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Office of the U.S. Trade Representative
Ambassador Ron Kirk | Executive Office of the President | www.ustr.gov http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=6lcilzcab&et=1108942904440&s=9878&e=001BqhnlKP61--N3ZNense4BoLj1Mjpt7aWwNjBbZVobGBxS0gMrTI4ht5JgPM3ZXCTGasmkbziczKxg98Z1vl11ZqstsBT8cLfmGrn4y7URtc=
Office of Intergovernmental Affairs & Public Engagement | 202.395.6120 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
December 9, 2011
Volume 112 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Announcements for the Week of Dec. 4- Dec. 9, 2011 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Additional Strides Made at Tenth Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Round
December 9 - The United States and its TPP partners - Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Chile, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam - concluded the tenth round of negotiations today in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia today, making additional strides on the path toward conclusion of a comprehensive, next-generation trade agreement. Through this agreement, the United States is seeking to boost U.S. economic growth and support the creation and retention of high-quality jobs by increasing American exports to a region that holds great potential for U.S. workers, manufacturers, farmers, and ranchers.
The nine teams convened in Malaysia following the successful meeting of TPP Leaders in Honolulu in mid-November, at which they announced the achievement of the broad outlines of an agreement and directed negotiators to redouble their efforts to conclude the agreement. Only selected negotiating groups met this week for the mini-round, including rules of origin, services, investment, and intellectual property. Some teams negotiating the tariff packages on industrial goods, agricultural and textiles also met bilaterally. All made further progress in narrowing gaps on issues in the legal texts and market access packages they are seeking to develop.
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To Protect American Jobs, United States Announces Next Step in China Dispute
December 8 - United States Trade Representative Ron Kirk announced today that the United States is requesting that the World Trade Organization (WTO) establish a dispute settlement panel to address China's imposition of antidumping (AD) duties and countervailing duties (CVD) on imports of chicken "broiler products" from the United States. China imposed these duties in August and September of 2010, claiming that U.S. broiler products were subsidized and sold at less than fair value (i.e., "dumped") into the Chinese market. Prior to the imposition of these duties, the United States was the largest exporter of broiler products to China. Since the imposition of duties, U.S. exports have fallen by nearly 90 percent.
"The United States will not stand idly by while China appears to have misused its trade remedy laws and put American jobs at risk," said Ambassador Kirk.
"We are serious about holding China accountable to its WTO commitments and ensuring that there is a level playing field for American businesses - including our farmers."
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Update on Implementation of Free Trade Agreements with Korea, Colombia, and Panama
December 5 - Please be advised that U.S. and Korean working-level officials are meeting in Washington, DC today and tomorrow to discuss implementation issues regarding the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement. This meeting is part of our ongoing implementation work with Korea that to date has included videoconferences and exchanges of information on laws and regulations. This meeting follows the November 22 approval of the agreement by Korea's National Assembly and recent Congressional approval in the United States.
USTR is working with all three new FTA partner countries toward bringing agreements into force. USTR is currently in the process of receiving and translating materials from Colombia regarding steps necessary to bring that agreement into force; U.S. officials are working with the Government of Panama regarding materials that need to be submitted by Panama to enable us to assess necessary steps as well. USTR officials also traveled to Colombia and Panama for meetings on Nov. 8-9 to launch FTA implementation work.
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USTR Green Paper on Conservation and Trans-Pacific Partnership
December 5 - Each year, billions of dollars in illegally harvested or taken wildlife and wild plant products move across borders, often through the activities of global criminal networks that also trade in illicit arms and drugs. This global trafficking problem has implications for world trade and the environment, and the United States views the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) , a regional agreement that it is negotiating with Australia, Brunei, Chile, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam, as a unique opportunity to tackle this issue and other trade-related environmental challenges. As they advance their common interests in enhancing trade and investment and promoting economic growth and jobs, the TPP partners can include as an integral part of this strategy a coordinated response to harmful illegal wildlife and wild plant trade.
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USTR.gov ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ambassador Kirk Discusses Policy Priorities with Trade Advisory Committee on Africa
December 8 - On December 7, Ambassador Ron Kirk met with members of the Trade Advisory Committee on Africa (TACA) to discuss the ways in which the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) plans to advance the Obama Administration's African trade policy agenda. The TACA, comprised of 19 representatives from the private sector, civil society, and academia, is tasked with providing the USTR with policy advice on issues involving trade and investment in sub-Saharan Africa.
