The 50% tariffs announced by US President Donald Trump on many Brazilian products took effect Wednesday, a situation that China is already taking advantage of by opening its market to Brazilian coffee, one of the products most affected by the trade measures.
China’s embassy in Brasilia said that Chinese companies “are arriving” in Brazil, sharing a video on X featuring its food delivery giant Meituan. “And the bridge is bidirectional: Brazil is also consolidating its presence in China with its beloved Brazilian coffee,” the post said.
Days earlier, the embassy announced that China had authorized 183 new Brazilian coffee companies to export to the Chinese market, with a five-year permit. In another message, it highlighted the growth of coffee consumption in the country, saying the beverage “has been gaining a place in the daily lives of the Chinese.”
A nation of coffee-drinkers, the United States is the world’s largest coffee importer. Its main supplier is Brazil, which in 2024 shipped 30.7% of the 1.5 million metric tons bought by the US market.
Analysts have told CNN that Trump’s trade measures may prompt the Brazilian government to foster closer ties with other partners.
While the United States has a trade surplus with Brazil, the White House has presented political arguments for the 40-percentage-point increase in tariffs on the South American country.
An executive order that Trump signed last week with the new tariff scheme accuses the Brazilian government of committing “serious human rights abuses” with its prosecution of former President Jair Bolsonaro, a Trump ally who is on trial over an alleged coup plot against President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Bolsonaro has denied all allegations of wrongdoing.
The order was signed days after Trump demanded in a letter that Brazil end the trial “immediately,” accusing Lula of carrying out a “witch hunt” against Bolsonaro.
Lula responded by saying, “The judiciary branch of power in Brazil is independent. The president of the Republic has no influence whatsoever,” adding that Bolsonaro “is not being judged personally. He is being judged by the acts he tried to organize a coup d’etat.”
The Brazilian government has promised to respond to Trump’s trade measures, but has not yet announced what steps it will take. Lula has stated that his country must be treated as an equal in any potential trade negotiations with the United States, and emphasized that there is a “limit to discussion” with the Trump administration.
On Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said at a press conference that cooperation between Beijing and Brasília “has benefited both peoples,” and assured that China is willing to deepen the relationship “in various fields and add new strategic dimensions.”
