Trade
 |
A crisis in trade finance – credit used to cover delivery and receipt of goods – is contributing to a general drop in trade. Several countries are joining together to solve the problem.
Our sister site, America.gov, presents this feature on Trade issues. |
22 December 2009 Trade Rep. Praises WTO Decision Against China on Movies, Music The United States praised a decision by an international trade appeals panel that many of China’s restrictions on imported movies, books and music violate global trade rules.
09 December 2009 Anti-Bribery Convention Has Made a Difference Bribing public officials to obtain business advantages in international transactions carries a stigma and exposes corporations and their executives to an increased risk of successful prosecution, thanks to the OECD Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions.
15 November 2009 APEC
Leaders Agree on Sustainable Growth Strategies President Obama says quick, coordinated, unprecedented actions by many of the leaders in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum helped pull the global economy
back from the brink of a deeper recession, but now is the time to begin putting
balanced economic growth strategies in place. “Economies around the world
are beginning to grow again. And we are on the path to recovery,” Obama
said November 15 at the 17th annual APEC forum being held in Singapore.
• President
Obama’s Remarks at APEC Leaders' Summit
16 October 2009 World Trade Body Membership
Tops U.S. Trade Agenda for Russia Seeing Russia join the World Trade Organization tops the
U.S. trade agenda for Russia, says a senior U.S. official. By early summer,
hopes were high that a common understanding had been reached as to what Russia
needed to do to become a member of the WTO. But everything changed on June
9, when Russia’s prime minister, Vladimir Putin, announced
that Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan would withdraw their individual applications
to join the trade organization and make a joint bid for membership, said Betsy
Hafner, director for Russia and Eurasia at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.
16 October 2009 Clinton: China, Russia
Trade Pacts Show Economic Interdependence Trade agreements
recently announced between China and Russia, including a mammoth natural
gas arrangement, illustrate a world of greater economic interdependence and
interconnectedness, and a world vastly different from the Cold War period
of the 20th century, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says in a
recent Moscow interview.
13 October 2009 USTR Kirk Says Services Trade Plan Essential to Trade Talks Creating new market opportunities for international services trade is essential to a successful conclusion of the 2001 Doha round of trade-liberalization talks by the end of 2010, U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk said. "We know that the biggest gains to the global economy are likely to derive from multilateral services liberalization, but the offers on the table right now fail to deliver on that promise," Kirk
said at the Global Services Summit held in Washington.
12 August 2009 Trade Panel Tells China to Allow More U.S. Entertainment Imports A World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute-settlement panel upheld a United States claim against China, saying China has not acted consistently with its international trade obligations because it places restrictions on the import and distribution of U.S. films, music, books and other copyrighted products. The decision could reduce the market for counterfeit and pirated products in China.
17 July 2009 Trade Representative Announces New Enforcement Measures The U.S. will take a tougher stance in protecting its rights in the global trading system, U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk says. "New trade agreements can still open markets to U.S. goods and services, and so they are an important part of our mission," Kirk said before steelworkers in Pittsburgh.
14 July 2009 Regional Trade Hubs Help Foster U.S.-Africa Trade The United States operates four regional trade and competiveness hubs in sub-Saharan Africa. They aim to assist, enhance and broaden the flow of trade between the United States and the region, both inside and outside the terms of the historic African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).
14 July 2009 U.S.-Africa Trade Increased 28 Percent in 2008 U.S. trade with sub-Saharan Africa, exports plus imports, increased 28 percent in 2008 and U.S. imports under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) are becoming increasingly diversified, according to a just-released profile of U.S.-Africa trade trends.
25 June 2009 United States Seeks Expanded Economic Growth in Africa A central objective of U.S. trade relations with sub-Saharan Africa is to create a platform for expanded African economic growth, says a senior U.S. trade official. "Sub-Saharan Africa's current share of global trade is less than 2 percent, down from 6 percent in 1980," Assistant U.S. Trade Representative Florizelle Liser testified June 24 at a congressional hearing.
01 June 2009 U.S., China Cooperating to Help Shape Global Economic Recovery Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner says China and the United States are working together to help shape a global strategy to contain the current economic crisis and lay a foundation for a rapid recovery. In a speech at Peking University, Geithner said the combined aggressive policy actions of China, the U.S. and other major economies have helped to slow the pace of economic deterioration, repair the financial system and improve confidence for the business sector.
29 May 2009 Trade Finance Drought Forces Exporters to Find Alternatives
Where credit is still available, it is harder to get due to higher costs, increased scrutiny and heightened rivalry among firms for shrinking financing. Significantly higher costs of credit and credit guarantees put private-sector financing out of reach for many small and medium-size businesses. In some instances in China, Turkey, Pakistan, Argentina and Bangladesh, the cost of a letter of credit — the most common form of trade financing — has doubled or tripled, according to the International Chamber of Commerce.
22 May 2009 U.S. Trade Representative Underscores Safety of U.S. Meat Exports Trade, particularly trade in agricultural products, can be a "powerful contributor to the revival of the U.S. and global economies," according to U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Ron Kirk. In a May 22 speech to the U.S. Meat Export Federation in Washington, Kirk underscored the safety of U.S. meat products and recapped some recent developments in the global marketplace that make it easier for American ranchers and farmers to help feed the families of the world.
14 May 2009 USTR Kirk Says a New Path for Trade Talks May Be Needed U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk says the Obama administration is committed to efforts to expand global trade, but the World Trade Organization may need to consider a new path to conclude long-stalled negotiations.
14 May 2009 Statement on U.S.-EU Beef Hormone Agreement Agreement provides U.S. beef producers increased access to EU market.
23 April 2009 United States Will Push for Increased Trade Liberalization The Obama administration will work for the successful completion of the long-running Doha round of world trade talks and for congressional passage of three free-trade agreements, says U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk.
23 April 2009 International Monetary Fund Sees Global Economic Decline in 2009 The global economy will contract by 1.3 percent in 2009 in the most severe recession since World War II, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) reported April 22 in its World Economic Outlook. But with strong economic policies that instill confidence, especially in the banking sector, growth can return in the advanced countries in early 2010, and unemployment may start showing signs of diminishing at the end of 2010, according to the report.
10 March 2009 Near Confirmation, U.S. Trade Nominee Doesn’t Have Deal Fever Ronald Kirk, a former Democratic mayor of Dallas, cruised through a Senate confirmation hearing March 9, advancing one step closer to becoming the nation’s first African-American U.S. trade representative.
02 March 2009 Office of the U.S. Trade Representative Releases 2009 Trade Policy Agenda and 2008 Annual Report [PDF]
Intellectual Property Rights
Intellectual Property Rights
An America.gov Web Site
2005 Special 301 Report
2005 Special 301 report Full text.
2006 Foreign Trade Barriers Report
2006 National Trade Estimate Report on Foreign Trade Barriers Full text.
Trade Basics and Statistics
See Ready Reference: the U.S. in Statistics
| 
Trade
