Leading Trade Groups Say Proposed Ex-Im Bank Restrictions Amount to Unilateral U.S. Sanction on Worldwide Companies

Amendments to FY2010 State, Foreign Appropriations Bill Would Have Little Impact on Iranian Regime and Risk Undermining Multilateral Diplomacy

Washington, DC – The National Foreign Trade Council (NFTC), USA*Engage and the Council for Employment Through Experts (CEE) late yesterday sent a letter to the Chairman of the House Appropriations to express deep concern about proposed amendments to the FY2010 State, Foreign Appropriations bill, which would prohibit the Export-Import Bank from supporting U.S. exports to companies worldwide that may have business ties with Iran’s energy sector. The associations noted that the proposed restrictions would amount to a unilateral U.S. sanction against companies operating in the same countries whose governments are playing leading roles in multilateral efforts to influence the Iranian regime.

“While it is understandable that Members of Congress seek new points of leverage against the Iranian regime, we believe that any unilateral U.S. sanction applied to companies around the world because they are doing business, legally under their national laws, with Iran’s energy sector would only harm U.S exporters and their workers and would jeopardize the U.S. government’s ongoing effort to build more effective multilateral pressure on the Iranian government,” wrote NFTC President and USA*Engage Co-Chair Bill Reinsch and CEE President Ed Rice. “If Congress were to cut off Ex-Im Bank support or U.S. export sales to these worldwide companies, billions of dollars in U.S exports would be stopped and the consequent job loss would fall on American workers.”

The associations also pointed out that the proposed restrictions to the Ex-Im Bank would fall short of their intended goal to impact Iran’s energy sector, as the governments of a number of countries – China, Japan, Russia, India, Pakistan, Turkey, Italy, Britain, France, Germany, Norway and Switzerland – have encouraged companies to play an active role. “Moreover, any U.S. sanction on companies that do business with Iran’s energy sector certainly would negatively affect current U.S. government efforts to build support for multilateral pressure on Iran’s government,” the letter reads.

In conclusion, Reinsch and Rice wrote, “We believe the Appropriations Committee should refrain from including any provision in the State, Foreign Operations Appropriations bill that would undercut our government’s diplomatic initiative and would penalize American exporters and their workers.”

For a copy of the letter, please click here.

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 policy-makers, 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 world wide.

About the NFTC

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.

NFTC Releases Analysis of Trade-Related Provisions of Draft Climate Text

Washington, DC – The National Foreign Trade Council (NFTC) today released the following analysis of the draft revisions by the House Committee on Ways and Means to the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009. The NFTC understands that the committee is in the process of submitting draft revisions to the legislation, and based on those anticipated changes, the Council has prepared the following analysis.

As an organization focused on international trade and tax policy, the NFTC does not support a particular policy on climate change and does not endorse specific legislation, but strongly advocates that U.S. climate change policies be compliant with World Trade Organization (WTO) rules. The NFTC believes that because climate change is a global issue, success in dealing with it depends on multilateral cooperation and ensuring that the United States conforms to existing international rules and participates in multilateral efforts to further refine them.

If you have questions or for additional commentary, please contact Jake Colvin, NFTC Vice President for Global Trade Issues.

NFTC Analysis of Trade-Related Provisions of Draft Climate Text

The NFTC has prepared the following analysis of the draft revisions by the House Committee on Ways and Means to the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009, which were obtained by the Council:

The Ways and Means Committee appears to be sending mixed signals with draft changes to the American Clean Energy and Security Act. The Committee should be commended for taking steps to ensure that domestic efforts are anchored more firmly in the international process. At the same time, other changes are likely to cause greater friction with U.S. allies and are more likely to violate U.S. obligations under international trade rules.

1. The agreement anchors domestic legislation more firmly in the international context. NFTC applauds the Ways and Means Committee for placing domestic climate legislation more firmly in the context of ongoing international discussions. The amendments contained in draft Section 903 acknowledge the concerns that have been raised by NFTC and others in the U.S. business community that the United States should seek international consensus with respect to relying upon trade-related climate measures. The United States should seek to achieve consensus not only on an international framework agreement on climate change at the UNFCCC, but also on the use of trade- or competitiveness-related aspects of domestic climate change efforts which could violate international trade rules or encourage retaliation.

2. At the same time, the new language increases the likelihood of friction with U.S. allies and subsequent WTO challenges: In the absence of an international consensus over the use of trade-related climate measures, the new language would virtually require the President to implement a unilateral border measure against countries that have not taken comparable action, and it has made it more likely that such a measure could be challenged successfully internationally.
 

A. The new text makes the implementation of a border measure virtually mandatory. The draft that emerged from the Energy and Commerce Committee struck a better balance on Presidential discretion with respect to the continuation of trade-related measures – specifically the continued use of free emission allowances and/or the implementation of an international allocation mechanism. The Energy Committee draft permitted the President to choose between implementing a border measure and continuing the free allocation of emissions to an affected industry in the face of manufacturing output in countries, which are not taking comparable action to the United States. The Ways and Means Committee has largely removed the discretion of the President to decide against imposing a border measure by requiring the President to submit a national interest waiver that would need to be approved by a joint congressional resolution in order to preclude its imposition.

B. The new text strongly suggests that these measures are being taken to improve the competitiveness of U.S. industries rather than to deter carbon leakage. WTO rules seek to weed out disguised protectionism. The current draft text strongly suggests that trade-related measures would be taken to improve the competitiveness of U.S. industries rather than to deter carbon leakage. This concern was already present with respect to the purpose of the international reserve program (Title IV, Subpart 2, Section 766(a)(2)) in the Energy Committee’s draft, which “addresses, consistent with international agreements to which the United States is a party, the competitive imbalance in the costs of producing or manufacturing primary products in industrial sectors resulting from the difference between – ‘(A) the direct and indirect costs of complying with this title; and ‘(B) the direct and indirect costs, if any, of complying in other countries with greenhouse gas regulatory programs, requirements, export tariffs, or other measures adopted or imposed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”

The Ways and Means Committee draft text is even more problematic, as it directly ties the early implementation of border measures to unit cost of production increases in the United States (Sections 904 and 905). If the President determines either that emission allowance rebates have sufficiently mitigated carbon leakage and/or an international reserve allowance program is unlikely to mitigate leakage or is unfeasible, the President should have the option of ratcheting down trade-related measures.
Congress should tie the continued reliance on emission rebates and any imposition of border measures to a finding of significant carbon leakage. Doing so would bolster the credibility of the claim that these measures are aimed at reducing carbon leakage rather than protecting U.S. firms and would be less likely to be seen as disguised protectionism internationally.

C. Current language construes comparable action too narrowly and may hinder efforts to achieve a global climate agreement. Current language fails to exempt from border measures countries that are making good faith efforts to comply with commitments made under an international agreement (for example under the UNFCCC). Only a small subset of countries – such as least developing countries and those countries which have committed to binding emissions reductions at least as stringent as those for the United States – are exempted from border measures. But permitting the application of border measures to a country that has agreed to take steps (for example under the UNFCCC), which are deemed by the United States and the international community to be in line with their common but differentiated responsibilities, will harm relations with U.S. allies in the developing world. Exempting countries which commit to an international framework agreement based on their common but differentiated responsibilities would provide an incentive for those countries to be inside rather than outside of an agreement.
 

3. U.S. legislation must link innovation and trade more closely with the ability of the United States to deliver clean technologies to the developing world. NFTC believes the provisions related to technology transfer contained in Title IV, Subtitle D (Exporting Clean Technology) of the Energy Committee’s draft should be expanded to draw links between access to technology, intellectual property protection and liberalized trade in environmentally friendly goods and services. At this point it does not appear that either Committee has addressed these issues adequately.

Congress should make clear the importance of protecting intellectual property for promoting innovation and delivering clean technologies to developing countries. The Act should note the importance of protecting all intellectual property rights of green technologies as well as the importance of eliminating other non-tariff barriers to trade that weaken or impede the use of intellectual property rights. Congress should also urge the Administration to resist the range of trade-distorting or IP-weakening mechanisms that governments, including some in the developed world, have proposed. In particular, NFTC is concerned about proposals that would compel technology providers from developed countries to enter into joint ventures to share commercial know-how with developing country partners or to make new technologies available to the developing world at below-market prices.

Another important method for facilitating the export of clean technologies abroad is to lower tariffs and other trade barriers on environmentally-friendly goods and services as the United States and European Union have suggested in major international forums including the WTO, G-8 and UNFCCC COP-13 in Bali. Emphasizing the need to conclude an Environmental Goods and Services Agreement complements the messages contained in the legislation about the importance of delivering clean technologies to the developing world. Congress should instruct USTR and the Department of State to use all possible channels to pursue an agreement to reduce or eliminate trade barriers on environmental goods and services, including investigating the feasibility of an agreement at the OECD.

 

About the NFTC

Advancing Global Commerce for 95 Years – 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.

NFTC Urges Administration to Move Forward on Its International Economic Engagement Agenda

Council Says Upcoming Visits of South Korean and Colombian Presidents Are Opportunities to Make Progress on FTAs
 
Washington, DC – The National Foreign Council (NFTC) today issued a statement urging the Obama Administration to move forward on the international trade agenda outlined by U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk in a recent speech before U.S. business community leaders. The NFTC recommended that the Administration use South Korean President Lee Myung-bak’s visit to Washington tomorrow, and Colombian President Alvaro Uribe’s visit at the end of the month, as opportunities to find a path forward on free trade agreements (FTAs) with both nations.

“The pending free trade agreements are more than just economic pacts; they are an integral part of U.S. diplomacy and are critical to our national security interests. Colombia and South Korea are two of America’s most important democratic allies in difficult regions of the world. Maintaining strong relations with both nations is critical to ensuring political stability and security in East Asia and Latin America,” said NFTC President Bill Reinsch.

“Colombia has for decades been one of our leading partners in the fight against drug trafficking and the crime and violence that plague the hemisphere as a result of the drug trade,” said Reinsch. “Both Colombia and South Korea share our values of democracy and freedom in parts of the world where opposing forces seek to undermine both.”

“As the Administration and Congress pursue important domestic policy priorities, including health care reform and climate change legislation, the United States cannot afford stand on the sidelines in the international economic engagement arena. Our government is capable of pursuing and juggling several different policy initiatives at a given time and we should begin to take action on all fronts,” Reinsch concluded.

About the NFTC
Advancing Global Commerce for 95 Years –
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.
 

NFTC and USA*Engage Commend California State Assembly Committee Chairman for Putting a Hold on Divestment Legislation

Washington, DC – The National Foreign Trade Council (NFTC) today praised Chairman of the California State Assembly Appropriations Committee Kevin De Leon for his decision to put a hold on the “Justice for Genocide Victims Bill” (AB 961). In a letter sent to Assemblyman De Leon, NFTC President Bill Reinsch and USA*Engage Director Richard Sawaya commended his action, noting that the bill would have invited a constitutional challenge because measures included would undermine the federal government’s ability to conduct foreign policy.

“We believe such state legislation is unconstitutional, contrary to proper conduct of U.S. foreign policy, and counter to the future health of the nation’s economy,” wrote Reinsch and Sawaya. “As the current administration’s policy initiatives in the Middle East demonstrate, such legislation is simply counter to the proper conduct of diplomacy. Finally, punishing corporations for imputed commercial actions retroactively would only serve to weaken further the position of both the U.S. economy generally and that of California.”

AB 961 was introduced as a follow-on to the state’s Sudan divestment legislation, which “prohibits a scrutinized company, as defined, that is, involved in specified activities in Sudan, from entering into a contract with a state agency for goods or services.” The bill would have extended the prohibition to companies that did business with agents of “genocide” – defined in the legislation as “the atrocities committed by the Ottoman and Turkish governments against Armenians from 1915 to 1923, inclusive, which constituted the Armenian Genocide, and the massacres of Armenians committed by the Ottoman Empire from 1894 to 1909, inclusive.”

The NFTC and USA*Engage advocate against state sanctions and divestment bills similar to AB 961. In August 2006, the NFTC and eight boards of Illinois public employee pension funds brought suit (NFTC v. Giannoulias) against Illinois over the state’s “Act to End Atrocities and Terrorism in Sudan,” challenging the constitutionality of the Illinois Act. In February 2007, Judge Matthew Kennelly of the Federal District Court for the Northern District of Illinois ruled that the state’s law was “unconstitutional because the Act [violated] federal constitutional provisions that preclude the states from taking actions that interfere with the federal government’s authority over foreign affairs and commerce with foreign countries.”

The NFTC lawsuit followed the precedent set in the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2000 decision in Crosby v. NFTC, in which the Court struck down sanctions enacted by Massachusetts on Burma. In that decision the Court ruled that if the federal government has enacted sanctions on a country, state and local governments are preempted from imposing sanctions of their own.

For a copy of the letter, please click here.

###

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 policy-makers, 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 world wide.

About the NFTC

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.

Notes on Ellen Tauscher Confirmation Hearing

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Hearing
Nomination of Ellen Tauscher as Undersecretary of State for
Arms Control and International Security
June 9, 2009

Committee Chairman John Kerry (D-MA) gave an opening statement followed by a statement from Senator Lugar (R-IN). Senator Kaufman (D- DE) took over as Chairman for Kerry when he excused himself from the hearing. Sen. Lugar referred to a 61 question pre-hearing document that Tauscher completed. It is available on his website or by following this link: http://lugar.senate.gov/sfrc/pdf/TauscherQFR.pdf.  Though not in attendance, Senator Boxer submitted a written statement. Senator Isakson (R-GA) was in attendance and made a personal recommendation of Tauscher. Also in attendance was Senator Cardin (D- MD).

Representative Tauscher was endorsed by two close friends and colleagues: Senator Feinstein (D-CA) and Majority Leader Congressman Hoyer (D-MD).

Topics discussed included:

Sen. Kerry asked if confirmed what role Tauscher intended for the Nuclear Posture Review. Tauscher replied that staffers of the Strategic Forces Subcommittee, which she chairs, were already heavily involved working on it and that if she were confirmed she would make it a multidepartment effort. Sen. Kerry also asked about the implementation of defense trade with the United Kingdom and if she would be willing to work with them to achieve their goals. Tauscher answered affirmatively. Kerry then brought up the U.S. – India peaceful use of nuclear energy agreement which he and Lugar had supported and she had opposed and then asked her thoughts on the U.A.E. 123 Agreement. Tauscher expressed support for the agreement saying it was a good model for nuclear non-proliferation and important in the region. Finally, Kerry asked for her support and corporation on the CTBT which she confirmed she would offer if she were to be confirmed.

Sen. Lugar inquired if it would be too difficult to deal with the Nuclear Posture Review and renegotiating START simultaneously. Tauscher was confident in the ability to multitask. He then asked for her thoughts on if the United States would seek a new cutoff for the creation of fissile materials, and what the fundamental challenges in doing so would be. She replied that the challenges were both technical and political and that she would seek to work with great transparency. She confirmed that she was aware of the approaching deadline and that any treaty would protect U.S. National Security. Finally Sen. Lugar asked about chemical weapons and the apparent inability of both the United States and Russia to meet deadlines for their destruction. Tauscher acknowledged a problem with acquiring the necessary funding to meet the 2012 deadline but said we should be 90% of the way there. She also made the point that as a world leader it is important that we follow through on our commitments.

Sen. Cardin asked about cooperation that the United States has had with Russia on the issue of Iran. Tauscher suggested that ever since the end of the Cold War the best way to preserve our national security was to engage and cooperate with nations that are world leaders in certain spheres as Russian is in the nuclear arena. She stressed the importance of continued efforts at cooperation with all world leaders. He then inquired about restrictions on satellite launches in China and intellectual property rights. Tauscher replied that technology, especially a lot of dual use technology, has a lifespan and that it is critical to protect items that are essentially to national security. She stated however, that once it is no longer absolutely critical to protect the item it must be removed from the protection list since it is impossible to protect everything. She also spoke to the necessity of protecting American jobs.

Sen. Kaufman asked how Tauscher saw her job as we prepare to remove our forces from Iraq. She highlighted her strong connections with the Pentagon and said that though we have the strongest armed forces in the world they should be used least and last. She said that our ultimate goal is to leave Iraq stable and better then it was. In regard to Afghanistan she said it was a world of counterinsurgency and that we had to be prepared for it. She also emphasized a need to have more civilians in Afghanistan.

NFTC Commends Senate Finance Committee for Holding Hearing on U.S.-Panama FTA

Council Urges Administration to Send Implementing Legislation to Congress, Outline Path Forward on Colombia and South Korea Agreements

Washington, DC – The National Foreign Council (NFTC) today issued a statement applauding the Senate Finance Committee for holding a hearing on the U.S.-Panama Free Trade Agreement (FTA). The NFTC also pressed the Administration to send forth the trade pact for Congressional approval and provide a timeline for action on pending agreements with Colombia and South Korea.

“The NFTC applauds Senators Baucus and Grassley for scheduling today’s hearing and beginning to lay the legislative groundwork for consideration of the Panama FTA,” said NTFC President Bill Reinsch. “As Ambassador Kirk indicated earlier this week, the Administration is working diligently to resolve remaining issues with the Panamanian Government. We urge the President to send the agreement to Congress as soon as possible for bipartisan approval, and to outline next steps on the pending agreements with Colombia and South Korea.”

“With each day that passes without the Panama agreement in place, the United States risks losing important opportunities that can help to grow U.S. exports, our economy and jobs,” said NFTC Vice President for Regional Trade Initiatives Chuck Dittrich. “The multi-billion dollar Panama Canal expansion project, which is slated for completion in 2014, and other projects present numerous opportunities for U.S. businesses in the equipment, financial services and transportation sectors. However, those opportunities could be lost to our competitors if we continue to delay.”

The U.S.-Panama FTA was signed June 28, 2007, and once enacted, will result in the duty-free trade of nearly 90 percent of U.S. consumer and industrial goods exports to Panama, with other tariffs being phased out over 10 years. In 2008, bilateral trade between the United States and Panama reached roughly $5.3 billion, with $4.9 billion coming from U.S. exports.

About the NFTC

Advancing Global Commerce for 95 Years – 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.
 

NFTC, USA*Engage Endorse Baucus Bill Aimed at Reforming U.S. Cuba Policy

Washington, DC – The National Foreign Trade Council (NFTC) and USA*Engage today endorsed a bill introduced late yesterday by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus – the Promoting American Agricultural and Medical Exports to Cuba Act of 2009 (S.1089) – which would facilitate U.S. agricultural and medical exports to Cuba and lift the travel ban for U.S. citizens.

“The NFTC and USA*Engage applaud Senator Baucus and the bipartisan group of co-sponsors for their leadership in advocating for a new approach to U.S. Cuba policy,” said NFTC President and USA*Engage Co-Chair Bill Reinsch. “The proposed provisions will not only benefit the American farmers and medical device and pharmaceutical manufacturers who will enjoy the advantages of better market access, but also the people of Cuba who could reap the benefits of new humanitarian imports and the opportunity to interact with Americans.”

The legislation would make a number of important changes to U.S. policy. The bill would:

  • Restore the right of all Americans to travel to Cuba;
  • Repeal a special interest provision known as Section 211 that violates international intellectual property rules;
  • Redefine the definition of the payment term known as “cash-in-advance” to its original Congressional intent under the 2000 Trade Sanctions and Reform Act;
  • Authorize direct transfers between U.S. and Cuban Banks for agricultural exports;
  • Require USDA to promote U.S. agricultural exports to Cuba;
  • Advocate for the issuance of U.S. visas related to agricultural exports; and
  • Remove impediment to exports of medical products from the United States to Cuba.
“We welcome Senator Baucus’ bill and leadership,” said NFTC Vice President for Global Trade Issues Jake Colvin. “This bill would advance trade with and travel to Cuba, which will result in the kind of contact and citizen diplomacy that is good for the American and Cuban people.”

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 policy-makers, 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 world wide.

About the NFTC

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.
 

Major Industry Associations Urge Immediate Senate Action on the Miscellaneous Tariff Bill

Washington, DC – The Manufacturing Tariff Bill Coalition was joined by several other major business groups in transmitting a letter to the Senate Finance Committee strongly urging them to begin their work on the Miscellaneous Tariff Bill (MTB). The MTB provides critical duty relief to U.S. manufacturers by removing tariffs on vital production inputs that have no competitive products or domestic suppliers within the U.S. Economy.

In a letter transmitted to the Chair and Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee as well as the Senate Majority and Republican leaders, the Manufacturing Tariff Bill Coalition urged for swift action on the MTB, stating: “At a time of economic turmoil, American manufacturers cannot afford higher costs resulting from an outdated tariff code. Therefore, it is essential that the Senate Finance Committee move promptly to commence the process of consideration of the next MTB.” The letter further stated that the House Ways and Means Committee is currently drafting a bill with a markup anticipated in the near future.

Since the early 1980s, the House Ways and Means and Senate Finance committees have incorporated temporary duty suspensions into larger pieces of legislation known as miscellaneous tariff bills (MTBs). The last MTB legislation was passed during the 109th Congress and included temporary duty suspension on approximately 680 products until December 31, 2009. During the 110th Congress, duty suspensions on roughly 800 products were introduced in the House, but MTB legisla¬tion did not pass before Congress adjourned. Extending existing duty suspensions and enacting new legislation in the first session of the 111th Congress would help ease some of the economic difficulties facing U.S. manufacturers. It is imperative that Congress act expeditiously to pass an MTB to ensure the vitality and competitiveness of American manufacturers.

The Manufacturing Tariff Bill Coalition was joined on this letter by the American Chemistry Council, the Association of Equipment Manufacturers, the Business Roundtable, the Emergency Committee For American Trade, the National Association of Manufacturers, and the National Foreign Trade Council.

NFTC Welcomes USTR Signals on Trans-Pacific Partnership

Washington, DC – In response to press reports of Ambassador Ron Kirk’s statements indicating that the United States will go ahead with negotiations to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), which already comprises Brunei, Chile, New Zealand and Singapore and is seeking to add the U.S., Peru, Australia and Vietnam, National Foreign Trade Council (NFTC) Vice President for Regional Trade Initiatives Chuck Dittrich issued the following statement:

“If press reports are accurate, this is indeed good news and the NFTC and its members strongly support Ambassador Kirk’s vision for using the TPP negotiations as a means to expand our commercial engagement with the Asia-Pacific region.

“The strategy that seems to be emerging from USTR is to engage our trading partners on a multitude of levels, including enforcement of existing agreements and resolution of long-standing disputes. Engaging early on through the TPP to develop a creative approach to a plurilateral and comprehensive market opening initiative in the Asia-Pacific region jump starts this Administration’s strategy and signals to our trading partners that the United States is serious about expanding markets for American
products and services.

“Starting negotiations this year through the TPP will lay the groundwork for an even more productive Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) conference hosted by the United States in 2011.

“We look forward to official confirmation from USTR on the status of the TPP initiative.”

About the NFTC

Advancing Global Commerce for 95 Years – 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.

 

NFTC Welcomes Administration’s Plans for Action on U.S. Trade Agenda

Washington, DC – In response to remarks delivered this afternoon by U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Foreign Trade Council (NFTC) released the following statement.

“The NFTC welcomes Ambassador Kirk’s remarks on trade and the increasing attention that the Obama Administration is devoting to advancing America’s global economic interests. NFTC supports the Administration’s path forward on trade, including its attempt to secure meaningful market access as part of a Doha agreement and concluding free trade agreements with Panama, Colombia and Korea,” said NFTC Vice President for Global Trade Issues Jake Colvin. “We applaud the Administration’s intention to engage all stakeholders on trade, including those Americans who are more skeptical of the benefits and aware of the costs. As NFTC’s work with groups like the Center for Global Development, Oxfam, the ONE campaign and the U.S. Conference on Catholic Bishops demonstrates, it is not just American businesses who care about trade.”

“Ambassador Kirk’s speech was a timely reminder that if all politics is local, then our engagement in trade politics in America today must start at the local level, convincing all Americans of the vital role free trade plays in the economic survival and recovery of the U.S. economy,” said NFTC Vice President for Regional Trade Initiatives Chuck Dittrich. “We welcome his renewed commitment to finding a way forward on the important trade issues of the day, and we urge the Administration and Congress to move forward on these efforts without delay, starting with immediately sending forward to Congress the U.S.-Panama FTA.”

About the NFTC

Advancing Global Commerce for 95 Years – 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.