US ECONOMICS - CANADA ECONOMICS

U.S. Department of State. Travel to Canada, December 19, 2017

Secretary Tillerson traveled to Ottawa, Canada, December 19 to meet Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland and other officials. The leaders discussed U.S.-Canadian coordination on a range of global and regional topics and renew their commitment to make the U.S.-Canadian border more secure and more efficient.

WEBSITE: https://www.state.gov/secretary/travel/2017/t19/index.htm

U.S. Department of State. December 18, 2017. Background Briefing Previewing Secretary Tillerson's Trip to Ottawa

MODERATOR: Good afternoon, and thanks for joining us for today’s background call on Secretary Tillerson’s travel to Ottawa, Canada. That trip is going to take place tomorrow, December 19th. We are very pleased to have with us today [Senior State Department Official]. From here forward he will be known as a senior State Department official. As a reminder, this background briefing is embargoed until the end of the call. With that, I’ll go ahead and turn it over to our senior State Department official for opening remarks, and then we’ll take your questions.

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Hi, everybody. Thanks a lot for joining today. Before taking your questions, I’d like to just start by providing a little preview of the Secretary’s trip tomorrow. This will be Secretary Tillerson’s first trip to Canada as Secretary of State. Secretary Tillerson will be joined on this trip by Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs Francisco Palmieri, and they will be welcomed by relatively newly arrived Ambassador to Canada Kelly Craft.

While in Ottawa, Secretary Tillerson will be meeting with Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland and several other senior Canadian officials. This is part of the ongoing and very active relationship between our two great countries. You’ll recall that Prime Minister Trudeau and President Trump met at the White House in February this year. At the press conference that day, President Trump said we share the same values with Canada, we share the love and a truly great love for freedom, and we share a collective defense.

So that’s what the Secretary will be doing with our Canadian colleagues. He’ll continue the dialogue on our mutual prosperity, defense, and security. The Secretary will discuss our shared concerns on global issues, including North Korea and the ongoing situation in Ukraine. In addition, he’ll talk to our Canadian partners about hemispheric issues such as the Lima group on Venezuela, which recently met in Canada. He’ll also talk about a range of issues that good neighbors always need to discuss such as border security and our economic relationship. As you know, both countries are always interested in making our border more secure and more efficient for the 400,000 people and 1.7 billion, with a B, worth of goods and services that cross it every day.

And with that, thank you very much. I’m happy to take a few questions.

OPERATOR: Once again, if you do have a question, please hit *1. Our first question comes from the line of Tracy Wilkinson with the LA Times. Your line is open.

QUESTION: Hi, thank you. You mentioned the economic relationship. I’m wondering if the Secretary will talk to the Canadians about NAFTA. It seems like the Canadians and the Mexicans are sort of joining forces against what they see as the United States’ more tough demands, and so I’m wondering what the Secretary – I know it’s not exactly his field but certainly he’ll talk about it, and I wondered what you could say. Thank you.

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Yeah, I find it hard to imagine that it’s not going to come up. Look, we continue to work hard toward modernizing NAFTA. President Trump remains committed to moving towards a deal for fair and reciprocal trade. We’re working with the Mexicans and the Canadians to seek solutions across the board. We’re looking to modernize NAFTA. As you know, it was 25-plus years ago that the treaty was initially negotiated. A lot of things have changed since then. I think according to our logic, there are lots of ways that we could all benefit from a modernization of the agreement.

OPERATOR: Our next question comes from the line of Warren Strobel with Reuters. Please, go ahead.

QUESTION: Thank you. That’s Reuters. Thanks for doing this. There’s been some reporting that the Canadians next month will host a meeting on North Korea in Vancouver and that the people invited would basically be the countries that contributed to the UN Force in the Korean War back in the ‘50s. I’m just wondering if that’s going to be a matter for discussion or maybe even a date announced for that meeting.

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: North Korea will certainly come up. We’ve got a good partnership with Canada on the issue. Secretary Tillerson and Minister Freeland talk about it quite regularly. We are going to convene this conference jointly with Canada. It’s called the United Nations Command Sending States Meeting, and it will include Korea – South Korea, sorry, Japan, and other key affected countries to discuss how the global community writ large can deal with North Korea’s threat to international peace.

Beyond that, I don’t really have much more to say about it. Like I said, I’m sure it will be a major topic of conversation between Secretary Tillerson and Minister Freeland.

OPERATOR: Our next question comes from the line of Josh Lederman with Associated Press. Please, go ahead.

QUESTION: Thanks. Warren asked my question – North Korea. So we’re good.

OPERATOR: Okay. Our next question comes from the line of Alexander Panetta with the Canadian Press. Please, go ahead.

QUESTION: Yeah, thanks for doing this. I just wanted to ask you for some background context on how this meeting on North Korea, from what I take it, in January in Vancouver, how it came to pass. Just kind of like the process that led to how this thing got put together. Thank you.

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Yeah. I’ll be brutally frank with you. I am not the person that deals with the North Korea issue on a daily basis here. I am not the person with all the answers, and I would also note that it’s been an issue that’s been dealt with at very senior levels, particularly Secretary Tillerson and Deputy Secretary Sullivan. So I don’t want to be in a position of giving you any information that isn’t correct, so I’m going to really leave it right there, if I might. Thanks.

OPERATOR: Our next question comes from the line of Carol Morello with The Washington Post.

QUESTION: Well, given what you’ve just said, you may not have any insight into this. But I was curious, also on North Korea, if Secretary Tillerson is satisfied with the steps that Canada has taken. There has been some reporting that there may – that Canada may even be able to form a back channel to North Korea via Cuba. So I was wondering if there was anything you could tell us about that, and if (inaudible) like Canada to do in regard to his pressure campaign against North Korea. Thank you.

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Great. No, thanks for the question. Obviously, it’s an understandable one. Again, this is something that’s being dealt with by folks who are typically expert in the East Asia Pacific region and particularly by Secretary Tillerson and Deputy Secretary Sullivan. I’m not party to those conversations, and I don’t want to be in a position of misleading you and giving you some false information.

MODERATOR: I think we have time for one more call after this.

OPERATOR: Okay. Our next question comes from the line of Katie Simpson with Canadian Broadcast. Please, go ahead.

QUESTION: Hi. Thank you very much for taking our calls today, our questions today. My question has to do, again, with North Korea. And given what you’ve stated, I’m not sure if this is something that you can sort of provide some light on. But given the upcoming meeting next year on North Korea, we know that Secretary Tillerson as well as Foreign Minister Freeland have talked extensively about a diplomatic solution on this issue. Does Secretary Tillerson plan on discussing or addressing any other options that would not include a diplomatic solution – possible military interventions?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: I’m not going to speculate on what is going to come up in conversations between two ministers. I think it’s safe to say that the Secretary and the foreign minister have a very regular and deep dialogue on this subject and, frankly, on a number of others as well. And not being someone who’s privy to those discussions, I really don’t think it’s appropriate for me to really characterize or to, frankly, speculate about what’s going to come up in their meetings in Ottawa.

MODERATOR: Okay. I think that wraps today’s call. Really appreciate everyone dialing in, and thanks for your time and attention. Have a great day.


Secretary Tillerson traveled to Ottawa, Canada, December 19 to meet Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland and other officials.

DEPARTMENT OF STATE. DECEMBER 19, 2017. PUBLIC SCHEDULE. SECRETARY REX TILLERSON

Secretary Tillerson is on travel to Ottawa, Canada. Please click here for more information.

12:05 p.m. LOCAL Secretary Tillerson meets with U.S. Ambassador to Canada Kelly Craft, in Ottawa, Canada.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

12:50 p.m. LOCAL Secretary Tillerson participates in an Indigenous Welcoming Ceremony with Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland, in Ottawa, Canada.
(POOLED PRESS COVERAGE)

1:00 p.m. LOCAL Secretary Tillerson meets with Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland, in Ottawa, Canada.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

1:20 p.m. LOCAL Secretary Tillerson attends a working luncheon with Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland, in Ottawa, Canada.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

2:50 p.m. LOCAL Secretary Tillerson meets with the staff and families of the U.S. Mission Ottawa, in Ottawa, Canada.
(POOLED PRESS COVERAGE)

3:30 p.m. LOCAL Secretary Tillerson meets with Canadian National Security Advisor Daniel Jean, in Ottawa, Canada.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

4:00 p.m. LOCAL Secretary Tillerson meets with Canadian Cabinet Ministers on U.S.-Canadian Ties, in Ottawa, Canada.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

5:15 p.m. LOCAL Secretary Tillerson participates in a joint press availability with Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland, in Ottawa, Canada.
(OPEN PRESS COVERAGE)

6:00 p.m. LOCAL Secretary Tillerson meets with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, in Ottawa, Canada.
(POOLED CAMERA SPRAY AT TOP)

DEPUTY SECRETARY JOHN SULLIVAN

10:00 a.m. Deputy Secretary Sullivan participates in the Millennium Challenge Corporation’s Meeting of the Board of Directors, at the Department of State.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

UNDER SECRETARY FOR POLITICAL AFFAIRS THOMAS SHANNON

Under Secretary Shannon attends meetings and briefings, at the Department of State.

U.S. Department of State. December 19, 2017. Secretary's Remarks: Remarks With Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland at a Press Availability. Rex W. Tillerson, Secretary of State. Parliament. Ottawa, Canada

FOREIGN MINISTER FREELAND: Okay. Hi, everybody. Great to see everyone here. Before I begin, I’d like to extend Canada’s thoughts and condolences to our American guests in light of the terrible train derailment in Washington state. We extend our sympathies to those who lost loved ones and wish a full and swift recovery to the injured.

(Via interpreter) Thank you all for being here on the traditional Algonquin territory that we occupy. I am very happy to welcome to Ottawa my colleague, the Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. The close partnership between Canada and the United States rests on common economic interests and common values. This partnership enables us to collaborate on subjects like trade, investment, energy and the environment, the security – border security, defense, and global issues. So I really appreciate this opportunity to further discuss the relationship between Canada and the United States when it comes to important bilateral, regional, and global issues that have a great effect on the lives of both Canadians and Americans.

(Inaudible) an interesting time to come to Ottawa, one of the coldest capitals in the world, but in honor of your visit it warmed up a little bit today.

SECRETARY TILLERSON: I appreciate that.

FOREIGN MINISTER FREELAND: We covered a number of topics of great importance in our bilateral relationship and in the work that we do together around the world. We had positive discussions about the Canada-U.S. relationship, including border management and security, North American defense, energy security, and environmental cooperation. This conversation was greatly enhanced by the participation of my fellow ministers who sit on the Canada-U.S. Cabinet Committee, and I’d like to thank them for coming to Ottawa for that very important meeting.

On NAFTA, Canada’s priority continues to be maintaining the achievements that have bought 23 years of predictability, openness, and collaboration to North America and that supports so many jobs on both sides of the border. We will continue to bring fact-based arguments to the negotiating table as we work to develop a modernized agreement that addresses today’s realities while preserving our shared economic prosperity. We believe a win-win deal is both possible and necessary.

Rex and I also had the opportunity to discuss hemispheric concerns, including the crisis in Venezuela and what actions we can take individually, together, and in cooperation with the Lima Group, of which Canada is a member, to address the deteriorating political, economic, and humanitarian situation there. We discussed an issue that we and the world and I think very much Canadians are watching closely: Myanmar and the plight of the Rohingya. This is a crisis that we in Canada have taken important steps to address, and Canada appreciates the leadership the U.S. is taking at the Security Council.

I also want to note that Rex has raised the issue directly with the authorities in Myanmar. Thank you, Rex, for doing that. And I was pleased to see the Security Council Presidential Statement on Myanmar onNovember 6th which called for an end to the violence being committed against the Rohingya. This is ethnic cleansing, it is a crime against humanity, and it is absolutely essential that the perpetrators be held to account.

Regarding Ukraine, Rex and I had a very good conversation about the potential for a peacekeeping mission and our two countries’ resolute support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of Russia’s illegal invasion and occupation of Ukrainian territory. Our conversation was particularly useful because I’ll be traveling to Ukraine tomorrow, and I’ll be meeting with leaders of the Ukrainian Government.

And then finally, Rex and I spoke at length about North Korea and what further action the international community can take to put pressure on the North Korean regime to abandon its dangerous nuclear and ballistic missile programs. Canada and the United States are aligned with the rest of the world in our position that these provocative and illegal acts cannot be tolerated. We fully support regional and international efforts to address the North Korean threat and the work of the UN Security Council. We believe that a diplomatic solution to the crisis is essential and possible.

In the spirit of working to achieve that and of maintaining pressure on the North Korean regime, I am pleased to formally announce today that the Secretary of State and I have agreed that on January 16th, Canada and the United States will cohost in Vancouver a meeting of foreign ministers from around the world in a demonstration of international solidarity against North Korea’s dangerous and illegal actions. We will use this gathering as an opportunity to advance our work on diplomatic efforts towards a more peaceful, prosperous, and nuclear-free future on the North Korean Peninsula and to demonstrate international solidarity in our condemnation of North Korea’s actions.

Finally, I want to thank you, Rex, and the rest of the American delegation for traveling to Ottawa today. I really appreciate the opportunities to have a really frank, candid dialogue about issues around the world and issues in our bilateral relationship. Merci beaucoup, Rex.

SECRETARY TILLERSON: Well, thank you so much, Chrystia, Foreign Minister Freeland, for the kind words and for the welcome to Canada. As indicated, I did make a commitment to come to Canada in the first year as Secretary of State, and I made it to Canada. And pleased to be in Ottawa. Obviously, not the first time I’ve traveled to Canada but my first trip as Secretary of State.

I think it’s also indicative of the importance of this relationship that during my first week in office as Secretary of State, I think if not the first meeting certainly one of the very first meetings that I had with a foreign visitor was with Foreign Minister Freeland. And I think symbolic but also indicative of how important this longstanding partnership is. From maintaining a strong trading relationship to defeating terrorism, to cooperating on a number of threats around the world, including North Korea, which was just mentioned, the United States and Canada really have a very close shared mission and shared objective in addressing all of these.

Our countries enjoy the most extensive economic relationship you’ll find anywhere in the world, and there are a number of opportunities to grow that relationship – important opportunities – and build on the strengths of both countries in the years ahead. I think it’s well known that almost 400,000 people move back and forth across this shared border, and almost $2 billion of goods and services cross our shared border every day – a real testament to the strong economic ties that exist between our people.

Canada is also an extremely important foreign market for U.S. goods as well. Millions of jobs in both of our countries depend upon our partnership. We too are committed to continue making progress toward a modernized NAFTA agreement, one that protects jobs and stimulates economic prosperity for both of our countries and is fair to both sides as well.

Canada and the United States do have one of the strongest, most reliable security partnerships, and early on it was an honor for us to cohost Foreign Minister Freeland and Defence Minister Sajjan at the State Department in May alongside Secretary Mattis for very comprehensive discussions of how we could strengthen the security relationship as well.

We appreciate Canada’s significant contributions to the coalition to defeat ISIS, to their – both their military and their humanitarian assistance to address the needs of that region that has been under conflict for some time. Canada has pledged millions of dollars of support in humanitarian assistance, which is very important to relieving the suffering of people who are only now being liberated from the clutches of ISIS.

Our countries also stand shoulder-to-shoulder in NATO, and we appreciate Canada’s decision to send troops and a lead battalion in Latvia, which underscores Canada’s commitment to the strength of the alliance in Europe and NATO. Canada’s strong support for Ukrainian sovereignty and maintenance of their territory is very likeminded with the U.S., and we have shared many, many discussions about how we can progress the talks in Ukraine to lead to Ukraine’s restoration of its full sovereignty in the face of Russia’s aggression.

And of course, NORAD, as some of you know, will celebrate its 60th anniversary next year. U.S. and Canada forces protect and defend all of North America. And we did discuss next month’s ministerial in Vancouver, and I appreciate the minister’s willingness to cohost this event as we continue to find ways to advance the pressure campaign against North Korea, to send North Korea a unified message from the international community that we will not accept you as a nuclear nation, a nuclear weapons nation, and that all of us share one policy and one goal, and that is the full, complete, verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. And such was expressed I think in the ministerial at the UN Security Council meeting last Friday.

We’re really grateful to the relationship that Chrystia and our teams have developed over this past year. I’ve lost track of the number of the meetings that the two of us have had around the world as we find ourselves in common locations, but we never miss the opportunity to spend time together and continue what’s been a very active dialogue on a number of shared issues that are important to all of us.

To the Canadian people, I have said it before but I haven’t had the chance to say it while standing in Ottawa: Happy 150th. And on behalf of the American people, we wish you all a peaceful holiday and a most prosperous New Year. Thank you.

FOREIGN MINISTER FREELAND: Okay. Where are our press guys?

QUESTION: Right here. So Minister Freeland and Secretary Tillerson, Warren Strobel from Reuters. Good to see you. I wanted to ask you a little bit more about this ministerial in Vancouver. Other than a demonstration of solidarity, what do you hope to achieve? The North Korean weapons program is something that has festered for 30 years. What precisely do you hope to achieve?

And secondly, both of you have called in different ways for – or said that there – diplomacy should be an option with North Korea. Have you seen any sign from North Korea that – either publicly or privately that they’re interested in diplomacy? Thank you.

SECRETARY TILLERSON: Was that to you or me?

FOREIGN MINISTER FREELAND: That’s to both of us, right?

SECRETARY TILLERSON: Okay.

FOREIGN MINISTER FREELAND: It’s one of yours, so why don’t you go first.

SECRETARY TILLERSON: Okay. Well, with the convening of what we’re calling the Vancouver group in mid-January, this is a convening of foreign ministers from the original sending states that were involved in the original Korean conflict. But we also obviously are including other important parties – the Republic of Korea, Japan, India, Sweden, and others, who we think are important to have engaged in this meeting.

What we’ll be discussing will be, first, how do we – how do we improve the effectiveness of the current pressure campaign? Are there other steps that could be taken to put additional pressure on the regime in North Korea, and how do we further take our diplomatic efforts forward? And then how do we prepare for the prospects of talk? I think it’s important to remind everyone the whole reason the pressure campaign exists and the reason the UN Security Council passed two very strong unanimous resolutions are to lead to talks. The pressure campaign is intended to lead to talks.

Now, we can’t talk unless North Korea is ready to talk. And I think as we’ve indicated, we’re waiting for them to indicate a readiness to talk. But what’s important for North Korea to know is that this pressure campaign will not abate. We will not be rolling any of it back. It will only be intensified as time goes by. And it will remain in place until they agree to give up their nuclear weapons and allow us to verify that, in fact, that is what they have done.

