Emergency Committee For American Trade - Publications

Introduction

Over the last century, the United States, now the world’s largest trading nation, has enjoyed enormous prosperity in large part because of the trade and investment policies it adopted in 1934 and thereafter. Over the last decade alone, U.S. exports have accounted for approximately 30 percent of U.S. economic growth and have contributed significantly to the high standard of living enjoyed by American workers and their families. Imports have improved the variety and availability of products throughout the United States, have increased the competitiveness of U.S. companies, and have been a significant factor in dampening inflationary pressures. Trade and investment not only support U.S. prosperity, they promote greater economic growth, freedom, and stability throughout the world. As detailed in ECAT’s 2003 study, Technology, Trade and Investment: The Public Opinion Disconnect, trade and investment drive growth in the production and use of information and communication technologies in particular – growth that has accounted for most of the acceleration in U.S. productivity, with significant effects on improving the U.S. standard of living.

In 2006, ECAT is reinvigorating its efforts to promote concrete trade and investment liberalization that supports such economic growth and new opportunities both domestically and around the world. The types of policies that ECAT supports are broad, but important. They include:

Multilateral, regional and bilateral trade and investment negotiations that create new opportunities for U.S. farmers, manufacturers and service providers;
Strong protections for U.S. investment overseas and intellectual property; and
The reform of domestic tax, sanctions and export control policies that undermine the competitiveness of U.S. companies around the world.

At the same time, ECAT will continue to oppose actively efforts to erect barriers to trade and investment around the world and here in the United States, including proposals to place WTO-violative tariffs on foreign goods entering the United States.

ECAT is committed to continuing to work with the Administration, Congress, and others in the private sector to promote negotiations, policies and legislation that benefit the United States in the realm of international trade and investment and that will help restore the consensus on the value of trade and investment liberalization.

ECAT’s most compelling priority remains the World Trade Organization (WTO) Doha Development Agenda negotiations. With the very modest results obtained in December 2005 at the WTO Ministerial in Hong Kong, 2006 represents a critical year requiring continued leadership by the United States and the participation of key WTO members in making ambitious and comprehensive offers of liberalization. ECAT will continue to support efforts to forge a strong, comprehensive agreement that eliminates critical barriers to goods, services and agricultural products and moves forward on a concrete trade-facilitation agenda. In supporting new liberalization, ECAT will also seek to promote U.S. support for the multilateral trading system that has been the primary catalyst for global economic growth for the last half century. Global economic integration cannot continue to thrive and face the challenges ahead without strong rules-based global institutions built on international consensus.

ECAT’s broader agenda includes the advancement of trade and investment liberalization through the negotiation, approval and implementation of comprehensive, commercially meaningful, and trade-oriented agreements on a bilateral, subregional and regional level. To that end, ECAT supports Congressional approval of the U.S.-Peru, U.S.-Colombia and U.S.-Oman trade agreements. ECAT will also continue its work on each individual negotiation to support comprehensive and high-standard agreements.

ECAT is particularly focused on forthcoming negotiations with Korea and with Malaysia that offer substantial opportunities, but also must address existing market barriers in each of those countries. ECAT will also carry on its leadership efforts to ensure the inclusion of strong protections for U.S. investment and intellectual property rights in future trade and investment agreements. ECAT will also accelerate its more recent efforts to work with a broad coalition of like-minded companies and associations in support of more transparent and more open government procurement markets throughout the world.

At the same time, ECAT is increasingly working to promote concrete and full implementation of commitments under agreements that have already gone into effect, from free trade agreements with Canada and Mexico and Central America, to the obligations China and others undertook when they joined the WTO.

In addition, ECAT will continue its unique role in combating efforts to impose protectionist barriers to imports or foreign investment entering the United States or to U.S. investment activity abroad. In particular, ECAT will build upon the work it has done over several decades that demonstrates the importance of global activity to the U.S. economy. It will work vigorously to combat calls for restrictions on our trading relationship with China and on foreign direct investment – restrictions that would undermine, rather than advance, U.S. commercial and economic interests.

ECAT will also continue its work to support other policies and legislation that foster trade and investment liberalization, including improvements in trade remedy rules, Customs processes and the relationship between trade and investment with other policy issues, including labor, environment, food, and health policy.

ECAT will also expand its work to support policies and legislation that will level the playing field for U.S. companies with their foreign competitors. In particular, ECAT will continue to support (1) further reform of the international provisions of the U.S. tax code and the negotiation and ratification of bilateral tax treaties with Brazil and other key countries; (2) modernization of the U.S. export control rules in a manner that promotes U.S. technological leadership while protecting national security; and (3) continued reform of U.S. unilateral sanctions laws that are ineffective and detrimental to U.S. economic interests.

ECAT’s Priorities

ECAT’s priorities for this year are:

Actively supporting concrete efforts to move forward the WTO Doha Development Agenda negotiations towards a comprehensive and ambitious result to eliminate barriers to goods, services and agriculture and foster improved trade facilitation.
Actively supporting the conclusion, Congressional approval and full implementation of comprehensive, commercially meaningful and high standard Free Trade Agreement (FTAs), including with Malaysia, Korea and other key trading partners.
Working for the timely and full implementation of the U.S.-Central America and Dominican Republic FTA and other FTAs and other trade- and investment-related agreements to ensure that the negotiated benefits of these agreements are fully realized.
Working for continued progress in the U.S.-China relationship, including through the promotion of continued commercial engagement with China and China’s full implementation of its WTO commitments, as well as other policies that will open markets to U.S. farmers, manufacturers and service providers, while opposing WTO-inconsistent and protectionist impulses here in the United States.
Promoting the adoption of the strongest possible protections for U.S. investors overseas in U.S. free trade agreements and bilateral investment treaties and opposing attempts to undermine or restrict foreign investment that supports not only U.S. commercial goals, but also our broader national economic, energy and security interests.
Promoting the development of transparent and more open government procurement markets throughout the world through FTAs, the WTO and other avenues.
Opposing efforts to adopt protectionist or trade restrictive measures domestically, including limits on the ability of U.S. negotiators to seek the widest possible improvement in WTO negotiations in all areas.
Actively promoting tax, temporary-entry and other policies that support the global operations of ECAT companies and enhance their competitiveness.


