Emergency Committee For American Trade

ECAT Urges Negotiation of High-Standard, 21st Century Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement

News Release January 25, 2010

For Immediate Release Contact: Marc Fricchione

202.659.5147

ECAT URGES NEGOTIATION OF HIGH-STANDARD, 21^ST-CENTURY TRANS-PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT

Will Open New Markets and Create New Platform for Growth in Dynamic Asia-Pacific Region

Washington, D.C., January 25, 2010: Calman Cohen, President of the Emergency Committee for American Trade (ECAT), issued the following statement in connecting with ECAT’s submission of detailed comments to the Office of the United States Trade Representative on negotiations to establish a Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement with the countries of Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Chile, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam:

“ECAT strongly welcomes the United States’ intention to create a new economic and strategic partnership and platform for economic growth in the Asia-Pacific region through the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations. As detailed in ECAT’s submission to USTR, these negotiations present an important opportunity to jumpstart U.S. export growth and America’s ability to open new markets that are vital for America’s farmers, manufacturers, and service providers and their workers. As countries throughout Asia continue to negotiate trade deals that exclude the United States, the TPP becomes even more important to secure a level playing field and set the framework for trade and investment liberalization that will benefit America.

“Negotiating and entering into a commercially meaningful TPP will not only open new markets, it also will set strong standards, harmonize key rules and enhance U.S. engagement with the economically and strategically important Asia-Pacific corridor. Together, the TPP countries already represent the United States’ sixth-largest trading partner, with two-way goods trade in 2008 of nearly $132 billion. To ensure the strongest possible benefits, ECAT advocates new attention to such key issues as supply chains and regulatory barriers, as well as high standards on key provisions from investment, intellectual property and competition policy to market access across all sectors of the economy.

“ECAT looks forward to working with Congress and the Administration on a strong, high-standard agreement that will create greater opportunities for American enterprises and workers.”

# # #

Founded in 1967, ECAT is an organization of the heads of leading U.S. international business enterprises representing all major sectors of the American economy. Their annual worldwide sales exceed $2.7 trillion and they employ more than 6.4 million persons. ECAT’s purpose is to promote economic growth through the expansion of international trade and investment.

Attached Document(s): 01-25-10 ECAT Comments on Trans-Pacific Negotiations.pdf
01-25-10 ECAT Urges Negotiation of High-Standard, 21st-Century TPP.pdf