The most notable change in Brazilian foreign policy since the election of President Jair Bolsonaro in 2018 has been the country’s full alignment with the U.S. However, this shift in allegiances has yet to result in any concrete gains for Brazil — in fact, bilateral trade with the U.S. has just seen its worst result in 11 years. Between January and September of this year, accumulated trade between the two countries hit USD 33.4 billion, a 25 percent drop from the same period in 2019.
Regardless, the U.S. remains Brazil’s second-largest trading partner, accounting for 9.7 percent of Brazilian exports and 12.3 percent of revenue. Only China detains a larger slice, buying up over one-third of Brazil’s exports.
According to data from the American Chamber of Commerce in Brazil (AmCham Brasil), 2020 is shaping up to end with a Brazil-U.S. trade deficit of between USD...