CCIA Applauds Passage of Trade Agreements
10/12/2011
Congress has passed trade agreements with South Korea, Colombia and Panama a day ahead of a meeting between South Korea’s president and President Obama Thursday. The bipartisan vote comes after five years of delays.
The Computer & Communications Industry Association praised the bipartisan cooperation that allowed measures to offset harm to some sectors from the deals and pave the way for a vote. The agreement with Korea includes electronic commerce as well as government procurement provisions. The trade deals would contribute toward the National Export Initiative goal of doubling U.S. exports over five years.
The Korea agreement contains
provisions that would expand market access for the technology industry to a
major trading partner. The U.S. exports $40 billion in goods to South Korea now
and this agreement is expected to increase exports.
The following statement can be attributed to
CCIA President & CEO Ed Black:
“This bipartisan vote is a sign that Congress
can put aside political differences and work together on issues that impact the
US economy. Bipartisan consensus on trade issues has been a hallmark of US
foreign policy for decades and must be restored to keep the nation innovative
and competitive.
“With competing agreements such as Korea-EU and
Colombia-Canada, which recently took effect, the delay was costing the U.S.
market share. We appreciate the end to this trade stalemate and look forward to
expanding U.S. exports in these markets.”
“While we celebrate the passage of these trade
agreements, going forward we also need to see to it that future trade deals
include provisions that address 21st Century issues such as stronger
protections for the free flow of information over the Internet. As more goods
and services are distributed online, we must ensure that the digital world
receives the same protection as the physical world. Internet openness is
important as a trade issue because US companies make up a disproportionate
share of the world’s Internet pioneers and Silicon Valley is a major export
driver at a time when the US is struggling to increase its exports.”
