Washington, DC – The National Foreign Trade Council (NFTC) today urged President Obama to use the occasion of his historic visit to Asia next week to move forward with negotiations to join the Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership Agreement (TPP). In a
letter sent to the president, U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk and Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke, NFTC President Bill Reinsch outlined the economic benefits of advancing the negotiations, including the opportunity to increase U.S. exports, generate jobs for America’s workforce and advance trans-Pacific economic integration.
Reinsch wrote the following:
“…The NFTC strongly supports deepening ties and expanding the scope of our economic and strategic relations with trading partners in the Asia-Pacific region, starting with the negotiation of a TPP with Singapore, Chile, New Zealand, Brunei Darussalam, Australia, Peru and Vietnam. The TPP is an ambitious effort to craft a high-standard plurilateral FTA spanning three continents.
“APEC economies are among the most dynamic in the world and the nations who have signed on to negotiate this next broader phase of the TPP are those willing to move forward to further reduce barriers to trade and investment. As a stimulus to recover from the global economic crisis and increase U.S. exports and create high quality American jobs, the TPP negotiation is “shovel ready” to begin and sends a strong message to the world that American workers, farmers, ranchers and business will not sit on the sidelines as the rest of the region moves forward with market opening initiatives to assure their nations’ advantage in global supply chains.”
In conclusion, Reinsch warned that the parties to the agreement will move ahead with or without the United States, and implored the president to indicate America’s willingness to forge ahead with the negotiations.
To read a full copy of the letter, please click here.
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About the NFTC
Advancing Global Commerce for Over95 Years – The National Foreign Trade Council 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.
