Washington — The United States is building on the strength of existing trade agreements while “striving for even more robust commitments that can be supported ever more widely,” U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk says.
“We’re headed in the right direction with growing momentum. We are advancing an ambitious trade agenda, opening up markets while being more responsive to the needs and concerns of American businesses, workers and families,” Kirk said in prepared remarks April 28 to the Washington International Trade Association.
Kirk underscored the importance of trade in helping individuals through the economic recovery, both in the United States and across the globe.
“Trade can and should enable economic development, helping poor families around the world while at the same time fostering the growth of new markets for U.S. products,” he said.
Kirk said his office is making progress to meet President Obama’s goal of doubling U.S. exports by the end of 2014. He said exports were up 17 percent in 2010 and that increased exports have contributed to 13 straight months of private sector job growth, adding a total of 1.8 million jobs.
Kirk highlighted other steps taken in 2010, including resolving key trade concerns with Russia as the United States worked to help Russia advance toward accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO). He said Russia is the largest economy outside the WTO, and bringing the country into the organization “gets them into a rules-based system where we have more tools to ward off problems and to address them once they arise.”
Kirk said the United States is also making “steady progress” in preparing free-trade agreements with South Korea, Colombia and Panama. In December 2010, he said, the United States successfully concluded negotiations with South Korea to provide “market access and a level playing field for U.S. auto workers and manufacturers.”
Obama and Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos agreed to a labor-rights action plan in March that will allow the two to move forward with a free-trade agreement, Kirk said. In April, Panama completed the remaining steps regarding tax and labor issues necessary for the United States to move forward with a trade deal there.
The U.S. trade chief said in addition to pursuing ambitious goals for greater market access, the United States is “seeking high standards to foster and protect innovation, to reduce nontariff barriers to trade, and to respect and protect labor rights and the environment.”
Kirk called on key partners, including emerging economies, to work with the United States to find trade solutions that make sense for the 21st-century economy.