beef and
orange juice.
Currency Imbalances
Rousseff also expressed concern over U.S. policies and economic imbalances
arising from global financial crisis that
“provoke important changes in the relations of currencies around the world.
” Guido Mantega, her finance minister,
blames the U.S. for a “currency war” that has fueled a 36 percent rally by
the real the past two years.
Obama said he chose Brazil to kick off his first-ever visit to South America
in recognition of the country’s ascendancy.
He was joined in Brasilia by business leaders seeking to profit from Brazil
’s oil discoveries and $200 billion in road,
airport and hotel improvements needed before the 2014 World Cup and 2016
summer Olympics. Brazil’s $2.2 trillion
economy grew 7.5 percent last year, the fastest pace in more than two
decades.
Libya
The tour, which includes stops in Chile and El Salvador, will continue even
as U.S. armed forces begin what Obama
said are “limited” operations to enforce a no-fly zone over Libya.
“We have no plans to cut the trip short,” Ben Rhodes, Obama’s deputy
national security adviser, told reporters on a
conference call from Brasilia yesterday. The administration is confident in
its ability to maintain secure communications
to stay in touch with the Pentagon and leaders in other nations. “Right now
that’s very much our approach.”
Brazil’s abstention this week in the Security Council vote authorizing air
strikes against Libya underscores the limits to
closer ties with the U.S.
Rousseff yesterday expressed frustration with the “slow pace of reform” of
the council and other multilateral institutions
that she said don’t reflect the growing economic weight of emerging markets.
“It was necessary a very severe economic crisis to move conservatism that
blocked the reforms of the financial
institutions,” she said. “In the case of the UN reform, we now have
the opportunity to act in advance.”
Security Council Bid
Obama said he appreciates Brazil’s campaign to become a permanent member of
the council, though did not endorse
its bid like he did India’s on a trip to New Delhi last year. Instead, the
two leaders agreed the council needs reform and
expressed their support for a modest expansion that improves its
effectiveness and efficiency, as well as its
representation.
Relations between Brazil and the U.S. reached a nadir last year when Lula,
pushed by anti-American elements of his
and Rousseff’s Workers’ Party, voted against tighter UN sanctions on Iran
’s nuclear program. Lula also embraced
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who is Washington’s fiercest critic in
the region.
A former student activist who was tortured while jailed by Brazil’s 1964-
1985 military dictatorship, Rousseff criticized
Iran’s human-rights record after Lula hosted Iranian President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad in 2009 and visited Tehran in
2010.
China Looming
Obama’s trip comes as Chinese demand for Brazil’s iron ore and soy beans
has allowed it to overtake the U.S. as the
South American nation’s biggest trading partner. Trade with China jumped 53
percent to $56 billion last year, compared
with $45 billion for the U.S.
The windfall hasn’t been friction-free. The real has strengthened 33
percent against the yuan since the start of 2009,
more than all 24 emerging-market currencies tracked by Bloomberg, hurting
manufacturers competing with Chinese
imports.
Rousseff’s shared sense with Obama that China is harming the economic
interests of both their countries by
undervaluing the yuan creates an opening for the U.S. leader.
“There is increased recognition, as trade with China has grown, that it’s
not only a cooperative relationship but also a
competitive one,” said Albert Fishlow, a former deputy U.S. assistant
secretary of state who has written a book on
Brazil that was published this month. “There is clearly a degree of
similarity in the U.S. and Brazilian positions.”
To contact the reporter on this story: Julianna Goldman in Brasilia at
j*******[email protected]; Iuri Dantas in Brasilia
at i*****[email protected]
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Joshua Goodman at
j********[email protected]
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