Thomas Andrew O’Keefe, president of Mercosur Consulting Group Ltd.: “It’s the epitome of chutzpah for Argentina and Brazil to accuse Uruguay of undermining Mercosur’s common external tariff if Montevideo negotiates trade agreements bilaterally with countries outside the trade bloc. For decades, governments in Buenos Aires and Brasília have gutted the common external tariff with exceptions when it suits their interests. Accordingly, Uruguay is within its sovereign rights to negotiate a free trade agreement on its own if its Mercosur partners refuse to also do so. In this particular case, Uruguay is primarily interested in sealing a deal with China, its largest trading partner outside Mercosur. That may explain the surprising opposition to Uruguay’s move emanating from Paraguay, the only South American country that still maintains diplomatic relations with Taipei and not Beijing. Should Uruguay succeed in signing an accord with China…”
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