FOREIGN MINISTER FREELAND: Yeah. And what I would add to that, Warren, is you started off by saying what apart from solidarity is this meeting about. Let me a little bit take issue with the question by saying solidarity is an important thing to demonstrate. It’s very important. Canada believes – and I think Rex and I share this view – to demonstrate to North Korea that this is truly a global issue, that the international community is united in condemning North Korea’s actions and in understanding them as a threat to our shared security. And showing that international solidarity is something that’s important to do and will be an important goal of this meeting.

Rex has already talked about the very important connection that we see between a sustained international pressure campaign and working on how diplomatic engagement works. And how we see it is it’s important to understand that the international pressure campaign – we believe it’s going to be successful, and a successful outcome of the international pressure campaign is a diplomatic engagement and a real conversation. And so those are the issues that we will be discussing in Vancouver in January.

QUESTION: Good afternoon. Thank you very much for taking our questions. I have a question for both of you.

I’ll start with Secretary Tillerson: The White House has rejected calls to reopen diplomatic talks with North Korea. So if diplomacy is not on the table at the White House, what did you come here to talk to Canada about and what role do you see Canada playing in this?

And Minister Freeland, to you, in your discussions today, did you talk about military options in North Korea? And what is Canada’s position on military options in North Korea? And can I get, Minister Freeland, your answer en Francais as well? Thank you.

SECRETARY TILLERSON: Well, the White House position on talks – they have not rejected diplomatic talks. What the White House has merely observed is that North Korea has not exhibited a willingness to talk. But the White House position and the President’s policy has always been – and I go back to why does the pressure campaign exist – and this pressure campaign of sanctions and diplomatic pressure is the President’s policy. It is the policy that came from the National Security Council that we would put in place a sanctions regime like has never been seen before, and that’s what we have today – one that involves the entire international community and one that goes beyond what just the – what the UN Security Council calls for, but countries taking unilateral action on their own to let North Korea know that we do not accept the development of their nuclear weapons program. All of it has always been intended to lead to talks. Otherwise, we wouldn’t need to do this; we’d just go straight to the military option.

So I think the White House position’s quite clear. The White House supports diplomatic talks. The observation that’s being made – and I would agree with the observation – is we’re waiting on North Korea to come to that conclusion. And until they do, the pressure campaign will only intensify.

FOREIGN MINISTER FREELAND: And nice to see you, Katie. So look, it’s important for people to appreciate the extent to which this unprecedented threat from North Korea has rallied and united the international community. We’ve already seen that with stronger than ever before resolutions by the UN Security Council supported by China, supported by Russia. That is a measure of the extent to which the international community in solidarity understands that North Korea is posing a real threat to our collective security.

The meeting of the Vancouver group is going to be another visible sign that the international community is acting in concert to speak to the Government of North Korea and to say this is threatening us all, and the pressure will increase until the behavior changes. Having said that, we believe – we’re confident that this campaign of international pressure will lead to the best outcome for the whole world, I think the only outcome for the whole world, which is a diplomatic path to a resolution of this crisis, a diplomatic path to the outcome that I think we all believe in, which is a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula.

(Via interpreter) And in French, we believe that, firstly, it is important to show international solidarity against the danger posed by North Korea to the international community. The UN Security Council resolutions show this international solidarity, and our Vancouver meeting will also show this international solidarity, including a pressure campaign waged against North Korea. We firmly believe that the diplomatic approach is necessary and essential and is indeed possible. And our pressure tactics and our international solidarity are the way forward towards that diplomatic approach.

And as I mentioned earlier, at our Vancouver meeting, we will discuss diplomatic avenues.

QUESTION: (Inaudible.) Mr. Secretary, first to you, on North Korea, is the U.S. considering halting joint military exercises in the lead-up to the Olympics as the South Korean president suggested recently in an interview?

And to both of you, both the U.S. and Canada share the conclusion that North Korea is behind the recent WannaCry cyber attack. What are both countries considering doing to punish North Korea for their – for the cyber attack and what will you do to prevent a similar attack in the future?

SECRETARY TILLERSON: I’m unaware of any plans to alter longstanding and scheduled and regular military exercises with our partners in South Korea, the Republic of Korea, or with our partners in Japan. These exercises have been ongoing for many years. They are carried out on a scheduled basis. We announced them in advance. There’s no – nothing surprising about them and I’m aware of no – I’m not aware of any plans to change what is scheduled.

FOREIGN MINISTER FREELAND: So let me just say on the cyber security issue, that is an issue which we discussed today. I’m not going to go into details of our conversation, but I think Canada certainly takes cyber security very seriously, including the threat from North Korea. And I would like to add in opening remarks Rex talked about the importance of having South Korea and Japan at the meeting. That’s very important for Canada, and let me emphasize the importance of having South Korea at the table. We talk about the Korean Peninsula, and we really cherish our relationship with South Korea, and we really recognize the particular threat they face and the importance of having their voice in this conversation.

QUESTION: (Via interpreter) My first question is for you, Minister Freeland. Did you discuss Jerusalem with Mr. Tillerson? And did you see what happened at the Security Council yesterday? You are campaigning to get a seat on the Security Council, and yet we don’t yet know what Canada thinks of Mr. Trump’s gesture regarding Jerusalem. And also, please answer in English.

(Inaudible) with the minister. I am speaking English.

SECRETARY TILLERSON: I can hear you.

QUESTION: So you’re good? (Laughter.) I’m sorry.

SECRETARY TILLERSON: I can actually hear you better through here.

QUESTION: Oh, sorry about that.

SECRETARY TILLERSON: There’s an echo in here.

QUESTION: Okay, so you discussed NAFTA with Minister Freeland. We want to know if there was any advances. And there’s this impression in Canada, or maybe only in the Canadian media, that the Americans don’t truly want to renegotiate NAFTA. So do you want to try to prove us wrong?

FOREIGN MINISTER FREELAND: (Via interpreter) Thank you for these excellent questions. We did have a lengthy discussion of issues in the Middle East. This is a region where there are very complex issues, and Secretary Tillerson’s personal experience is something I always find very helpful in our discussions of the Middle East. Canada and the United States have different positions. We, however, always have candid and frank discussions, and I think our discussion of the Middle East was useful and important.

(In English) Certainly we did discuss a number of issues in the Middle East. It’s a subject that Rex and I have discussed on many occasions in the past. I particularly value my conversations with Rex about the Middle East given his deep personal experience of the region, including before he became Secretary of State. Canada and the United States have different views on issues, and I think that we have a strong enough relationship – both our two countries and Rex and I personally – that we’re able to be candid about those differences and explain them to one another.

SECRETARY TILLERSON: Well, the subject of NAFTA obviously was a part of all the discussions today and all the meetings I had, as it rightly should be because it’s an extremely important issue to both of our countries. I am not engaged in the NAFTA negotiations directly. Those are carried out by the U.S. Trade Representative Mr. Lighthizer.

Having said that, though, we had an exchange of the importance of the trading relationship. Again, we commented on a couple of numbers. This is a trading relationship that’s important to millions of American jobs; it’s important to millions of Canadian jobs. And it is an effort to modernize the agreement that’s been around now for more than three decades, and we talked about how other events in the world and other trading relationships in the world have emerged over the last 30 years that are having an impact on how NAFTA performs. Some of these impacts come from other third parties that are trading with each of our nations, and so it is timely and right that we should re-examine that agreement and bring it up to date and modernize it for today’s global trading balances.

Having said that, it’s – as a – as the old saying goes, the devil’s in the details. And the parties are now involved in the details of those negotiations, and I know both parties are approaching the negotiations in good faith and an effort to achieve a modernized NAFTA agreement. I think the next several weeks are going to be very important to those discussions, and my role in the State Department is to be supportive of a positive outcome and ensure that parties are considering all aspects in the broader context of the specific trade issues that the two are negotiating.

Thank you.

FOREIGN MINISTER FREELAND: Okay. Merci a tous.

U.S. Department of State. December 19, 2017. Highlights: U.S.-Canada Relationship

Secretary Tillerson traveled to Ottawa, Canada, December 19 to meet Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland and other officials. The leaders discussed U.S.-Canadian coordination on a range of global and regional topics and renew their commitment to make the U.S.-Canadian border more secure and more efficient.



Secretary Tillerson is greeted by Canadian Foreign Minister Freeland in Ottawa, Canada. - State Dept Image

U.S. Department of State. December 19, 2017. Secretary's Remarks: Meeting With Mission Personnel of U.S. Embassy Ottawa. Rex W. Tillerson, Secretary of State. Ottawa, Canada

SECRETARY TILLERSON: It wasn’t in my remarks to hit the button and make it go green. It’s green now. (Laughter.) Well, let me say again how much we appreciate – (laughter) – all of you and our folks across the countries in how you represent us and the important role you play across this vast nation of Canada. And just really happy all of you could join us on the VTC at least today.

But again, thank all of you for what you do in furthering America’s interests. And in particular, I want to thank our locally employed employees. As you know, a lot of your colleagues, they come and go. They come in for their assignment and stay a couple years, three years maybe, and then they move on. And it’s really your presence here and the continuity that you provide to this mission that allows others to come in and be successful. And you maintain those relationships and you maintain our ability to operate seamlessly as people move through their assignments and move through their responsibilities here. So thanks to all of our locally employed, as well.

