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BRASILIA: Brazil has strongly criticized new U.S. tariffs imposed on its exports over alleged failures to combat forced labor, describing the measures as “arbitrary” and “unjustified” while announcing plans to challenge them through the World Trade Organization (WTO).
The Trump administration announced a 12.5% tariff on Brazilian exports as part of a broader package targeting 60 trading partners, arguing that the affected countries had not adequately enforced bans on goods produced through forced labor. The new tariffs took effect on Friday under Section 301 of the U.S. Trade Act.
In a statement, Brazil’s Foreign Ministry rejected the U.S. justification, saying the accusations lacked legal and factual basis and that the tariffs amounted to protectionist measures disguised as human rights enforcement. The ministry said Brazil would invoke its Trade Reciprocity Law and pursue legal action at the WTO to defend its commercial interests.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva reiterated that Brazil remains open to dialogue with Washington but warned that the country would expand trade with alternative markets if access to the U.S. market became increasingly restricted.
Meanwhile, Brazil’s Trade and Industry Ministry said around 2,000 Brazilian products—including coffee and orange juice—have been exempted from both the latest 12.5% tariffs and earlier U.S. trade measures, reducing the overall impact on key export sectors.
The latest dispute adds to growing trade tensions between the two countries following previous U.S. tariffs on selected Brazilian goods and comes amid broader international criticism of Washington’s new tariff policy targeting dozens of trading partners.
