Blog

By Isaac Faz, Acting Assistant USTR for Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Engagement

Today, Ambassador Kirk hosted the Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations (ACTPN) at its biannual meeting in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. Ambassador Kirk reviewed the work of the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) over the last year, and also touched on its continuing efforts to negotiate the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), expand trade opportunities in Africa, and enhance trade enforcement with the help of the newly formed Interagency Trade Enforcement Center (ITEC).

Harold "Terry" McGraw of McGraw-Hill Companies moderates Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations Conference

Director of the National Economic Council Gene Sperling and Deputy National Security Advisor Michael Froman delivered trade-related updates to the Committee as well. Director Sperling spoke on the need to do everything we can to strengthen America’s economic recovery while maintaining long-term fiscal discipline, and to ensure that we invest in infrastructure, skills, and research and technology. Deputy National Security Advisor Froman addressed ongoing international trade initiatives, and reiterated the importance of granting permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) to Russia. Establishing PNTR with Russia will ensure that U.S. businesses, workers, and innovators can reap the full benefits of Russia’s membership in the World Trade Organization (WTO).

Ambassador Kirk speaks at this year's second ACTPN meeting.

Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Demetrios Marantis, Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Miriam Sapiro, USTR General Counsel Tim Reif, and Director of ITEC Brad Ward all provided additional input for the committee members. During the open discussion, members asked specific questions on a range of topics that included China, the TPP, a potential trade agreement with the European Union, and the recently implemented trade agreement with Colombia.

In closing, Ambassador Kirk thanked the members for their service and noted that October 11, 2012, was the 50th Anniversary of USTR, which was established in 1962 by President John F. Kennedy.

Last Friday, United States Trade Representative Ron Kirk traveled to Miami to discuss how President Obama’s trade and economic agenda is supporting more jobs for people in Florida and across the country. In the morning, he participated in a White House Business Council meeting with local business leaders at Miami Dade College. The discussions focused on a variety of topics that impact businesses in Florida, including passage and entry into force of the new trade agreements with South Korea, Colombia and Panama, as well as the importance of infrastructure.

Later in the morning, Ambassador Kirk spoke to and took questions from members of the Beacon Council – a Miami-based non-profit that helps to attract and keep businesses in the Miami area. The conversation focused on President Obama’s plan to grow American jobs and strengthen the middle class through increased exports of ‘Made in America’ products. Ambassador Kirk highlighted the key trade policy accomplishments of the Obama Administration, and the positive impact they’ve had on employment rates and growth of exports for the Miami region.

“In terms of trade, we are opening up markets abroad so that leaders like you can expand your businesses internationally,” Ambassador Kirk said in his remarks. “Goods exports from the greater Miami region were up more than 20 percent last year to $43.1 billion overall. That total includes, for example, $10.2 billion worth of computers and electronic products, $5.8 billion worth of transportation equipment, and $3.8 billion worth of machinery,” he said.

“More importantly, those dollar amounts support real paychecks for tens of thousands of Floridians working in export industries. And we are working to help you do even better,” said Ambassador Kirk.

After his speech at the Beacon Council, Ambassador Kirk participated in a roundtable meeting with The Council of the Americas, where the group discussed enforcement issues, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), and the addition of new TPP member countries Mexico and Canada. They also talked about the economic relationship between the U.S. and Brazil.

Ambassador Kirk’s visit to Miami highlights the Obama Administration’s commitment to ensuring that ’Made in America’ remain the most powerful brand in the world, and that the United States remains the best place in the world to innovate, invest, build a business or get a job.

Earlier this month, the U.S. Association of Small Business Development Centers (ASBDC) held its annual conference in New Orleans, and Deputy Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Small Business Christina Sevilla was on hand to highlight some of the early successes of the Obama Administration’s Small Business Network of the Americas (SBNA) initiative. The SBNA seeks to link U.S. Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) and the clients they serve to similar small business support centers and networks in partner countries through online trade platforms and business competitions.

Taking a key step forward, representatives from the ASBDC, the University of Texas San Antonio Institute for Economic Development, and Brazil's Micro and Small Enterprise Service (SEBRAE) signed a Memorandum of Understanding to link their trade platforms and clients on a central website (www.SBDCglobal.com). This platform is expanding to include international SBDCs in Mexico, Central America, Colombia, and the Caribbean, and will help small businesses take better advantage of trade agreements between the United States and countries in the region.

Deputy Assistant U.S. Trade Representative Christina Sevilla speaks to the U.S.
Association of Small Business Development Centers International Interests section

Precision 2000, a small general contracting and construction management business based in Atlanta, Georgia, is already benefitting from these new developments. Precision 2000’s CEO, Guiomar Obregon, received strategic advice and export counseling from Rick Martin and Antonio Barrios of the Georgia SBDC network at University of Georgia and Kennesaw State University. Obregon and her workforce have used this guidance to actively pursue construction contracts in the Colombian market, and she anticipates that contracts secured for construction services in Colombia will help Precision 2000 support jobs in Georgia.

Mickey Conway, a Colombian-American business development specialist at the Clemson University SBDC at Greenwood, is also looking to use the SBNA to help U.S. small businesses expand to Latin America. He hopes that “the expansion of the SBDC network to Latin America can create new business contacts for South Carolina companies.” Conway is organizing a visit to Colombia, the United States’ newest trade agreement partner, by a delegation of South Carolina and Arkansas SBDC counselors and small businesses owners, who hope to explore and pursue trade opportunities there.

By Kate Villarreal, Press Assistant 

On Friday, the Office of the United States Trade Representative and interagency partners convened a public hearing to receive testimony on Mexico’s inclusion in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).

Counselor and Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Trade Policy and Economics Doug Bell presided over the proceedings. He opened the hearing by inviting stakeholders to give testimony to be shared with interagency panel members and TPP negotiators. Barbara Weisel, Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, and John Melle, Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for the Americas, also participated.

Members of the public hear testimony at the TPP Mexico Hearing

Ten speakers from a range of stakeholder groups gave testimony, addressing issues related to agriculture, intellectual property rights, labor, manufacturing, and other areas. Witnesses included members of the Sweetener Users Association, the USA Poultry and Egg Export Council, the National Chicken Council, Knowledge Ecology International, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, the International Intellectual Property Alliance, Coalition for a Prosperous America, the Association of Global Automakers, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the AFL-CIO.

A representative from the International Intellectual Property Alliance testifies at the TPP Mexico Hearing

Following each testimony, USTR representatives and agency counterparts asked questions to clarify stakeholder concerns. At the hearing’s conclusion, Assistant USTR Bell said comments would be taken back to the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiators.

Representatives from Knowledge Ecology International testify at the TPP Mexico Hearing

Friday’s hearing follows last week’s conclusion of the most recent TPP negotiating round in Leesburg, Virginia. A full transcript of the hearing will be posted on ustr.gov as soon as it’s available.