When I came in to the State Department, on day one I had some things I said that were important to me about our values. And first and foremost, I said we’re going to protect our people – so safety and security is extraordinarily important to me – and protect our people no matter what the situations they may find themselves in. And that comes with you taking personal responsibility for your own safety and security first, and then look to the people on either side of you and make sure you’re taking care of them. But we’ve said to every mission around the world, if you ever have concerns about that, you should raise your hand immediately and let us know because we will address it. So protecting our people.

Second, as I said, we were going to hold ourselves accountable and be honest with one another. And that means we can’t expect our partners, whether it’s here in Canada or our partners within the State Department or our partners within the U.S. Government, to be accountable if we don’t hold ourselves accountable for our responsibilities. And be honest when we make mistakes; let’s learn from them. Don’t be afraid of them. We’re going to make them. And be honest with one another. When we have our disagreements, let’s work through them in a very, very respectful way.

Which was the third value I wanted to really impart to people, is that everyone has an extraordinarily important role to play in the success of the State Department both on the Civil Service side, Foreign Service side, locally employed, our EFMs. Everyone has a role that’s important to us, and we should respect the role that everyone plays. There are no second-class citizens in this State Department. Everyone is important, and we’re going to treat each other with the respect that each of us deserves as well. So those are the things that I say are important everywhere I go, because it makes us stronger as an organization if we all work together in a much more effective way.

The last thing I want to comment quickly on the redesign of State Department. Hopefully many of you had a chance to either watch on the webcast the town hall we had last week, or maybe you’ve been able to re-watch it or read the text of it. But the redesign effort really was – we put it underway in order to have you tell us what do you need to be more effective, more efficient, and what are the obstacles that get in the way of your ability to do your work.

What I know is we have a very capable and competent workforce of dedicated people in the State Department. So if we’re not achieving everything we could, it’s because there are things that are getting in the way. Tell us what those are so we can begin to address those. And in the town hall, that’s what we talked about is we’ve been through three phases of listening to you, setting up seven teams of 250 people of your colleagues to take all that information, identified 300 projects from it. They got it down to 150. We’ve since gotten it down to 72, and now we’re down to 16 what we call “keystone projects.”

We announced some early things. And I told the folks on the teams, I said, “If there’s things that I can do with a stroke of a pen, you bring them to me, I’ll do them.” So we announced, I think, seven what we said are early actions. We’re going to take things like getting everyone into the cloud so we can communicate with one another more efficiently, allow people to work from different locations, just help you be more efficient and more effective, to things like some of our policies around MedEvac, how we treat MedEvac cases, to lifting the freeze on hiring EFMs, but beyond that, expanding opportunities for EFMs through the EPAP program. We’ve increased the number of people we want to push through that program because this is just a great way to deliver on our mission around the world.

So we had a number of things and we’re doing those, and they’ll get done within the next year. The 16 keystone projects have now been turned over to bureaus and tiger teams, and these are a little more comprehensive projects. Some of them we hope will be underway and under implementation within the coming year. Some of them are going to take a little longer, like creating a new IT system. It’s going to be a multi-year effort. But we need to modernize the tools you have. We need to modernize the way you work, allow you to be – to do the things that you’re really good at, which is use this, use the brain matter. And when we tie you up on things that are really wasting that capacity, we’re really not serving the American people well with the investment that we’ve made in you.

So that’s what the redesign was really about. And from that, we’re going to find some efficiencies and things that we’re going to capture. And the whole endpoint of it is for you to have a much more rewarding career, a much more enjoyable career, and contribute more – because you have a lot of to contribute, and I know that.

So I’m going to stop there because our time is a little short because I’m late getting here, and I want to have an opportunity to shake your hands. As I also said on the first day in the State Department, my objective is to shake every member of the State Department’s hand. So you’re going to find me working the crowd now. (Laughter.)

Thank all of you again for all your contributions and we appreciate you. God bless you. (Applause.)

The Globe and Mail. 20 Dec 2017. U.S. aims to press North Korea to talks, Tillerson says in Ottawa
MICHELLE ZILIO, OTTAWA

U.S. President Donald Trump’s pressure campaign against North Korea’s decades-old nuclear program has the intention of leading to diplomatic talks with the regime, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says.

Mr. Tillerson made the comments on Tuesday during a trip to Ottawa, where he met with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland.

“All of it has always been intended to lead to talks,” Mr. Tillerson told reporters on Parliament Hill. “Otherwise, we wouldn’t need to do this; we’d just go straight to the military option.

“The White House supports diplomatic talks. … We’re waiting on North Korea to come to that conclusion, and until they do, the pressure campaign will only intensify.”

Mr. Tillerson and Mr. Trump have appeared to diverge on the U.S. approach to North Korea recently. Last week, just days after Mr. Tillerson committed to talk to North Korea “without precondition,” he retreated to Mr. Trump’s position, saying the North must stop its nuclear threats and “earn its way” to negotiations. Mr. Tillerson’s emphasis on diplomatic talks on Tuesday also appears to contradict comments from White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders in October that “now is not the time to talk” with North Korea.

Reports from Washington had suggested the White House is planning to force Mr. Tillerson out and replace him with CIA director Mike Pompeo. However, Mr. Trump and Mr. Tillerson said early this month that the reports were untrue.

Mr. Tillerson joined Ms. Freeland on Tuesday in announcing plans to co-host a major international meeting on North Korea in Vancouver on Jan. 16. Mr. Tillerson said the meeting will convene foreign ministers from countries that were involved in the Korean War, as well as other important partners, including Japan, India and Sweden. “What we will be discussing will be, first, how do we improve the effectiveness of the current pressure campaign?” Mr. Tillerson said. “Are there other steps that could be taken to put additional pressure on the regime in North Korea? And how do we further take our diplomatic efforts forward?

“And then, how do we prepare for the prospects of talks?”

Ms. Freeland said the meeting is meant to show North Korea that the international community is united in its condemnation of its actions.

“We’re confident that this campaign of international pressure will lead to the best outcome for the whole world … which is a diplomatic path to a resolution of this crisis,” Ms. Freeland said.

Asked whether the United States will halt joint military exercises with South Korea before the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, Mr. Tillerson said he is “not aware of any plans to alter long-standing and scheduled military exercises.”

Ms. Freeland said she also discussed cybersecurity matters with her U.S. counterpart, but refused to get into details. On Monday, the Trump administration publicly blamed North Korea for the so-called WannaCry cyberattack on computer systems at hospitals, banks and other companies around the world earlier this year.

Reuters has reported that the U.S. government believes a hacking entity working on behalf of the North Korean government carried out the WannaCry attack. The same group is believed to be responsible for other attacks.

The North American free-trade agreement also came up during the meetings, even though the renegotiation is not technically Mr. Tillerson’s file. He said the next several weeks of discussions are going to be important. Negotiators from Canada, Mexico and the United States will meet again in Montreal on Jan. 23.

“As the old saying goes, the devil’s in the details,” Mr. Tillerson said.

The Globe and Mail. 20 Dec 2017. The guessing game about U.S. policy
CAMPBELL CLARK, Columnist

Doubts about Mr. Tillerson’s authority made his visit an odd first trip for a U.S. Secretary of State in general.

You have to suspect that behind closed doors, part of the talks on handling North Korea between Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland and U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson might have been about handling Donald Trump.


ADRIAN WYLD/THE CANADIAN PRESS
Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland speaks with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson before a meeting in Ottawa on Tuesday.

With the Trump administration leaving the notion of a military strike in the air, Ms. Freeland wants the U.S. to engage in direct talks with North Korea. So does Mr. Tillerson. We know that because he has said so twice in public, most recently a week ago. On both occasions the White House contradicted the Secretary of State.

That made this an odd kind of meeting to co-ordinate the work of allies, because it’s hard to tell whether the point man for the superpower has the authority to speak for it. “This is the President’s policy,” Mr. Tillerson said, as he talked about drumming up international pressure on North Korea. It was remarkable that he had to say so.

When Ms. Freeland and Mr. Tillerson announced a meeting next month of the “Vancouver Group” – foreign ministers from countries involved in the Korean War, plus a few others such as India and Japan – to put pressure on North Korea to drop its nuclear program, both felt it necessary to stress that the goal of the campaign is to bring North Korea to the negotiating table. They were, in a sense, reacting to Mr. Trump: His rhetoric, and his tweets, has made many think he rejects talks, and is contemplating war.

There’s nothing surprising about a U.S. government rallying international pressure on North Korea. Hosting an international meeting on the topic is a classic worthy Canadian endeavour, and the only real question is whether it can be effective. But both Mr. Tillerson and Ms. Freeland have to hope that Mr. Trump will stay off Twitter, or his blast at “Rocket Man” could make some of the nations wonder whether the diplomatic initiative is real. Mr. Tillerson doesn’t set the tone.

Those doubts about Mr. Tillerson’s authority made his visit an odd first trip for a U.S. Secretary of State in general. Mr. Tillerson was carried in a convoy along the Rideau Canal, met Ms. Freeland and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and spoke to reporters in a baritone Texas drawl that conveys authority.

But back in Washington, political insiders count Mr. Tillerson’s days as numbered. Mr. Trump reportedly plans to replace him with CIA director Mike Pompeo. At any rate, the U.S. President hasn’t been shy about contradicting his Secretary of State in public, and on Twitter. Mr. Tillerson’s authority is questionable.

