Mercosur Summit criticizes asymmetries with the EU and prepares negotiations with China

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President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) stated this Tuesday (30), during the 68th Mercosur summit, in Asunción, that the bloc intends to soon begin trade negotiations with China, while expanding its agenda of agreements with other partners.
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According to Lula, Mercosur maintains negotiations with Canada, India and Vietnam, has started negotiations for an economic partnership with Japan and intends to do the same with China.
"Mercosur is advancing in dialogues with Canada, India and Vietnam. At this summit, we will take another step by launching negotiations for an economic partnership with Japan. Soon, we want to do the same with China and continue to get closer to the most dynamic markets on the planet", he said.
O Mercosur is a South American regional economic bloc created in 1991, currently made up of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Bolivia, with the aim of promoting economic and customs integration, and the free circulation of goods, services and productive factors between member countries.
At another point in the speech, the Brazilian president also criticized what he called "automatic alignment" and "excluding choices" in foreign policy.
"Nobody owns the world. And no one owns South America. No Mercosur country will gain more freedom of action through automatic alignments or exclusionary choices", he stated.
The meeting was also marked by criticism from the president of Paraguay, Santiago Peña, regarding the "asymmetries" in the implementation of the free trade agreement between Mercosur and the European Union.
"Why do we negotiate with Europe if access to new markets cannot be used to develop what is not yet developed?" Peña.
The statement refers to the division, among Mercosur countries, of export quotas with reduced tariffs for the sale of products to the European market.
When opening the summit, Peña stated that the bloc's countries face unequal conditions to take advantage of the benefits of the agreement. "The field is not level for everyone equally, we do not have the same market, nor the same industries, nor the same logistics", he said.
The Paraguayan president defended that the distribution of quotas be reviewed and demanded "concrete results" to correct the "asymmetries". According to him, Paraguay was left with a "bitter taste" of the initial implementation of the agreement.
"If Mercosur wants to be trustworthy on the outside, it must first be fair on the inside," said Peña. "Paraguay maintains its position on the distribution of quotas. This is not a whim, this is justice", he added.
Solidarity with Venezuela
Heads of State also expressed solidarity with Venezuela after last week's earthquakes. At Lula's request, the participants observed a minute of silence in honor of the victims.
"I want to begin my speech by dedicating my solidarity to the people and government of Venezuela in the face of the incalculable human and material losses caused by last week's earthquakes," said the Brazilian president. Mercosur began coordinating joint actions to help Venezuela, without detailing the measures.
Support for the Bolivian government
During the meeting, Mercosur countries also reaffirmed support for the government of the president of Bolivia, Rodrigo Paz, after weeks of road blockades and the political crisis faced by the country.
Peña expressed "firm repudiation of any attempt to destabilize the sister republic of Bolivia" and declared support for the Paz government, elected "in free and fair elections". Orsi also expressed solidarity with the Bolivian government and people in the face of the situation faced by the country.
Paz thanked the support of the other members of the bloc, lamented the earthquakes in Venezuela and stated that Bolivia is going through "complex moments", with "threats to the institutional order".
Santiago Peña and Lula at a Mercosur meeting
Reuters
*With information from Agência Brasil, France Presse and Reuters

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