{"text":[[{"start":8.33,"text":"Brazil will double down on its commitment to the Brics bloc, the Brazilian president’s top foreign policy adviser has said, a move that defies US President Donald Trump’s threats to impose punitive tariffs."}],[{"start":24.03,"text":"Trump has taken aim at Brazil twice this month. As the country hosted a summit for the 11-member Brics, he threatened a 10 per cent tariff against any nation “aligning themselves” with the “anti-American” bloc. Trump then pledged 50 per cent levies on Brazil and demanded it end the trial of hard-right ex-president Jair Bolsonaro, who is charged with plotting a coup."}],[{"start":52.43,"text":"But Celso Amorim, lead foreign affairs adviser to leftwing President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, told the Financial Times those attacks “are reinforcing our relations with the Brics, because we want to have diversified relations and not depend on any one country”."}],[{"start":71.58,"text":"On top of the Brics — which includes China, Russia and India — Amorim said Brazil would look to bolster relations with other countries in Europe, South America and Asia."}],[{"start":84.62,"text":"The 50 per cent tariff is among the highest mentioned by the US president in his current round of negotiations, despite Brazil running a trade deficit with the US in goods — unlike many other countries targeted. Trump also blasted Lula’s government for what he said are attacks on free speech, a “ridiculous censorship regime” and “very unfair” trade practices."}],[{"start":111.16,"text":"Lula has rejected Trump’s tactics, saying the US president was elected “not to be emperor of the world”. He added that if Trump’s actions during the January 6 Capitol insurrection had been committed in Brazil, he would be standing trial."}],[{"start":127.03999999999999,"text":"Amorim said Trump’s interference in Brazil’s internal affairs was something not seen “even in colonial times”. “I don’t think even the Soviet Union would have done anything like this,” he said, adding that Trump “was trying to act politically inside [Brazil] in favour of his friend”. "}],[{"start":146.23999999999998,"text":"While China is the country’s biggest trading partner, importing $94bn of mainly agricultural goods and minerals from Brazil last year, Amorim said “it’s not our intention” for Beijing to be the clear winner from Trump’s higher tariffs."}],[{"start":164.79,"text":"Amorim denied that the Brics is ideological. He has pushed for the bloc, whose rotating presidency is currently held by Brazil, to stand up for the multilateral global order as Trump withdraws."}],[{"start":178.43,"text":"He called for the EU to quickly ratify a long-stalled trade treaty with the Mercosur group of South American countries. “If the European Union were intelligent, it would ratify it not just for the immediate economic gain but also for more balance in its relations,” Amorim said."}],[{"start":198.26,"text":"Amorim said Canada was interested in negotiating a free trade deal with Brazil, and added that the last year of Lula’s government was likely to see greater focus on South America. The region trades less internally than any other part of the world, and Lula has long stressed the need to pursue greater integration."}],[{"start":220.7,"text":"Remembering the diplomatic maxim that “countries have no friends, only interests”, Amorim said Trump was an unusual case because he had “neither friends nor interests, just wishes”. The US president’s approach is “an illustration of absolute power”, he said."}],[{"start":248.20999999999998,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftmailbox.cn/album/a_1753668586_6178.mp3"}