That’s too bad for Ms. Freeland. Mr. Tillerson is her counterpart, and the two seem to enjoy a good relationship. Their decision to co-host an international meeting symbolizes that. But it’s hard to be confident he speaks for Mr. Trump on North Korea or NAFTA. Mr. Tillerson’s visit included a session with the Liberal cabinet’s committee on Canada-U.S. relations, but amazingly, the Secretary of State might not be a key player.

Mr. Trudeau’s aides and ministers have, to their credit, hedged their bets on U.S. relations by forging relationships with several Trump administration figures, such as the President’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner. But some, such as Steve Bannon, have gone through the administration’s rotating doors. Now, Mr. Tillerson looks a lot like a lame-duck Secretary of State in an unpredictable administration.

For allies such as Canada, U.S. foreign policy is about hedging bets, guessing whom they should be talking to, and whose views hold sway at the moment.

Mr. Tillerson’s big diplomatic challenge in North Korea, if he is around long enough to deal with it, happens to be one of the most twisted Gordian knots in global diplomacy – made worse by recent North Korean missile tests.

North Korea’s dictator, Kim Jong-un, is continuing a nuclear weapons and ballistic-missile program as a deterrent against attack. Previous presidents have avoided military strikes because it could lead to massive retaliatory strikes on South Korea, killing millions. Mr. Bannon, the former chief political strategist to Mr. Trump, once told a journalist that rules out any military option. “They got us,” he said.

Mr. Tillerson is trying to go another route, to mount a tightening sanctions campaign, presumably to tighten a noose around the North Korean economy. But that also requires the cooperation of China and Russia, which have approved sanctions, but not gone as far as the U.S. would like. It also seems unlikely North Korea would agree to fully denuclearize, as the U.S. demands. What happens when Mr. Trump sees a slow, painstaking effort to a compromise endgame? The problem for allies such as Canada is that it doesn’t seem like Mr. Tillerson would be able to give them a reliable answer, even behind closed doors.

The Globe and Mail 20 Dec 2017. Ottawa’s frustration is trying to locate where Donald Trump’s head is situated. Canada’s frustrating year in Trumpland
LAWRENCE MARTIN, WASHINGTON
GARY MASON

The customarily calm David MacNaughton, our Canadian ambassador in Trumpland, couldn’t hide his irritation. Following a trade commission hearing on the American bid to put astronomical tariffs on the sale of Canadian-made Bombardier jetliners, he met with reporters. “The whole thing” he alleged, “is quite absurd.”

Illogical for starters, he noted, is rival Boeing’s principal grievance, it being that Ottawa heavily subsidizes Bombardier. As if, Mr. MacNaughton pointed out, Washington doesn’t subsidize Boeing – to the tune of billions. Hypocrisy anyone?

But the low-key envoy wasn’t only in high dudgeon about aircraft. On a broader canvas is the collateral damage brought on by the protectionist mentality at the White House. The anti-trade rhetoric “has given U.S. companies the permission to take action they wouldn’t have taken before,” he said, Boeing being just one case in point.

In dealing with the Trump administration, it’s been a year of frustration for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his cast. Try as they might – and they’ve put up a rational fight – they haven’t been heard. The foremost example has been the Republican administration’s threat to abandon the continental free-trade pact. It’s still in play, in a Sword of Damocles sort of way.

U.S. presidents, it need be said, don’t owe Canada anything. They have their own interests to tend to, as Donald Trump has amply demonstrated.

Where Ottawa’s exasperation lies is in trying to locate where, on any given day of the week, Mr. Trump’s head is situated. The North American free-trade agreement zigzags offer an example.

In his election campaign, Mr. Trump said NAFTA was the worst deal ever. Sorry folks, it’s gone. But once elected, he had an abrupt change of mind. In March, he said that in the case of Canada it only needed tweaking.

In April, he had an abrupt change of mind. He let it be known that he was about to issue a termination notice of the treaty. But he held off. Then in the summer came a change of mind. Phone transcripts of a call to the Mexican leader revealed Mr. Trump saying he had no problems with Canada on NAFTA.

But in the fall came a change of mind. His negotiating team put forward five bombshell demands on NAFTA changes that are virtually impossible for Ottawa to meet.

Frustration anyone? How is the Prime Minister supposed to deal with a President whose modus operandi is the hairpin turn?

The NAFTA threat has been one of several difficult consequences for Canada of Mr. Trump’s startling election triumph.

Another has been Ottawa’s big hike in defence spending. With Mr. Trump, the Trudeau government decided, perhaps precipitously, that Canada could no longer rely on American protective power and the type of collective security presidents formerly embraced. Up went arms spending.

Another consequence was Mr. Trump’s killing of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal. It was a gift to China. It left the Ottawa Liberals scrambling for new deals and occasioned the recent unsuccessful Trudeau mission to the Middle Kingdom to curry commercial favour.

Another has been the American withdrawal from the Paris climate accord which Ottawa strongly supported. It has a stake in Washington’s work on the environment. Under Scott Pruitt, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is being turned into its opposite.

An unwelcome development also is the Republicans’ sweeping tax-cut package. Canada held an advantage over the United States in luring investment by virtue of its very low 20-per-cent corporate tax rate. The American rate was in the 30s. The Trump package slices it to 21 per cent.

It’s not all bad. The Keystone XL pipeline favoured by Mr. Trudeau was given the go ahead. On the foreign front, while there’s been a lot of bellicose White House rhetoric, it’s been a year of relative peace. On the issue of branding, the heavily scorned, morally challenged, inwardly looking Trump regime has served to enhance the image of Canada as a forward-thinking, fair-minded, open society.

A big plus for Canada is the high-flying economy over which Mr. Trump presides, making American markets for the northern neighbour more bounteous.

But that prompts yet more frustration in our country’s capital. The Canadian and American economies are finally coming out of a long stretch of low-growth doldrums. Things are looking up. Why jeopardize this, as the Canadian ambassador puts it, by moving to a new era of protectionism?

________________

ECONOMIA BRASILEIRA/BRAZIL ECONOMICS

FGV. IBRE. 20-Dez-2017. Monitor do PIB. Monitor do PIB sinaliza crescimento de 0,1% no mês de outubro

O Monitor do PIB-FGV sinaliza crescimento de 0,1% do PIB em outubro, comparado ao mês de setembro e de 0,3% no trimestre móvel findo em outubro, em comparação ao trimestre móvel findo em julho, de acordo com a série ajustada sazonalmente.

“No mês de outubro, a economia continuou a crescer alcançando 0,4% na taxa acumulada em 12 meses até outubro. Esta é a primeira variação positiva após 32 meses consecutivos de taxas negativas. Mais uma vez, o consumo das famílias e a formação bruta de capital fixo se destacam tanto na comparação mensal interanual (+3,7% e +3,2%, respectivamente), quanto na comparação mensal de outubro, com relação a setembro, na série ajustada sazonalmente (+0,2% e +0,7%, respectivamente) ”, afirma Claudio Considera, coordenador do Monitor do PIB-FGV.

Conforme pode ser observado no Gráfico 1 abaixo, a contribuição da agropecuária foi fundamental para o desempenho positivo da taxa acumulada em 12 meses até o mês de outubro, tendo em vista que a indústria (-0,6%) e os serviços (-0,3%) ainda apresentam taxas acumuladas em 12 meses negativas.



Pela ótica da demanda, a taxa acumulada em 12 meses do consumo das famílias foi positiva em 0,2% após 26 meses consecutivos de variações negativas; à exceção do consumo de serviços, todos as categorias do consumo apresentaram taxas positivas nesta comparação. A formação bruta de capital fixo, por sua vez, ainda apresenta taxa negativa, nesta mesma comparação (-3,1%) a despeito do forte crescimento do componente de máquinas e equipamentos (+4,8%).

1) Na comparação com o mesmo período do ano anterior, o PIB apresentou crescimento de 1,8%, no trimestre móvel findo em outubro. À exceção da construção (-2,9%), serviços de informação (-3,3%), intermediação financeira (-0,5%) e administração pública (-0,5%), todas as demais atividades apresentaram resultados positivos nesta comparação. Os destaques foram os desempenhos da agropecuária (+6,4%), da transformação (+3,5%), do comércio (+4,8%) e dos transportes (+3,9%). Na taxa mensal interanual, o PIB apresentou crescimento de 2,6% no mês de outubro, colocando a taxa acumulada em 12 meses em terreno positivo (+0,4%) após 32 meses de queda.



2) O consumo das famílias apresentou crescimento de 2,8% no trimestre móvel findo em outubro, comparativamente ao mesmo trimestre em 2016. Observa-se, no Gráfico 3, que todos os componentes do consumo das famílias apresentaram taxas positivas nesta comparação; o consumo de bens não duráveis cresceu 2,3%, o de semiduráveis 10,6%, o de duráveis 12,0% e o consumo de serviços 0,3%. Em termos da série ajustada sazonalmente, há dois meses consecutivos o consumo das famílias apresenta taxa positiva e no mês de outubro foi de 0,3%, comparativamente ao mês de setembro. Adicionalmente, há pelo menos 2 trimestres todos seus componentes se mostram positivos em relação aos trimestres anteriores.



