Sacramento, California, August 2011
On Thursday, August 18, United States Trade Representative Ron Kirk traveled to Sacramento to discuss how the pending trade agreements with South Korea, Panama, and Colombia will benefit California’s businesses and farms. Additionally, he discussed the need to renew Trade Adjustment Assistance for California workers and expired trade preference programs.
San Francisco, California, August 2011
On Tuesday, August 17, United States Trade Representative Ron Kirk traveled to San Francisco, California to discuss how the pending trade agreements with South Korea, Panama, and Colombia benefit Bay Area small businesses, manufacturers, and service providers.
In San Francisco, Ambassador Kirk toured Gensler, an architecture consulting firm. Following the meeting, he met with executives of Gensler. In the afternoon, Ambassador Kirk hosted a White House Business Roundtable event with Mayor Edwin Lee and local business leaders.
Los Angeles, California, August 2011
On Tuesday, August 16, United States Trade Representative Ron Kirk traveled to Los Angeles, California to meet with local business leaders. He discussed the benefits of the South Korea, Panama, and Colombia trade agreements for businesses and workers.
During the trip, he toured the Port of Los Angeles and hosted a roundtable of Hispanic business leaders at the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce.
Texas, August 2011
On Monday, August 15, United States Trade Representative Ron Kirk traveled to El Paso to deliver the keynote address at the 8th Annual Border Security Conference co-hosted by Congressman Silvestre Reyes and the University of Texas at El Paso.
U.S.-Mexico Agreement on Lifting of Retaliatory Measures Related to the Cross-Border Trucking Dispute
U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk announced that on July 8, 2011, Mexico is expected to reduce fifty percent of its retaliatory duties on goods exported from the United States.
The MOU was signed on July 6, 2011 in Mexico City and is available here.
Zambia, June 2011
Ambassador Kirk traveled to Lusaka, Zambia on June 8, 2011, for the 2011 African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) Forum.
Related Information:
Blog Post: Ambassador Kirk Heads the U.S. Delegation to AGOA, Announces New Trade Capacity Building Initiative
Tanzania, June 2011
Ambassador Kirk traveled to Tanzania on June 6, 2011, to highlight the Obama Administration’s commitment to support Tanzania’s leadership through initiatives like the Millennium Challenge Account, the Partnership for Growth and Feed the Future. He also highlighted the important role that trade and investment can play in Tanzania’s economic growth. His visit included meetings with various government and business leaders to discuss the current and potential positive economic impact of U.S.-Tanzania trade and investment.
Related Information:
France, May 2011
Ambassador Kirk traveled to Paris, France on May 25, 2011, to chair the Organization for Economic Cooperation (OECD) Trade Ministerial.
Related Information:
Blog Post: Video: Ambassador Kirk on Small Businesses Benefiting from Trade at OECD
Blog Post: Ambassador Kirk On Reuters Insider at the 2011 OECD Forum
Increasing U.S. Auto Exports and Growing U.S. Auto Jobs Through the U.S. South Korea Trade Agreement
President Obama recognized that when it came to autos, the 2007 U.S.-South Korea trade agreement did not go far enough to provide new market access to U.S. auto companies and to level the playing field for U.S. auto manufacturers and workers. The new agreements signed in February 2011 make a number of important improvements: