MIAMI, March 9 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Brazilian and US governments signed an agreement for development of defence projects that may give the South American country access to financing.
The agreement allows partnerships in development of defence technology by private companies, that may use public financing from both countries. Companies may request financing from the US defence research fund.
Brazil’s defence industry has around 220 companies and exports to around 85 countries.
Although President Jair Bolsonaro is looking for a closer cooperation with the United States in defence and intelligence, Brazil’s decisions regarding 5G technology are seen as a potential hurdle, according to an Trump administration official.
In a briefing on Saturday, the official, which asked for anonymity, pointed out that the activity of Chinese company Huawei Technologies Co Ltd , a big supplier of equipment to the Brazilian telecom sector, may prevent a stronger cooperation.
Meanwhile, Trump would neither confirm nor deny whether the U.S. has any plans to impose aluminum and steel tariffs on Brazil.
Ahead of a dinner with Bolsonaro at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, Trump declined to make any promises on tariffs but praised US-Brazilian relations.
“Brazil loves him, and the USA loves him,” Trump said of Bolsonaro during a brief comment to reporters. “The friendship is probably stronger now than it’s ever been.”
The meeting, the first between the two leaders since roughly a year ago in Washington, will likely involve discussions of Venezuela policy, US/Brazil relations and the possibility of a trade agreement between the two nations, a senior U.S. administration official told reporters.
Despite warm personal feelings between the two and similar politics, the US and Brazil have recently been at odds over American metal tariffs, but Bolsonaro said in December that Trump had assured him no new tariffs on Brazilian aluminum or steel were forthcoming, according to the news service.