3) A formação bruta de capital fixo (FBCF) apresentou crescimento de 2,0% no trimestre móvel findo em outubro, comparativamente ao mesmo trimestre em 2016; este resultado positivo deve-se ao desempenho de máquinas e equipamentos (+11,7%) que vem crescendo continuamente ao longo do ano. Todos os componentes da FBCF apresentaram melhora com relação as taxas divulgadas anteriormente; o componente de construção, apesar de ainda negativo (-3,6%), está em trajetória ascendente pelo quarto mês consecutivo. O mesmo ocorre com o componente de outros da FBCF que apresentou queda de 2,4% no trimestre móvel findo em outubro. Em termos da série ajustada sazonalmente, a FBCF do trimestre móvel findo em outubro é positiva em 2,1% em relação ao trimestre móvel findo em julho, e o mesmo ocorre para todos os seus componentes, inclusive construção com crescimento de 0,7%.



4) A taxa de investimento (FBCF/PIB), a preços constantes, após alcançar o ápice de 24,3% em outubro de 2013, declinou sistematicamente até o início de 2017 e, no mês de outubro do corrente ano, apresenta sinais de melhora chegando a 18,4%.



5) A exportação apresentou crescimento de 10,6% no trimestre móvel findo em outubro, comparativamente ao mesmo trimestre em 2016, e tem sido crescentemente positiva desde o primeiro trimestre. O destaque positivo se deve ao desempenho da exportação dos produtos da agropecuária (+69,7%), de bens de consumo duráveis (+31,9) e de bens intermediários (+15,1%).



6) A importação cresceu 6,5% no trimestre móvel findo em outubro, comparativamente ao mesmo trimestre em 2016. Chama a atenção o desempenho positivo de todas as categorias de bens, com destaque para a importação de bens de consumo não duráveis (+18,7%), bens semiduráveis (+61,3%) e bens de capital (+41,2%)



7) Em termos monetários, o PIB acumulado em 2017 até o mês de outubro, em valores correntes, alcançou a cifra estimada em aproximadamente de 5 trilhões, 406 bilhões, 253 milhões de Reais.

METODOLOGIA DO PIB NOMINAL

Com relação a este valor nominal chama-se a atenção que não existe ainda publicada a metodologia oficial do Monitor do PIB com relação a valores nominais. Contudo, buscou-se seguir, o mais próximo possível, a metodologia do IBGE no cálculo das Contas Nacionais Trimestrais. Dessa forma, foi feita uma meticulosa análise da adequação dos índices de preços sugeridos pela metodologia do IBGE aos deflatores efetivos da série nominal de cada produto divulgados na Tabela de Recursos e Usos (anual com último dado de 2014).

Seguindo a orientação da metodologia do IBGE foram coletadas informações de IPA, IPCA e outros, transformados em índices e aplicados nos dados de volume dos produtos calculados para o Monitor do PIB. Com as informações nominais assim obtidas, foram aplicados os pesos de cada produto dentro de cada atividade obtendo-se os índices nominais de cada atividade do Monitor do PIB. Após esse processo calcula-se o deflator implícito do PIB entre as séries nominais e reais.

Até o terceiro trimestre de 2017 há informações de valores divulgadas pelo IBGE o que possibilita ajustar as informações mensais do índice nominal do Monitor do PIB ao de valor do IBGE já conhecido, reconstruindo toda a série do IBGE trimestral, em valores nominais mensais. Para os meses que ainda não há informação do IBGE (o caso de outubro de 2017, por exemplo), aplica-se o deflator encontrado antes do ajuste dos dados ao IBGE. A partir do momento que o IBGE divulgar as informações do 4º trimestre de 2017, os valores de outubro, novembro e dezembro serão ajustados a este valor, e assim por diante.

APÊNDICE – NOTA EXPLICATIVA

O Monitor do PIB-FGV estima mensalmente o PIB brasileiro em volume e em valor. O objetivo de sua criação foi prover a sociedade de um indicador mensal do PIB, tendo como base a mesma metodologia das Contas Nacionais do IBGE. Sua série inicia-se em 2000 e incorpora todas as informações disponíveis das Contas Nacionais do IBGE (Tabelas de Recursos e Usos, até 2015, último ano de divulgação) bem como as informações do PIB-Tri do IBGE, até o último trimestre divulgado (terceiro trimestre de 2017).

O indicador é ajustado ao PIB-Tri do IBGE sempre que há mudanças metodológicas e a cada trimestre divulgado. Ou seja, nos trimestres calendários, as médias trimestrais dos índices de volume do Monitor do PIB-FGV serão iguais aos indicadores trimestrais, sem ajuste sazonal, do PIB-Tri do IBGE. Nos trimestres calendário, são utilizados os mesmos modelos do IBGE para calcular todas as séries desagregadas com ajuste sazonal, tanto pela ótica da oferta, como da demanda. Para o ajuste sazonal mensal é utilizado o modelo mensal do IBC-Br; para os trimestres móveis utiliza-se uma média desses ajustes mensais.

Assim, as estimativas do Monitor do PIB-FGV antecedem o PIB-Tri do IBGE nos meses em que este é divulgado. E, nos meses em que não há divulgação, o Monitor representa uma excelente antecipação para as tendências do PIB e seus componentes.

O Monitor do PIB-FGV compõe-se de um relatório descrevendo os principais resultados com ilustrações gráficas e de uma tabela Excel com informações de volume, em valores correntes, e a preços de 1995 das 12 atividades econômicas que agrupadas formam os 3 setores de atividade (agropecuária, indústria e serviços). Apresenta, ainda, o Valor Adicionado a preços básicos, os impostos sobre os produtos e o PIB e também os componentes do PIB pela ótica da demanda. Outro ponto a ser destacado é que o Monitor torna disponíveis desagregações que não são divulgadas pelo IBGE, mas que são relevantes para um melhor entendimento da absorção doméstica e da demanda externa. As desagregações disponibilizadas pelo Monitor são:

Consumo das Famílias: bens de consumo duráveis, semiduráveis, não duráveis e serviços. Adicionalmente eles são classificados em nacionais e importados;

Formação Bruta de Capital Fixo: em máquinas e equipamentos, construção e outros. Para máquinas e equipamentos e outros, há a desagregação entre nacionais e importados;

Exportações e Importações: em produtos agropecuários, produtos da extrativa mineral, produtos industrializados de consumo (duráveis, semiduráveis e não duráveis), produtos industrializados de uso intermediário, bens de capitais e serviços.

São divulgadas as séries de base móvel, séries encadeadas, séries encadeadas dessazonalizadas, as taxas mensais, trimestrais e anuais comparadas a igual período do ano anterior e as taxas mensais e trimestrais comparadas a período imediatamente anterior, e os valores nominais correntes e a preços de 1995.

DOCUMENTO: http://portalibre.fgv.br/main.jsp?lumPageId=402880972283E1AA0122841CE9191DD3&contentId=8A7C82C55EC04CF10160735246FC70E0

IPEA. 20/12/2017. Grupo de Conjuntura projeta que o PIB crescerá 1,1% em 2017 e 3% em 2018. Indústria deve puxar o bom desempenho no ano que vem, de acordo com a Visão Geral da Carta de Conjuntura

A Visão Geral da Carta de Conjuntura do Instituto de Pesquisa Econômica Aplicada (Ipea) divulgada nesta quarta-feira, 20, no Rio de Janeiro, apresenta uma análise ampla da economia brasileira, com projeções para 2017 e 2018. O crescimento do Produto Interno Bruto (PIB) neste ano é estimado em 1,1%, explicado principalmente pela expansão da agricultura, pelo consumo privado, pelas exportações líquidas e estoques. Já o crescimento de 3% projetado para 2018 deve se justificar predominantemente pelo avanço da indústria e do setor de serviços, e pelos gastos privados de consumo e investimento.

As previsões de produto potencial feitas com base no cenário para 2018 mostram que, mesmo com a aceleração do crescimento, o PIB ainda chegaria ao final do ano abaixo de seu potencial, corroborando o cenário de inflação abaixo da meta no ano que vem. A inflação projetada pelo Grupo é de 2,9% em 2017 e 4% em 2018. Com a queda da inflação corrente e as expectativas para o futuro ancoradas, ao final de 2018, em nível próximo da meta de 2019 (4,25%), espera-se que o Banco Central conclua o atual ciclo de afrouxamento monetário no começo de 2018 e mantenha a meta da taxa Selic no patamar de 6,75% a.a. até o final do ano. Essa trajetória deve gerar níveis muito baixos de juros reais, propiciando condições ao financiamento de despesas de consumo e investimento. O Grupo de Conjuntura considera a condução da política monetária um dos principais impulsos ao crescimento.

Para o quarto trimestre de 2017, a projeção é de um aumento de 2,3% do PIB em relação ao mesmo trimestre do ano anterior, e de 0,2% frente ao terceiro trimestre. Pela ótica da oferta, todos os componentes devem apresentar taxa de crescimento positiva em relação ao quarto trimestre de 2016: 2,7% para a indústria, 2,0% para os serviços e 0,4% para a agropecuária. A agropecuária cai em relação ao terceiro trimestre de 2017, mas a indústria e os serviços crescem.

Pela ótica da despesa, o consumo das famílias deve crescer 3,4% em relação ao mesmo período do ano anterior, e o investimento agregado deve apresentar crescimento de 2,9% na mesma base de comparação – primeira variação positiva desde o primeiro trimestre de 2014. Espera-se que as exportações líquidas também contribuam positivamente para o crescimento: aumento de 6,3% das importações e de 12,9% das exportações. O único componente a apresentar queda em relação ao quarto trimestre de 2016 é o consumo do governo (0,8%).

