"I see trade negotiations with moderate optimism," says José Velloso, from Abimaq.

The executive president of Abimaq, the entity of the machinery and equipment industry, says that the meeting between United States President Donald Trump and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in Malaysia was another step in the right direction in easing trade relations between the two countries. However, he sees this progress with moderate optimism, given the length of the negotiations to resolve the issue of the high tariff imposed on Brazil. "There is progress, but very slowly. And the longer the solution takes, the more damage the businessmen suffer," he says. "Private initiative in both Brazil and the US is losing a lot of money with this situation. We need to resolve this problem as quickly as possible," he reinforces. According to him, excluding sales of construction and road machinery, the segment as a whole recorded a 28% drop in sales to the US in September. "I spoke with interlocutors in Washington. I heard that the meeting was great. But the issue is to ...