Brazil wants to improve Mercosur and expand South American trade

One of the priorities of the Brazilian government for foreign trade is to improve the Common Southern Market (Mercosur) and work to strengthen Brazil and all of South America, said President Jair Bolsonaro in a Q&A session after opening the plenary session of the World Economic Forum in Davos.

After receiving Argentinian president Maurício Macri in Brasilia and holding talks with the presidents of Chile and Paraguay, Bolsonaro said he intends to seek better dialogue with other South American leaders to increase the continent's participation in world trade.

"We are rather keen on making a big South America, naturally one in which each country maintains their local hegemony,” the president said. A traditional space for economic debates at the global level, the World Economic Forum is considered a good opportunity to present the country to investors and trading partners.

Rapprochement

Besides South America, Bolsonaro also said he will seek to deepen relations with other countries as a way to leverage business. "Through our Foreign Minister [Ernesto Araújo], [we will] seek to deepen our business and relationships with all countries of the world," he said.