Blog

During his final day in Jakarta, Deputy United States Trade Representative Marantis held a series of meetings on trade, investment, and environmental issues. Focusing on bilateral trade and investment, Ambassador Marantis met with the chair of Indonesia's Investment Coordinating Board, Gita Wirjawan, the Minister of Health, Dr. Endang Rahayu Sedyaningsih, and senior officials of the Ministry of Communications and Information.

Turning to the environment, Ambassador Marantis had a positive and productive discussion of ways to combat illegal logging and associated trade with Forestry Minister Hasan. They agreed on the importance of working with other countries to address the trade aspects of illegal logging, and both confirmed plans to convene a regional dialogue meeting in the United States in April or May.

Finally, on regional trade issues, Ambassador Marantis met with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Secretary General Dr. Surin. The ten member country ASEAN collectively represents the fifth largest U.S. trading partner, and has its secretariat in Jakarta. Ambassador Marantis and Dr. Surin explored new topics they could address in the ASEAN-United States Trade and Investment Framework Arrangement.

Tonight, Ambassador Marantis departs Indonesia for Africa.

As part of our commitment to establishing a new partnership with Congress on trade, USTR staff is briefing key Congressional trade committees as we begin developing U.S. negotiating positions for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations, which are aimed at advancing U.S. interests and expanding U.S. exports in the dynamic Asia-Pacific region. USTR is seeking input as it prepares for the first round of negotiations, to be held in mid-March in Australia.

USTR updated the House Ways and Means Committee on January 29 and the Senate Finance Committee on February 3 on our briefings to date with USTR's 28 trade advisory committees and other stakeholders, and provided a summary of the public comments USTR received though the Federal Register notice, which closed on January 25. USTR staff also discussed the "horizontal" or cross-cutting issues being pursued for the first time in the context of the TPP negotiations, including ways to promote innovation and competitiveness, to encourage new technologies and emerging economic sectors, to increase the participation of small- and medium-sized businesses in trade, and to support the development of efficient production and supply chains that include U.S. firms. On February 5, USTR held a second set of briefings with the Ways and Means and Finance Committees on services-related issues. We reported on initial input we had received from stakeholders on the services, investment, financial services, telecommunications, and e-commerce chapters of the agreement and explored ways we might use these chapters to promote new and emerging industries in the United States. Next week, we will discuss more with key congressional committees and other interested leaders on the Hill; topics will include the rules chapters of a potential TPP agreement and opportunities and challenges posed by specific TPP countries.

This afternoon, Ambassador Kirk spoke to members of the New Democrat Coalition in Washington, DC.  The Ambassador's remarks highlighted USTR's role in meeting President Obama's goal of doubling exports over the next five years and focused on USTR's ongoing efforts to shape job-creating trade policy.

USTR is working with Congress to make trade work better for all Americans. Click here to view a press release from the Coalition, and read excerpts of Ambassador Kirk's remarks, as prepared for delivery, now:

"As you all heard in President Obama's State of the Union address, this Administration is taking trade seriously.  The President laid down a challenge: support two million jobs by doubling our exports in five years.  As we all know, that's a big goal.  But it's not out of reach.  And we are not going to leave a single job on the table.  So I want to talk to you today about a few of the things this Administration is doing to jump-start American exports.

"Through the newly-created National Export Initiative, this Administration will seize the job creating potential of trade.  Specifically, this Administration will increase exports by working to remove trade barriers abroad, helping firms - especially small businesses - overcome the hurdles to entering new export markets, assisting with financing, and, in general, pursuing a whole-of-government approach to export advocacy abroad

"To that end, USTR will be teaming up with the Commerce Department, the Small Business Administration, and other federal agencies to help more Americans succeed through trade.

"...Already, USTR is working hard to make the world's markets more open to American goods and services - both by enforcing our existing trade rights and moving forward with new trade deals.

"...For example, this year we will begin negotiations with the Trans-Pacific Partnership.  USTR aims to conclude a high-standard 21^st century trade agreement that can deliver new opportunities to American businesses and create new jobs for American workers.

"...95 percent of the world's consumers live outside America's borders, and Americans should be able to compete for their business no matter where they live.  So USTR is going to continue to think strategically about how we can help Americans to do businesses in more places.

"At the same time, we're working to ensure that whatever opportunities USTR creates are accessible to American businesses and workers of every size and type.  On that count, USTR launched a Small- and Medium-Sized Business Initiative.  And as part of that initiative, we named a new Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Small Business.

"For the last 30 years, small businesses have created nearly two-thirds of all new jobs.  And though trade, we can help these big job creators become huge job creators.  Because businesses that export grow faster, add jobs faster, and pay higher wages - and this Administration is not going to leave a single job on the table."

Ambassador Kirk commented today on USTR's role in the President's new National Export Initiative. Details of the initiative were shared by Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke in a speech at the National Press Club today. Ambassador Kirk, Secretary Locke, and other Administration officials are teaming up to help reach the President's goal of doubling U.S. exports over the next five years to support 2 million well-paying jobs here at home. From Ambassador Kirk today:

"The link between increased exports and high-quality jobs is significant enough to demand a smart, concerted effort to maximize this economic opportunity. We aren't going to leave any jobs on the table," said Ambassador Kirk. "The U.S. Trade Representative's mission is to tear down foreign barriers to American exports and to open up new markets for U.S. goods and services. And with our partners across the government, we'll work to ensure that job-creating export opportunities are available around the world to American businesses of every size and type."

Here's the USTR news from Secretary Locke's speech:

"...the National Export Initiative is going to sharpen the government's focus on the barriers that prevent U.S. companies from getting free and fair access to foreign markets.

The Office of the United States Trade Representative is working towards an ambitious and balanced Doha Round that provides our exporters new market access opportunities.

And USTR is going to be opening markets in key growth areas such as Asia with the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) - an agreement that could set a new standard for trade agreements with strong labor, environmental and market access standards.

At the same time, USTR will improve enforcement of existing international trade law and address the outstanding concerns we have with pending free trade agreements.

The United States is the most open major economy in the world...

...And that's not going to change!

But that commitment is coupled with an ongoing focus to ensure the competitiveness of U.S. companies in foreign markets.

Free trade only works in a system of rules where all parties live up to their obligations.

The United States is committed to a rules-based trading system where the American people - and the Congress - can feel confident that when we sign an agreement that gives foreign countries the privilege of free and fair access to our domestic market, we are treated the same in their countries.

That means:

• Enforcing our trade laws;

• Combating unfair tariff and non-tariff barriers; and

• Cracking down on practices that blatantly harm U.S. companies, like the theft of our intellectual property.

Despite America's remarkable dependence on innovation for future growth, the current system for protecting U.S. intellectual property is fraying at the seams.

Every year, American companies in fields as diverse as energy, technology, entertainment and pharmaceuticals lose between $200 billion-$250 billion to counterfeiting and piracy.

This theft is especially damaging for U.S. companies selling abroad, as more than 50 percent of our exports depend on some form of intellectual property like software or complex technology.

And that is why our partners at USTR are committed to remedying this problem and actively pursuing IP enforcement."

The full text of Secretary Locke's remarks, with important details about the National Export Initiative is on the Commerce Department website.