BRASILIA (Reuters) -Brazil’s Foreign Ministry ordered government trade body Camex on Thursday evening to start analyzing whether a local reciprocity law could be used against the United States, two sources familiar with the matter said.
The law, passed earlier this year by Brazil’s Congress, establishes a legal framework for Brazil to respond to potential unilateral trade measures targeting its goods and services, including countermeasures such as tariffs.
The move would represent an escalation by Latin America’s largest economy in its reaction to U.S. President Donald Trump’s 50% tariffs on imports of Brazilian goods.
It comes after Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva authorized the use of the law, the sources said. The exact countermeasures were not established yet, and will be defined only after Camex approves the use of the law against the U.S., according to the sources.
(Reporting by Lisandra Paraguassu in Brasilia; Writing by Andre Romani; Editing by Kylie Madry)
