BRASÍLIA – United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai yesterday participated in the G20 Trade and Investment Ministers’ Meeting in Brasília, Brazil. On the margins of the ministerial meeting, Ambassador Tai met with Brazil’s Vice President and Minister of Development, Industry, Foreign Trade and Services Dr. Geraldo Alckmin; International Trade Centre (ITC) Executive Director Pamela Coke-Hamilton; and World Trade Organization (WTO) Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.
During Ambassador Tai and Chief Agricultural Negotiator Doug McKalip’s meeting with Brazil’s Vice President and Minister of Development, Industry, Foreign Trade and Services, Dr. Geraldo Alckmin, Ambassador Tai thanked Brazil for the able stewardship of its G20 host year. On bilateral matters, Ambassador Tai urged continued efforts to address Brazil’s market access barriers to U.S. ethanol, which burden both the bilateral trade relationship and wider use of biofuels. Ambassador Tai and Vice President Alckmin also discussed opportunities to collaborate on supply chain resiliency and diversification efforts, and ways to strengthen and deepen the bilateral trade and economic partnership through the Agreement on Trade and Economic Partnership.
Ambassador Tai also met with Geneva-based ITC Executive Director Pamela Coke-Hamilton. They discussed issues of shared interest including opportunities to collaborate on ITC engagement in Africa and the Caribbean, in addition to supply chain resiliency efforts. They also discussed the importance of inclusive growth and inclusive institutions for long-term economic vibrancy and governance.
In addition, Ambassador Tai met with WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. Ambassador Tai emphasized that, as Members pursue a new vision of globalization, they will need to develop new ways of participating in the WTO and of measuring progress in their work. Ambassador Tai and Director-General Ngozi welcomed that Members have embraced the need for WTO reform and have embarked on a challenging but important journey toward that goal.
Ambassador McKalip also met with Australia’s Deputy Secretary for Trade and Investment George Mina; Spain’s Secretary of State for Minster of Economy and Trade, Amparo Lopez Senovilla; and South Africa’s Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition Zuko Godlimpi.
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