	Introduction Over the last century, the United States, now the world’s largest trading nation, has enjoyed enormous prosperity in large part because of the trade and investment policies it adopted in 1934 and thereafter. Over the last decade alone, U.S. exports have accounted for approximately 30 percent of U.S. economic growth and have contributed significantly to the high standard of living enjoyed by American workers and their families. Imports have improved the variety and availability of products throughout the United States, have increased the competitiveness of U.S. companies, and have been a significant factor in dampening inflationary pressures. Trade and investment not only support U.S. prosperity, they promote greater economic growth, freedom, and stability throughout the world. As detailed in ECAT’s 2003 study, Technology, Trade and Investment: The Public Opinion Disconnect, trade and investment drive growth in the production and use of information and communication technologies in particular – growth that has accounted for most of the acceleration in U.S. productivity, with significant effects on improving the U.S. standard of living. In 2006, ECAT is reinvigorating its efforts to promote concrete trade and investment liberalization that supports such economic growth and new opportunities both domestically and around the world. The types of policies that ECAT supports are broad, but important. They include: Multilateral, regional and bilateral trade and investment negotiations that create new opportunities for U.S. farmers, manufacturers and service providers; Strong protections for U.S. investment overseas and intellectual property; and The reform of domestic tax, sanctions and export control policies that undermine the competitiveness of U.S. companies around the world. At the same time, ECAT will continue to oppose actively efforts to erect barriers to trade and investment around the world and here in the United States, including proposals to place WTO-violative tariffs on foreign goods entering the United States. ECAT is committed to continuing to work with the Administration, Congress, and others in the private sector to promote negotiations, policies and legislation that benefit the United States in the realm of international trade and investment and that will help restore the consensus on the value of trade and investment liberalization. ECAT’s most compelling priority remains the World Trade Organization (WTO) Doha Development Agenda negotiations. With the very modest results obtained in December 2005 at the WTO Ministerial in Hong Kong, 2006 represents a critical year requiring continued leadership by the United States and the participation of key WTO members in making ambitious and comprehensive offers of liberalization. ECAT will continue to support efforts to forge a strong, comprehensive agreement that eliminates critical barriers to goods, services and agricultural products and moves forward on a concrete trade-facilitation agenda. In supporting new liberalization, ECAT will also seek to promote U.S. support for the multilateral trading system that has been the primary catalyst for global economic growth for the last half century. Global economic integration cannot continue to thrive and face the challenges ahead without strong rules-based global institutions built on international consensus. ECAT’s broader agenda includes the advancement of trade and investment liberalization through the negotiation, approval and implementation of comprehensive, commercially meaningful, and trade-oriented agreements on a bilateral, subregional and regional level. To that end, ECAT supports Congressional approval of the U.S.-Peru, U.S.-Colombia and U.S.-Oman trade agreements. ECAT will also continue its work on each individual negotiation to support comprehensive and high-standard agreements. ECAT is particularly focused on forthcoming negotiations with Korea and with Malaysia that offer substantial opportunities, but also must address existing market barriers in each of those countries. ECAT will also carry on its leadership efforts to ensure the inclusion of strong protections for U.S. investment and intellectual property rights in future trade and investment agreements. ECAT will also accelerate its more recent efforts to work with a broad coalition of like-minded companies and associations in support of more transparent and more open government procurement markets throughout the world. At the same time, ECAT is increasingly working to promote concrete and full implementation of commitments under agreements that have already gone into effect, from free trade agreements with Canada and Mexico and Central America, to the obligations China and others undertook when they joined the WTO. In addition, ECAT will continue its unique role in combating efforts to impose protectionist barriers to imports or foreign investment entering the United States or to U.S. investment activity abroad. In particular, ECAT will build upon the work it has done over several decades that demonstrates the importance of global activity to the U.S. economy. It will work vigorously to combat calls for restrictions on our trading relationship with China and on foreign direct investment – restrictions that would undermine, rather than advance, U.S. commercial and economic interests. ECAT will also continue its work to support other policies and legislation that foster trade and investment liberalization, including improvements in trade remedy rules, Customs processes and the relationship between trade and investment with other policy issues, including labor, environment, food, and health policy. ECAT will also expand its work to support policies and legislation that will level the playing field for U.S. companies with their foreign competitors. In particular, ECAT will continue to support (1) further reform of the international provisions of the U.S. tax code and the negotiation and ratification of bilateral tax treaties with Brazil and other key countries; (2) modernization of the U.S. export control rules in a manner that promotes U.S. technological leadership while protecting national security; and (3) continued reform of U.S. unilateral sanctions laws that are ineffective and detrimental to U.S. economic interests. ECAT’s Priorities ECAT’s priorities for this year are: Actively supporting concrete efforts to move forward the *WTO Doha Development Agenda* negotiations towards a comprehensive and ambitious result to eliminate barriers to goods, services and agriculture and foster improved trade facilitation. Actively supporting the conclusion, Congressional approval and full implementation of comprehensive, commercially meaningful and high standard *Free Trade Agreement (FTAs), including with Malaysia, Korea and other key trading partners. Working for the timely and full implementation of the U.S.-Central America and Dominican Republic FTA and other FTAs* and other trade- and investment-related agreements to ensure that the negotiated benefits of these agreements are fully realized. Working for continued progress in the U.S.-China relationship, including through the promotion of continued *commercial engagement with China and China’s full implementation of its WTO commitments, as well as other policies that will open markets to U.S. farmers, manufacturers and service providers, while opposing WTO-inconsistent and protectionist impulses here in the United States. Promoting the adoption of the strongest possible protections for U.S. investors overseas in U.S. free trade agreements and bilateral investment treaties and opposing attempts to undermine or restrict foreign investment* that supports not only U.S. commercial goals, but also our broader national economic, energy and security interests. Promoting the *development of transparent and more open government procurement markets* throughout the world through FTAs, the WTO and other avenues. *Opposing efforts to adopt protectionist or trade restrictive measures domestically, including limits on the ability of U.S. negotiators to seek the widest possible improvement in WTO negotiations in all areas. Actively promoting tax, temporary-entry and other policies* that support the global operations of ECAT companies and enhance their competitiveness. 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