Nos trimestres seguintes, a expectativa é de continuidade desse processo de recuperação cíclica. Pelo lado da oferta, a queda esperada do PIB agropecuário em 2018 (2,5%) deve ser compensada pelo crescimento da indústria (3,7%) e dos serviços (2,8%). Pelo lado da demanda, espera-se que o crescimento seja puxado pelos gastos de consumo das famílias (3,4%) e de investimento (5,2%). O consumo público deve apresentar crescimento nulo em 2018. É esperado, ainda, um aumento mais forte das importações (7,8%) relativamente às exportações (4,3%). A elevada taxa de crescimento das importações é condizente com a expansão da renda doméstica e do investimento ao longo do ano.

A Visão Geral da Carta de Conjuntura nº 37 aponta que um dos suportes para a recuperação em curso tem sido o mercado de trabalho. A taxa de desemprego caiu de 13,7%, no primeiro trimestre de 2017, para 12,2%, no trimestre encerrado em outubro – de acordo com a PNAD Contínua do IBGE. Sem ignorar o fato de que a taxa de desemprego ainda é muito elevada, e que ainda há 12,7 milhões de pessoas em busca de trabalho, cabe destacar que essa reversão vem ocorrendo mais rapidamente que o esperado. Outro pilar da recuperação tem sido o mercado de crédito – ou melhor, a expectativa de que o mercado de crédito reaja à queda dos juros, à redução da inadimplência e à abertura de espaço no orçamento das famílias para contrair novas dívidas.

Apesar das dificuldades correntes de aprovação, no Congresso Nacional, de medidas fundamentais de ajuste fiscal estrutural – em particular, da reforma da previdência –, o cenário apresentado pelo Grupo de Conjuntura do Ipea supõe algumas premissas básicas: (i) que as medidas necessárias serão implementadas, no curto ou no médio prazo; (ii) que a percepção de risco dos agentes privados (em relação à sustentabilidade das contas públicas) se elevará um pouco, porém permanecerá sob controle face à expectativa de ajuste; (iii) que o ambiente externo continuará provendo liquidez suficiente durante o período de transição, enquanto as medidas de ajuste não forem adotadas.

A Visão Geral é concluída com uma avaliação da taxa dos Credit Default Swaps (CDS) do Brasil – principal medida corrente de risco-país. Embora ela apresente elevada correlação com as taxas dos CDS de outros países emergentes, o que poderia sugerir baixa relevância dos fatores domésticos na determinação do risco soberano do Brasil, a análise realizada aponta para a importância de diversos eventos políticos e econômicos domésticos na evolução recente desse indicador.

Carta de Conjuntura: http://www.ipea.gov.br/cartadeconjuntura/index.php/2017/12/20/visao-geral-de-conjuntura-3/

BACEN. 20.12.2017. Setor Externo em novembro/2017

I - Balanço de pagamentos - novembro de 2017

As transações correntes apresentaram deficit de US$2,4 bilhões em novembro, acumulando, em doze meses, deficit de US$11,3 bilhões, equivalentes a 0,56% do PIB. Na conta financeira, o ingresso líquido de investimentos diretos no País somou US$5,0 bilhões em novembro, totalizando US$80,3 bilhões nos últimos doze meses, ou 3,96% do PIB.

A conta de serviços registrou deficit de US$3,1 bilhões em novembro, 33,0% maior em relação ao mesmo mês do ano anterior. A despesa líquida com viagens internacionais totalizou US$1,1 bilhão, 51,8% superior à registrada em novembro de 2016, resultado do crescimento dos gastos de residentes no Brasil em viagens ao exterior, 32,5%, e aumento de 2,6% das receitas auferidas em viagens ao País. A conta de aluguel de equipamentos apresentou deficit de US$1,5 bilhão em novembro, 6,0% maior comparativamente ao mesmo mês do ano anterior.

A despesa líquida na conta de renda primária atingiu US$2,6 bilhões no mês, diminuição de 16,6% comparativamente a novembro de 2016. A despesa líquida com juros alcançou US$1,1 bilhão, 21,1% abaixo do ocorrido em período correspondente do ano anterior. A despesa líquida de lucros e dividendos totalizou US$1,6 bilhão no mês, 12,4% menor quando comparada à observada em novembro de 2016.

INVESTIMENTOS

Os investimentos diretos no exterior reduziram US$564 milhões no mês, acumulando crescimento de US$2,9 bilhões no período de janeiro a novembro, ante US$7,9 bilhões ocorridos nos onze meses iniciais de 2016.

Em novembro, o ingresso líquido de investimento direto no País (IDP) atingiu US$5,0 bilhões, dos quais US$4,6 bilhões em participação no capital, e US$456 milhões em operações intercompanhia. Nos onze primeiros meses de 2017 o ingresso líquido de IDP soma US$65,0 bilhões, 3,4% acima do ocorrido em intervalo similar em 2016.

Os passivos de investimentos em carteira registraram saídas líquidas de US$2,1 bilhões no mês, das quais US$2,0 bilhões em títulos de renda fixa. Os papéis negociados no mercado doméstico atingiram ingresso líquido de US$692 milhões em novembro, ao mesmo tempo em que os negociados no mercado externo registraram amortização líquida de US$2,7 bilhões, composta por amortização de US$1,8 bilhões em bônus soberanos e de US$951 milhões de outros títulos, sobretudo de longo prazo. O ingresso líquido em ações somou US$306 milhões, e houve resgate líquido de US$395 milhões em fundos de investimento.

Os passivos de outros investimentos anotaram ingresso líquido de US$1,6 bilhão em novembro, dos quais ingressos líquidos de US$1,3 bilhão em empréstimos de US$584 milhões decorrente de créditos comerciais e adiantamentos.

II - Reservas internacionais

As reservas internacionais nos conceitos caixa e liquidez totalizaram US$381,1 bilhões em novembro de 2017, aumento de US$705 milhões em relação ao mês anterior. Esse aumento pode ser explicado principalmente pela variação por paridade cambial, que contribuiu com US$694 milhões para elevar o estoque de reservas internacionais medidas em dólares norte-americanos, e pela receita remuneração das reservas, US$337 milhões. Esses dois fatores mais que compensaram a perda por variações de preço, US$542 milhões.

III - Dívida externa

A posição da dívida externa bruta estimada para novembro de 2017 totalizou US$317,2 bilhões, dos quais US$263,2 bilhões de longo prazo e US$53,9 bilhões de curto prazo. Em relação à posição de setembro de 2017, a estimativa aponta redução de US$1,2 bilhão, redução de US$2 bilhões e aumento de US$746 milhões, respectivamente.

Dentre os determinantes da variação da dívida externa de longo prazo no período, destacam-se amortizações de títulos do setor financeiro, US$914 milhões, amortizações de empréstimos de outros setores, US$362 milhões, e redução provocada pela variação de preços de títulos de dívida do governo geral, US$426 milhões. Dentre os determinantes da variação da dívida externa de curto prazo no período, destacam-se os desembolsos de empréstimos de outros setores, US$1,1 bilhão, além de amortizações de empréstimos do setor financeiro, US$332 milhões.

MF. STN. PORTAL G1. 20/12/2017. Dívida pública sobe 1,6% em novembro, para R$ 3,49 trilhões. No mês passado, além das despesas com juros, houve mais emissões do que resgate da dívida.
Por Laís Lis, G1, Brasília

A dívida pública federal, que inclui os endividamentos do governo no Brasil e no exterior, avançou 1,6% em novembro, para R$ 3,49 trilhões, informou nesta quarta-feira (20) a Secretaria do Tesouro Nacional. O aumento foi de R$ 54,9 bilhões no período.

Segundo o Tesouro, o aumento está relacionado às despesas do governo com o pagamento de juros da dívida pública, que totalizaram R$ 25,7 bilhões em novembro e também pelo fato de que as emissões do governo superaram os resgates em R$ 29,48 bilhões.

A dívida pública é a emitida pelo Tesouro Nacional para financiar o déficit orçamentário do governo federal, ou seja, para cobrir os gastos que ficam acima da arrecadação com impostos e contribuições.

Quando os pagamentos e recebimentos são realizados em real, a dívida é chamada de interna. Quando tais operações ocorrem em moeda estrangeira (dólar, normalmente), é classificada como dívida externa.

Dívida interna: foi registrado um aumento de 1,83% em novembro, para R$ 3,311 trilhões.

Dívida externa: resultado da emissão de bônus soberanos (títulos da dívida) no mercado internacional e de contratos firmados no passado, contabilizou uma redução de 4,46% no mês passado, para R$ 121,4 bilhões.

MF. STN. REUTERS. 20 DE DEZEMBRO DE 2017. Dívida pública federal cresce 1,6% em novembro e entra na meta do governo

BRASÍLIA (Reuters) - A dívida pública federal do Brasil cresceu 1,60 por cento em novembro sobre outubro, a 3,493 trilhões de reais, enquadrando-se no plano do governo nesta reta final de 2017, mostrou o Tesouro Nacional nesta quarta-feira.

No mesmo período, a dívida pública mobiliária interna avançou 1,83 por cento, a 3,371 trilhões de reais, devido à emissão líquida de 35,74 bilhões de reais e pela apropriação positiva de juros de 25,10 bilhões de reais.

O Tesouro estabeleceu como meta no Plano Anual de Financiamento (PAF) que a dívida total deveria encerrar o ano entre 3,45 trilhões e 3,65 trilhões de reais.

