Category: Press Releases and Statements

NFTC, Other Leading Business Associations Issue Statement on Promoting Cross-Border Information & Data Flows in the TPP Negotiations

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Washington DC – In advance of the upcoming round of Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations in San Diego, Calif., the National Foreign Trade Council (NFTC) and 12 other leading business groups today released a statement on promoting cross-border information and data flows in the agreement.

To follow is an excerpt:

 

“… The growth in the development and use of information and communications technologies (ICT) has been a major driver of economic growth, dynamism, job creation, productivity, and competitiveness for industries across all sectors of the global economy. With this rapid growth, businesses are increasingly using digital platforms to reach and sell to new customers in the TPP countries and around the world.

“… To compete effectively in international markets, enterprises and individuals need to be assured that they can move and maintain information and data across borders in a reliable and secure manner. It is therefore critical that the TPP negotiations ensure that trade and investment rules promote, rather than inhibit, the growth of the digital economy.

“Given the economic importance of international flows of data and information to the region, the TPP negotiations should produce legally binding commitments to:

  • “Permit cross-border information and data flows, while ensuring that privacy and intellectual property rights are protected.
     
  • “Allow business enterprises from the TPP parties to transact business through e-commerce platforms without establishing a commercial presence in each country.
  • “Prohibit requirements to use local computing infrastructure, such as servers, as a condition for doing business or investment in a TPP country or engaging in e-commerce or cross-border trade. …”
To read the full statement, click here.
 
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About the NFTC
Advancing Global Commerce for Nearly A Century- The National Foreign Trade Council (www.nftc.org) is a leading business organization advocating an open, rules-based global trading system. Founded in 1914 by a broad-based group of American companies, the NFTC now serves hundreds of member companies through its offices in Washington and New York.
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USA*Engage, NFTC Express Disappointment Over Senate Foreign Relations Committee Passage of Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act

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Washington DC – USA*Engage and the National Foreign Trade Council (NFTC) today expressed disappointment with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s passage of S. 1039, the Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act. The organizations released the following statement.

“We are extremely disappointed in today’s passage of S. 1039,” said NFTC President Bill Reinsch. “This bill, if passed, will not only unnecessarily complicate U.S.-Russia relations, it has the potential to damage U.S. diplomatic relations worldwide.”

“What began as a protest against a horrifying human rights violation has unfortunately led to the creation of yet another unilateral U.S. sanctions regime,” said USA*Engage Director Richard Sawaya. “The legislation approved today goes far beyond holding those who harmed Magnitsky accountable, with its call to address human rights violations ‘anywhere in the world.’ Passing such legislation will have serious political and diplomatic implications.”

“The scope of this legislation should stay true to its original purpose and be limited to measures against Russian persons involved directly in the death of Sergei Magnitsky. As the Administration has already taken steps to enact appropriate measures regarding this human rights violation, we strongly urge Congress to refrain from taking any further steps that would put U.S.-Russia relations in unnecessary peril,” concluded Reinsch.

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About USA*Engage
USA*Engage (www.usaengage.org) is a coalition of small and large businesses, agriculture groups and trade associations working to seek alternatives to the proliferation of unilateral U.S. foreign policy sanctions and to promote the benefits of U.S. engagement abroad. Established in 1997 and organized under the National Foreign Trade Council (www.nftc.org), USA*Engage leads a campaign to inform policymakers, opinion leaders, and the public about the counterproductive nature of unilateral sanctions, the importance of exports and overseas investment for American competitiveness and jobs, and the role of American companies in promoting human rights and democracy worldwide.

About the NFTC
Advancing Global Commerce for Nearly A Century- The National Foreign Trade Council (www.nftc.org) is a leading business organization advocating an open, rules-based global trading system. Founded in 1914 by a broad-based group of American companies, the NFTC now serves hundreds of member companies through its offices in Washington and New York.
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Ambassador Alan Wm. Wolff Joins McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP as a Senior Counsel in the Washington, DC office

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We are pleased to announce that Ambassador Alan Wm. Wolff has joined McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP (MLA) as a Senior Counsel in the Washington, DC office. The Former Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador is a member of the firm’s international practice and will focus his practice in the area of international trade. The practice specializes in all aspects of seeking to improve the international competitive position of major clients. Wolff has been principal litigation counsel in many of the largest trade cases on record.

Ambassador Wolff, who is chairman of the National Foreign Trade Council and also a former U.S. Trade Representative General Counsel, is a well-known trade policy figure, with particular experience in dealing with markets in Asia. He was part of a team that pioneered the concept of conducting and authoring exhaustive economic studies of industries plagued by unfair trade practices, then employing those studies to convince appropriate government officials to take action under the rules of trade. He served as U.S. Deputy Special Representative for Trade Negotiations in the administration of President Carter with the rank of ambassador. As Deputy, he played a key role in the formulation of American trade policy and its implementation, including leading international trade negotiations for the U.S.
He received his received his J.D. from Columbia Law School and B.A. from Harvard University.

NFTC Commends Ways and Means Committee for Holding Russia PNTR Hearing

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Washington DC – The National Foreign Trade Council (NFTC) today commended the House Ways and Means Committee for holding a hearing on Russia’s accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) and establishing permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) with Russia. The NFTC released the following statement:

“With Russia’s accession to the WTO quickly approaching this summer, the NFTC applauds the Ways and Means Committee for holding today’s hearing to discuss Russia PNTR. Granting Russia PNTR would expand U.S. access in one of the largest marketplaces in the world, benefitting the U.S. economy and exporters and the millions of Americans they employ.

