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President Dilma Rousseff of Brazil is set to make an official visit to the USA in two months time. The visit is well-timed, given the increasing importance in recent times of the wider economic relationship between the two countries. They are now, after all the top two economies in the Americas. Both are therefore and unsurprisingly, constantly on the lookout for economic and investment opportunities with each other.

Not only that, but the (admittedly still huge) gap between the two is actually shrinking in Brazil’s favour, as her economy and society generally improves while the Northern giant is affected deeply by the world recession.This new and complicated relationship is also bolstered by Brazil become an even bigger market these days for North American consumer products. This is largely because her own industrial production cannot yet meet the rapidly increasing domestic demand for goods of all kinds, so there is still an over-dependence on imports.

How long this situation will continue is hard to say but it will certainly be many years.

An interesting statistic of Brazilian news is that nearly two million from the country live and/or work in the USA. This obviously has all sorts of implications for both nations.

International relations is another aspect bound to be discussed during Dilma’s forthcoming visit to Mr. Obama and his administration. For example, in her own recent visit to Cuba, the Brazilian President criticised Washington’s continued operation of the detention centre in the Guantanamo Bay enclave on the island. Although with fewer inmates these days,the facility still operates. Disapproval of this is especially marked because Barack Obama pledged during his election campaign to close down the prison but has not (yet) done so.

There are many other points of difference which need to be ironed-out between the world’s first and sixth economies. Dilma’s visit will, at best, be a step or two forward along that road.