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Ambassador Kirk Meets with Industry Trade Advisory Committee
December 8 - On December 1, Ambassador Ron Kirk spoke before members of the Industry Trade Advisory Committee (ITAC) at their annual plenary meeting. At the meeting, he briefed the ITAC members on a number of trade related issues. These initiatives included the successful passage of the trade agreements with Korea, Colombia, and Panama, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings hosted by President Obama in Hawaii, and his recent trip to China as co-chair of the 22nd session of the U.S.-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT).
Ambassador Kirk highlighted how the recently signed trade agreements benefit American businesses and workers by opening new markets abroad and supporting jobs at home. The agreements are significant achievements that will help the Obama Administration reach the goal of the President's National Export Initiative to double American exports by the end of 2014. The agreements will also boost the presence of American goods in global markets, protect intellectual property rights, and support tens of thousands of jobs here at home. These agreements, which received bipartisan support in Congress, included a renewed Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) that provides training and support for American workers who are displaced by increased global competition.
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Trans-Pacific Partnership Negotiations Take Place in Kuala Lumpur
December 7 - The 10th round of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations are currently taking place in Kuala Lumpur. Negotiators from the nine TPP member countries - Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Chile, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United States and Vietnam - traveled to Malaysia over the weekend to continue their work intended to create an agreement that tackles conventional trade concerns in new ways, deals with cross-cutting issues not previously addressed in trade agreements, and tackles emerging trade challenges. This agreement will benefit from an unprecedented level of input throughout the process from stakeholders with a wide array of views on the full range of issues under negotiation.
Over the course of this week, negotiators will meet on the following issues: cross-border trade in services, investment, intellectual property rights, and rules of origin. Negotiators will also meet bilaterally on market access issues.
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Weekly Trade Spotlight: Counterfeit Products This Holiday Season
December 5 - With the holiday season rapidly approaching, the staff at USTR is excited to participate in the gift giving tradition shared by millions of Americans. However, as you head out to shop and begin crossing items off your list, keep in mind the importance of making responsible purchases by avoiding counterfeit and pirated products.
Intellectual property theft is hardly a victimless crime. In 2009, U.S. companies lost approximately $48 billion due to counterfeiting, piracy, and other violations of intellectual property rights in China alone, according to surveys by the U.S. International Trade Commission. Intellectual property theft damages not only our nation's entrepreneurs and innovators but everyone involved in the production process, from artists and writers to technicians, janitors and caterers.
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IN THIS ISSUE ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Additional Strides Made at Tenth Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Round
To Protect American Jobs, United States Announces Next Step in Dispute Against China
Update on Implementation of Free Trade Agreements with Korea, Colombia, and Panama USTR Green Paper on Conservation and the Trans-Pacific Partnership
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USTR.gov ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ambassador Kirk Discusses Policy Priorities with Trade Advisory Committee on Africa
Trans-Pacific Partnership Negotiations Take Place in Kuala Lumpur
Weekly Trade Spotlight: Avoiding Counterfeit Products This Holiday Season
Ambassador Kirk Meets with Industry Trade Advisory Committee ================================================================================
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RECENT EVENTS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ambassadors Kirk and Sapiro participated in the Transatlantic Economic Council (TEC) meetings
Ambassador Kirk met with the EU Energy Commissioner, Gunther Oettinger
Ambassador Kirk delivered remarks at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Ambassador Kirk co-chaired a meeting of the Labor Advisory Committee (LAC) with Secretary Solis
Ambassador Sapiro met with German State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology, Jochen Homann
Ambassador Kirk co-chaired a meeting of the Industry Trade Advisory Committee (ITAC) with Secretary Bryson at the Department of Commerce
Ambassador Marantis participated in a meeting of the Rwandan Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) Council
Ambassador Kirk held an event with officials from the Rwandan government to highlight the recently approved U.S.-Rwanda Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT)
DAUSTR for Small Business Market Access and Industrial Competitiveness Christina Sevilla and DAUSTR for Telecommunications and ECommerce Policy Jonathan McHale spoke to a symposium on US small technology businesses and exports hosted by IEEE-USA and Sen. Olympia Snowe's office.
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