“The United States cannot afford to delay in granting Russia PNTR. This is the most pressing issue on the U.S. trade agenda. We strongly urge Congress to take immediate action and pass PNTR legislation before the August recess to ensure that U.S. companies can compete on a level playing field in Russia.

“We share the view held by U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk and Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp that PNTR should be granted in a clean bill.”
 

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About the NFTC
Advancing Global Commerce for Nearly A Century- The National Foreign Trade Council (www.nftc.org) is a leading business organization advocating an open, rules-based global trading system. Founded in 1914 by a broad-based group of American companies, the NFTC now serves hundreds of member companies through its offices in Washington and New York.
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NFTC Welcomes EU-U.S. High Level Working Group Report, Urges Meaningful Transatlantic Negotiations ASAP

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Washington DC – The National Foreign Trade Council (NFTC) today welcomed the release of the EU-U.S. High Level Working Group on Jobs and Growth’s “Interim Report to Leaders from the Co-Chairs,” detailing the group’s progress in discussions aimed at expanding transatlantic trade and investment.

“The U.S.-EU relationship is an important one, and we are pleased that steps are being taken to find ways to strengthen economic relations further by expanding transatlantic trade and investment,” said NFTC President Bill Reinsch. “While this report highlights the framework for a potential comprehensive agreement, it also outlines substantive issues still to be worked out. Rather than waiting to have every detail ironed out or creating more unnecessary bureaucracy before beginning actual negotiations, the NFTC urges the U.S. and EU to accelerate the process and move forward immediately with meaningful, results-oriented negotiations.”

“Because of the importance of expanding transatlantic economic relations, there are an abundance of transatlantic dialogues and fora – the EU-U.S. High Level Working Group on Jobs and Growth being one of them,” said NFTC Vice President for Regional Trade Initiatives Chuck Dittrich. “It is critical that the United States and EU hold negotiations that lead to tangible results, the opening of markets and an increase in regulatory compatibility, which will spur increased transatlantic economic activity and job creation.”

 

NFTC Applauds TPP Partners’ Inclusion of Canada in Trade Talks

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Washington DC – The National Foreign Trade Council (NFTC) today welcomed the news that Canada has been invited to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations. The NFTC released the following statement:

 

“On the heels of yesterday’s announcement that Mexico was invited to join the TPP negotiations, we welcome today’s news that another key U.S. trading partner – Canada – has been admitted to the negotiations.

“Canada and Mexico are two of the United States’ top five trading partners. With the inclusion of both countries in the TPP agreement, U.S. exporters and the millions of Americans they employ stand to benefit greatly from strong North American representation in the talks.

“The inclusion of both Mexico and Canada this week adds momentum to what has the potential to become the model for plurilateral agreements moving forward, and we urge all TPP partners to continue working toward making that ambitious, but achievable, goal a reality.”

About the NFTC
Advancing Global Commerce for Nearly A Century- The National Foreign Trade Council (www.nftc.org) is a leading business organization advocating an open, rules-based global trading system. Founded in 1914 by a broad-based group of American companies, the NFTC now serves hundreds of member companies through its offices in Washington and New York.
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NFTC Urges Senate Foreign Relations Committee to Vote Against Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act

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Washington DC – National Foreign Trade Council (NFTC) President Bill Reinsch on Friday sent a letter to all members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, underscoring its support for permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) with Russia and urging members to oppose S. 1039, the Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act, which is scheduled to be marked up by the Committee tomorrow.

Reinsch wrote:

“We understand that on June 19 the Senate Foreign Relations Committee will mark up S. 1039. While we share the indignation over the murder of Mr. Magnitsky, we believe that the bill as it has been publicly discussed, is seriously flawed:

• The bill mandates the Secretaries of State and Treasury to compose a list of persons responsible for gross violations of human rights carried out by persons anywhere in the world who would be denied visas to enter the U.S. and have their U.S. assets frozen. It is noteworthy that the House Foreign Affairs Committee action restricts the scope of the bill to Russia only, which retains an arguable nexus, rather than universal application.

• The bill does not establish a process to determine what constitutes responsibility or to define “gross human rights violations,” creating great uncertainty for implementation.

• The bill authorizes the chair and ranking members of ten House and Senate committees to propose persons to be included on the list. The Secretary of State is then required to decide on their inclusion and to submit a response to Congress explaining action or inaction. This provision invites politicization of the process.

• … The bill requires the Secretaries of State and Treasury also to list persons who “acted as an agent of or on behalf of a person in …violations of internationally recognized human rights.” This extends the denial of visas and freezing of U.S. assets to the “agents” of listed person. The term agent is undefined and could be interpreted broadly to cover a wide range of relationships, including joint venture partners, licensees, customers and suppliers.
 

… The NFTC and USA*Engage share the desire of Members of Congress that the United States take a clear position on human rights violations in Russia and anywhere else in the world. We urge Congress in its consideration of this legislation to limit its scope to measures already taken by the Executive Branch to deny visas to Russian persons with a direct involvement in the death of Sergei Magnitsky and support its authority to do so anywhere else.”

Click here to read the full letter.

About the NFTC
Advancing Global Commerce for Nearly A Century- The National Foreign Trade Council (www.nftc.org) is a leading business organization advocating an open, rules-based global trading system. Founded in 1914 by a broad-based group of American companies, the NFTC now serves hundreds of member companies through its offices in Washington and New York.
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