Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro declared himself a staunch admirer of the United States on his first official visit to Washington, saying he sought a new era of very close relations between the two countries after what he called decades of anti-American leaders.
The Brazilian president and a delegation of several ministers have been in Washington since the evening of March 17. This Tuesday (19.3.2019) Bolsonaro will meet with his American counterpart, Donald Trump.
The Brazilian president assured business leaders that he would like to create more partnerships with the United States. Brazil has changed, he said.
"The American people and the United States have always been an inspiration in many of the decisions I have made," Bolsonaro said. "I am here extending my hands and I am certain that (President Donald) Trump will do the same (…) We want a great Brazil, just as you want a great United States."
Brazilian Economy Minister Paulo Guedes echoed Bolsonaro's messages of friendship but reminded the audience that China, Brazil's largest trading partner, would be there to fill the void if the United States does not open up to more trade with Latin America's largest economy.
China promises to be an important focus of the meeting between the two leaders.
Brazil has shown little interest in getting involved in the trade war between Washington and Beijing, which long ago surpassed the United States as the South American giant's largest trading partner.
But U.S. officials have warned their Brazilian counterparts about security concerns over Chinese telecoms equipment maker Huawei Technologies during talks in Washington, said a senior official who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity.
The three-day visit underscores Bolsonaro's ideological closeness to US influence in Latin America to confront what he calls a communist threat to democracy, a topic he commented on Sunday evening (March 817.3.2019, XNUMX) at a dinner with his ministers and right-wing thinkers.
Earlier on Monday, Bolsonaro visited the headquarters of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and met with the agency's director, Gina Haspel.
Source: Reuters
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