News / Trade optimism after 'great meeting' between Brazil and US presidents

“Nothing fixed yet” – but forwarders appear optimistic about the outcome of talks today, during Malaysia’s Asean summit, between presidents Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (pictured) and Donald Trump.

There are suggestions the end of a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to trade is nearing.

Both presidents said they had had a positive meeting, but there seemed a divergence of opinion on whether a deal would be realised: while Brazil’s President Lula noted a deal could be reached “faster than anyone thinks”; the US commander in chief was more circumspect.

Addressing reporters aboard Air Force One, President Trump said: “I don’t know if anything’s going to happen, but we’ll see.” He agreed the pair had had a “great meeting” and described Mr Lula as a “very vigorous guy”.

Forwarders told The Loadstar things were looking optimistic, AGL’s director of pharma & government affairs, Jackson Campos, noted that “a deal will be done for sure”.

He said: “The meeting is a positive but limited step after months of trade tension. There is now a real negotiation schedule, but no concrete results yet. The tariffs remain, and Brazilian exporters still face high costs to reach the US.

“In logistics and forwarding, this dialogue can bring some short-term stability. Shipping companies and traders may start planning with more confidence, expecting gradual relief in customs and freight rates.”

Brazil is dealing with duties of 50%, with the US making no efforts to disguise their political nature, frequently slamming the prosecution of former president and Trump ally Jair Bolsanaro’s planned coup and assassination attempt on President Lula.

However, there appears to have been something of a shift, with Brazil’s president speaking of a “friendly” video call he had held with President Trump in which he urged a reduction in tariffs.

Some have suggested to The Loadstar the pivot in Washington towards a friendlier approach may be driven as much by necessity as anything else, with the US seeking rare earths and raw materials to bolster domestic manufacturing and South America offering as much.

One forwarder told The Loadstar that it was the inflation on Brazilian products, including coffee, fruit, meat, and wood, that had pushed President Trump to negotiate.

ePost Global VPof ecommerce solutions Carlos Barbosa said that should a deal between Brazil and the US be finalised, it would highlight the different ways that Latin American markets were responding to US trade pressure.

“Mexico’s approach has been to tighten enforcement under USMCA [US-Mexico-Canada Agreement], while Brazil is maintaining flexibility by leaning on its agricultural trade ties with China,” Mr Barbosa told The Loadstar.

“For cross-border sellers, compliance strategies cannot be one-size-fits-all. Each country is evolving in its own direction – Mexico through stricter documentation and customs controls, Brazil through broader trade diversification.”

Mr Barbosa noted that understanding these differences was becoming critical for operators if they wanted to keep cross-border ecommerce running smoothly across the region.