Já a dívida externa sofreu contração de 4,46 por cento em novembro sobre o mês anterior, a 121,4 bilhões de reais, sob o impacto da dívida mobiliária.

Em relação à composição da dívida, segundo o Tesouro, os títulos prefixados continuaram com maior peso, com fatia de 35,16 por cento, ante 34,62 por cento em outubro, permanecendo dentro do intervalo de 32 a 36 por cento para 2017.

Já os títulos pós-fixados, representados pelas LFTs, mantiveram sua participação em 31,6 por cento em novembro. Para o ano, o Tesouro fixou para os papéis faixa de 29 a 33 por cento de participação.

Os papéis ligados à inflação também têm o mesmo objetivo para o ano. Em novembro, responderam por 29,66 por cento da dívida, contra 29,97 por cento em outubro.

Na semana passada, o Tesouro anunciou que reduzirá de quinze dias para uma semana o intervalo entre os leilões de venda de NTN-F no ano que vem, para ter mais flexibilidade na oferta de títulos prefixados num ano que será marcado pelas eleições presidenciais.

As NTN-F são os títulos com prazos mais longos e forte participação de estrangeiros.

O Tesouro informou ainda que a participação dos investidores estrangeiros em títulos da dívida interna, por sua vez, foi a 12,67 por cento no mês passado, sobre 12,78 em outubro.

Reportagem de Bruno Federowski

MAPA. 20/12/2017. Estimativa. Valor da Produção Agropecuária é de R$ 539 bilhões. O melhor desempenho foi obtido pela colheita recorde de grãos e pelo preço de produtos como o algodão e a cana-de-açúcar. Preço do algodão aumentou mais de 70% sobre o ano anterior

Com base nas informações de novembro e o ano praticamente encerrado, o Valor Bruto da Produção (VBP) está estimado em R$ 539 bilhões para 2017, situando-se 1,87% acima do valor de 2016, de R$ 529,2 bilhões. As lavouras alcançaram R$ 364,7 bilhões e a pecuária, R$ 174,4 bilhões. Enquanto as principais lavouras tiveram aumento de 4,97% no valor, devido ao bom resultado da safra de 2017, a pecuária teve redução de 4,1% no faturamento.

O resultado se deve principalmente ao desempenho desfavorável das carnes bovina e de frango, cujos preços ficaram abaixo do ano anterior, observa o coordenador-geral de Estudos e Análises da Secretaria de Política Agrícola do Ministério da Agricultura, Pecuária e Abastecimento, José Garcia Gasques. “A redução do preço da carne bovina foi forte, pasando de R$ 147,3 por arroba, em 2016, para R$138,2, em 2017. Na carne de frango o preço do quilo caiu de R$ 4,10 para R$ 3,64.”

Os principais fatores de destaque neste ano foram os bons resultados da safra de grãos e os preços que se mantiveram abaixo do ano passado na maior parte dos produtos analisados. Tiveram melhores resultados o algodão, cujo valor da produção aumentou 72,9%, a cana de açúcar (28,4%), mandioca (87,9%) e uva (52,2%). Também apresentaram bom desempenho o milho, soja, laranja e arroz. Na pecuária, suínos e leite também tiveram ganho real de 9,7% e 9,9%, respectivamente.

Um conjunto de produtos apresenta neste ano forte redução no faturamento. Destacam-se a banana (-25,9%), batata inglesa (-48%), cacau (-27,9%), café (-14%), cebola (-48%), feijão (-24,7%), mamona (-40,1%), trigo (-37,5%) e maçã (-22,1%). A redução de preços de alguns produtos teve impacto na redução da taxa de inflação de 2017, pois classificam-se no grupo de cereais leguminosas e oleaginosas que têm destacada participação no grupo alimentação.

O resultado do VBP regional mostra, como em relatórios anteriores, que o maior valor continua sendo obtido no Sul (R$ 142,5 bilhões), seguido do Centro-Oeste (R$ 139,9 bilhões), Sudeste (R$ 137,1 bilhões), Nordeste (R$ 50,3 bilhões) e Norte (R$ 32,9 bilhões).

Prognóstico para 2018

Prognósticos para a próxima safra de grãos, da Companhia Nacional de Abastecimento (Conab) e do Ibge, dos últimos meses, indicam que a safra 2018 deverá ser menor do que a deste ano. A Conab indica redução de 4,7% e, o IBGE, de 9,2%. O declínio, deve-se principalmente a menor produção de milho e soja. De acordo com o coordenador-geral de Estudos e Análises, as estimativas do VBP para 2018 também indicam redução de 6,9%, em relação a 2017. “Redução forte do valor está previsto nas lavouras (-10,8%) e de - 1,4% na pecuária”. Nesse setor da pecuária, observa Gasques, há previsões mais otimistas para carne bovina e frango.

DOCUMENTO: http://www.agricultura.gov.br/noticias/valor-da-producao-agropecuaria-e-de-r-539-bilhoes

USP. FIPE. REUTERS. 20 DE DEZEMBRO DE 2017. IPC-Fipe acelera alta a 0,46% na 2ª quadrissemana de dezembro

SÃO PAULO (Reuters) - O Índice de Preços ao Consumidor (IPC) de São Paulo subiu 0,46 por cento na segunda quadrissemana de dezembro depois de avançar 0,39 por cento na primeira leitura do mês, informou a Fundação Instituto de Pesquisas Econômicas (Fipe) nesta quarta-feira.

O IPC-Fipe mede as variações quadrissemanais dos preços às famílias paulistanas com renda mensal entre 1 e 10 salários mínimos.

Por Camila Moreira

MERCOSUL-CANADÁ. MRREE-URUGUAY. 15.12.2017. Reunión de ministros. Uruguay aboga por el inicio de las negociaciones formales para un acuerdo comercial Mercosur-Canadá

Los gobiernos de Uruguay y Canadá coincidieron en la necesidad de oficializar a la brevedad las negociaciones formales para la firma de un acuerdo comercial con el Mercosur, tras un encuentro entre el canciller, Rodolfo Nin Novoa, y el ministro de Comercio Internacional canadiense, François Philippe Champagne, en el que dialogaron, además, sobre el potencial para incrementar el intercambio entre ambos países.


François Philippe Champagne y Rodolfo Nin Novoa

En el encuentro que tuvo lugar este viernes 15 en Montevideo, ambos ministros valoraron de manera positiva los flujos de comercio actuales entre Uruguay y Canadá, a la vez que coincidieron en el potencial que existe para incrementarlo, informó Cancillería en un comunicado.

Nin y Champagne ratificaron “la apuesta al libre comercio como motor de crecimiento económico”. En este sentido, “alentaron la pronta oficialización” del inicio de negociaciones formales para la firma de un acuerdo comercial entre el Mercosur y Canadá.

Los funcionarios destacaron las coincidencias entre ambos países en cuestiones multilaterales asociadas al comercio, en temas como género, comercio electrónico y subsidios a la pesca, “sentando las bases de una agenda comercial progresista compartida, identificándose valores y principios comunes”.

Por otra parte, Nin Novoa dio la bienvenida a los empresarios canadienses con interés de invertir en Uruguay, a fin de incrementar el número de proyectos de inversión de Canadá presentes en nuestro país, en áreas como el sector bancario, minería, comercio mayorista, sector maderero, agronegocios, industria pesquera, entre otros.

El comunicado agrega que los ministerios de Defensa e Interior firmarán dos memorandos de entendimiento con la Corporación Comercial Canadiense, la agencia de contratación internacional del gobierno de Canadá.

MERCOSUL-CANADÁ. PR-Uruguay. 15.12.2017. Inspirado en Uruguay, Canadá propuso al Grupo de los Siete incluir cláusulas de género en tratados comerciales

“Uruguay fue el ejemplo que llevamos al G7 (Grupo de los Siete) para proponer por primera vez en ese ámbito incluir una cláusula de género en los tratados comerciales”, destacó el ministro canadiense François Philippe Champagne, en referencia a la herramienta incluida en el acuerdo bilateral con Chile. “A eso le llamamos agenda de gobierno progresista y ustedes han dado señales de que marcha en esa dirección”, añadió.
El gobierno de Canadá impulsa la denominada “agenda de comercio progresista”, consistente en incluir una mirada social y humana en las negociaciones de este tipo que realiza con el resto de los países.
En ella se prioriza la sociedad, el cuidado ambiental, los derechos humanos y el empoderamiento de las mujeres, explicó Champagne, ministro de Comercio Internacional de Canadá.
Como parte de esta política, el gobierno de Canadá llevó al Grupo de los Siete, el bloque de los países más ricos del mundo, que comparte con Alemania, Estados Unidos, Francia, Italia, Japón y el Reino Unido, la propuesta de incluir una cláusula de género en los tratados comerciales, tal como hizo Uruguay en el acuerdo firmado con Chile.
“Uruguay es una nación progresista en la agenda de género, y fue su ejemplo el que llevamos al G7, donde Canadá propuso por primera vez en este ámbito instaurar una cláusula similar a la que había planteado Uruguay”, destacó. A eso le llamamos agenda de gobierno progresista, y Uruguay también ha dado señales en esa dirección”, añadió
Champage señaló que su gobierno “admira mucho la forma en que Uruguay trabaja” y por eso intensifica su relacionamiento en busca de una mirada progresista del comercio que, según consideró, es más equitativa.

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LGCJ.: