USTR Issues its 2010 "Year in Review"
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative has posted its “2010 Year in Review,” which highlights USTR’s efforts to advance the U.S.’ economic recovery and create new jobs through trade.
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Highlights of the USTR’s efforts in 2010 include the following:
National Export Initiative Has Led to Increased Exports
Boosted by an ambitious National Export Initiative, U.S. goods and services exports have increased by 17% since this time last year. As part of the President’s Export Promotion Cabinet, USTR was instrumental in shaping key National Export Initiative goals, including opening foreign markets, reducing barriers to trade, and enforcing U.S. trade agreements.
Revised U.S.-Korea FTA to Address Autos
On December 3, 2010, President Obama announced that USTR had successfully negotiated a better deal for the U.S. automotive sector as part of an effort to advance the pending U.S.-Korea free trade agreement. New measures will give U.S. auto manufacturers more access to the Korean market and a level playing field to take advantage of that access.
The FTA also strengthens the U.S.’ ability to support and defend manufacturing jobs in the U.S. It will increase exports of U.S. agricultural products and open Korea’s $560 billion services market to U.S. companies.
(See ITT’s Online Archives or 12/06/10 news, 10120628, for BP summary of the U.S. and Korea resolving the remaining KORUS FTA issues.)
Finalized ACTA Text
This year USTR and partner countries representing more than half of global trade finalized the text of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA). The agreement is a new tool to fight the global scourge of counterfeiting and piracy.
(See ITT’s Online Archives or 12/17/10 news, 10121728, for BP summary of USTR seeking comments on the final text of the ACTA.)
Groundwork Laid for 2011 TPP Market Access Discussions
Talks in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) have moved forward quickly in 2010. The groundwork is laid for 2011 market access discussions, and innovative proposals are advancing on integrating small businesses into Asia-Pacific supply chains, regulatory coherence, and other cross-cutting issues not tackled in previous trade agreements. Malaysia has joined the talks, Vietnam is participating as a full member and several other countries have begun preliminary consultations with the U.S. on joining.
(See ITT’s Online Archives or 12/13/10 news, 10121201, for BP summary on the 4th round of TPP talks concluding, where groups finalized technical details necessary to prepare initial goods market access offers.)
Improved Trade with China
Through this year’s U.S.-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT), USTR made progress on issues of concern to U.S. doing business with China. China committed to:
- Implement new measures to enforce intellectual property rights
- Eliminate discriminatory “indigenous innovation” criteria used to select industrial equipment for preferential treatment
- Provide openness, non-discrimination, and transparency in China’s smart grid market, and cooperation on smart grid standards
- Ensure there is no discrimination in government procurement decisions based on where the intellectual property component of the products was developed, as well as no discrimination against innovative products made by foreign suppliers operating in China, and a commitment to accelerate China’s accession to the WTO’s Government Procurement Agreement
- Resumption of talks on beef market access with the goal of re-opening China’s market in early 2011
(See ITT’s Online Archives or 12/16/10 and 12/20/10 news, 10121638 and 10122028, for BP summaries of the JCCT meeting.)
Reopened Russia’s Market for U.S. Poultry
Reacting to a January ban on U.S. poultry exports, USTR negotiators reached an agreement that restored shipments to Russia in August. Thanks to these efforts, total poultry exports in 2010 reached about 260,000 tons (approximately $250 million). USTR and Department of Agriculture also successfully prevented Russia from banning the import of frozen poultry meat.
Reopened China’s Market for U.S. Pork
China imposed a ban on U.S. exports of pork product in April 2009, ostensibly related to its concern about the transmission of the H1N1 influenza virus. USTR played an active role in pressing China to remove its H1N1-related bans on U.S. pork products, which allowed pork shipments to resume in May 2010.
Increased Beef Exports to Europe
During the first year of the U.S.-EU beef agreement negotiated by USTR in 2009, U.S. ranchers exported nearly 10,000 tons (approximately $100 million) of high-quality U.S. beef to that market. U.S. beef exports to the EU have not reached this level since the EU hormone ban went into effect in January 1989.
Averted Imposition of Retaliatory Measures from Brazil
USTR averted the imposition by Brazil of more than $800 million in retaliatory measures targeting U.S. industrial and agricultural products by finding a path forward in the WTO dispute involving export credit guarantees for U.S. agricultural exports and domestic supports for upland cotton.
This included more than $560 million in higher tariffs against U.S. exports which were scheduled to go into effect on June 21, 2010, as well as possible countermeasures on U.S. intellectual property. Brazil’s proposed retaliation list included U.S. manufactured products, such as motor vehicles, medicines, chemicals, and cosmetics, and agricultural products such as wheat, fruits, pork, food preparations and dairy products.