Lula Calls on Trump: Sovereignty Issues Are Not Up for Discussion

"Lula: Brazil's Democracy and Sovereignty Are Not Up for Negotiation." On September 14th local time, The New York Times published a bylined article by Brazilian President Lula with this title.

In recent times, the relationship between Brazil and the United States has fallen to a low point due to Trump's tariff war and U.S. interference in Brazil's internal affairs.

At the beginning of the article, Lula first explained the purpose of writing this article: to have an honest and open dialogue with the President of the United States. Lula said that for decades, whether as a union leader or serving as president, he would listen to all opinions and fully consider all relevant interests.

Lula criticized the Trump administration for imposing a 50% tariff on Brazilian goods. He stated that while the U.S. desire to bring jobs back home and achieve re-industrialization is reasonable, taking unilateral actions against other countries is the wrong medicine.

"The decision to impose tariffs on Brazil this summer was not only inappropriate but also illogical. Because the U.S. does not have a trade deficit with us, nor has it been affected by high tariffs," Lula wrote.

He pointed out that over the past 15 years, the U.S. has had a cumulative trade surplus of more than 41 billion dollars in goods and services with Brazil, with about 75% of U.S. exports to Brazil enjoying duty-free treatment. "According to our calculations, the average actual tariff on U.S. products is only 2.7%, and eight out of the top ten main export products have zero tariffs, including oil, airplanes, natural gas, and coal."

Lula emphasized that these measures are economically unreasonable, which clearly indicates the political motives of the White House.

He mentioned that reports showed that earlier this month, the U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau had expressed similar views when talking to a group of Brazilian business leaders who were trying to open channels of dialogue. The U.S. government is using tariffs and the Magnitsky Act to seek to exonerate former Brazilian President Bolsonaro.

Bolsonaro, known as the "Tropical Trump," is a close ally of Trump. In October 2022, after Bolsonaro lost his bid for re-election, he claimed there was "electoral fraud." In January 2023, some of his supporters stormed Brazil's Congress, Supreme Court, and presidential palace, clashing with law enforcement officers. Afterward, Bolsonaro was charged with plotting a coup.

In July this year, when Trump announced a 50% tariff on Brazilian goods, he directly linked the tariff to Bolsonaro's case. He claimed that Brazil's trial of Bolsonaro was a "political witch hunt" and urged Brazil to "immediately" drop the charges against him. However, Trump's request was firmly rejected by Brazil.

On September 11th local time, Bolsonaro was found guilty of planning a coup by the Brazilian Federal Supreme Court and sentenced to 27 years and 3 months in prison.

Lula wrote in the article that he is proud of the historic ruling by the Brazilian Federal Supreme Court, which upheld Brazil's institutions and democratic rule of law. Lula emphasized that the trial of Bolsonaro was not a "witch hunt," but rather based on the Brazilian Constitution and several months of investigation.

Lula also refuted Trump's accusations that Brazil's judicial system was reviewing American technology companies. He stated that all digital platforms in Brazil are subject to the same laws, regardless of whether they are Brazilian or foreign companies.

"Calling regulation 'censorship' is dishonest, especially when it comes to protecting our families from fraud, misinformation, and hate speech," Lula wrote, "the Internet cannot be a lawless place where pedophiles and abusers can run wild and harm our children and teenagers."

He also stated that the U.S. government's accusations that Brazil has unfair practices in digital trade and electronic payment services, as well as failing to enforce environmental laws, are equally baseless.

"When the U.S. abandons a relationship with Brazil that has lasted over 200 years, everyone will suffer," Lula emphasized, "ideological differences should not hinder cooperation between the two governments in areas where they share common goals."

Lula finally addressed Trump, stating that Brazil is still willing to negotiate on all matters that can bring mutual benefits, but Brazil's democracy and sovereignty are not up for negotiation. He expressed hope that the U.S. and Brazil could respect each other and cooperate for the well-being of their people.

Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1843310489629696/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author himself.