Accented Stories Archives

USCIB Lays Out Priorities for WTO Modernization

Published on March 13, 2019

Washington, D.C., March 13, 2019 – Responding to this week’s hearing in the Senate Finance Committee on the future of the World Trade Organization, the United States Council for International Business (USCIB), which represents America’s most successful global companies, has submitted a business roadmap for the WTO laying out priorities for the organization’s modernization.

“The continued existence and effectiveness of the WTO is vital to U.S. business,” stated USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson and USCIB Trade and Investment Committee Chair Charles R. Johnston in their transmittal letter.

“The WTO is a cornerstone of the global rules-based trading system and has helped spread growth and development for decades. The WTO’s existing agreements, such as those on intellectual property rights, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, and technical barriers to trade, provide practical commercial benefits for business because they establish global frameworks of rules designed to facilitate international trade.”

USCIB’s roadmap focuses on addressing subsidies and other market-distorting support provided to state-owned enterprises, the establishment of new rules for current issues such as digital trade and customs processes on electronic transmissions, and ensuring a properly functioning appellate body, among other issues.

The statement notes that the U.S. has been a major beneficiary of the WTO’s dispute settlement system, bringing and winning more cases than any other WTO member. “In fact, the U.S. has prevailed in over 90% of the complaints it filed,” USCIB observed.

USCIB urged WTO members to actively solicit the views of the business community, which undertakes the vast majority of cross-border trade and investment that is impacted by WTO rules. “The private sector has a direct stake in the rules that will be the outcome of the government-to-government discussions and, accordingly, private sector comments and recommendations should be actively solicited and given careful consideration,” the statement said.

About USCIB:
USCIB promotes open markets, competitiveness and innovation, sustainable development and corporate responsibility, supported by international engagement and regulatory coherence. Its members include U.S.-based global companies and professional services firms from every sector of our economy, with operations in every region of the world, generating $5 trillion in annual revenues and employing over 11 million people worldwide. As the U.S. affiliate of the International Chamber of Commerce, the International Organization of Employers and Business at OECD, USCIB provides business views to policy makers and regulatory authorities worldwide, and works to facilitate international trade and investment. More at www.uscib.org.

Contact:
Jonathan Huneke, USCIB
+1 212.703.5043, jhuneke@uscib.org

 

USCIB to Hold Meeting on APEC Essentials

Published on March 12, 2019

You have heard about the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation regional forum, also known as APEC, but you are not entirely sure of the format, or how your company or business association would benefit from participation.  Here is a rare opportunity to have all of your APEC questions answered, and to bring you up to speed on recent developments at the most recent Senior Officials’ Meeting under this year’s leadership of Chile.

On March 27, USCIB will join with the National Center for APEC (NCAPEC) and C&M International to host APEC Essentials, a workshop to help participants understand the fundamentals of APEC including its history, objectives and opportunities. Learn from practical case studies led by industry discussants on how several sectors approach priority issues and leverage the APEC platform.

Besides USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson, the program will also feature His Excellency Alfonso Silva Navarro, ambassador of Chile to the United States; Emily Fischer, principal APEC coordinator, economic policy advisor, U.S. Department of State; Jillian DeLuna, director for APEC affairs, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative; Monica Hardy Whaley, president, National Center for APEC; and Ambassador Robert Holleyman, president and chief executive, Crowell & Moring International; Partner, Crowell & Moring; former Deputy U.S. Trade Representative.

Private sector participation in APEC is organized under the leadership of the NCAPEC, which serves as the designated 2019 U.S. Strategic Partner for the CEO Summit, Secretariat to the U.S. members of the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) and as Chair and Secretariat of the U.S. APEC Business Coalition.

USCIB joined with ABAC and APEC Business Coalition partners to advance common objectives during last year’s APEC leadership by Papua New Guinea. Throughout 2018, USCIB addressed a number of issues through APEC to advance discussions across a range of issue. These include chemicals regulation, advertising self-regulation, data privacy, customs, and digital trade. USCIB members and staff have engaged in several APEC working groups, including the Chemical Dialogue, APEC Business-Customs Dialogue, Customs Procedures Virtual Working Group, Alliance for Supply Chain Connectivity, the Electronic Commerce Steering Group and Data Privacy Subgroup.

“USCIB looks forward to the APEC Essentials workshop and we thank Crowell & Moring for hosting this event,” said Vice President of Product Policy and Innovation Mike Michener, who leads USCIB’s work on APEC.  “USCIB appreciates the numerous committed partnerships that APEC has established with the private sector.  These partnerships are addressing many economic opportunities, particularly on trade and regulatory issues, that will help foster greater economic integration among APEC’s twenty-one member economies.”

Donnelly Visits Google During Trade Tour in Switzerland

Published on March 11, 2019

USCIB Vice President for Investment and Financial Services Shaun Donnelly spent the week of March 4 as the business representative on a Washington Think Tank study tour of Switzerland, focusing on trade issues and possibilities for a potential U.S.-Switzerland Free Trade Agreement (FTA).

While in Zurich, Donnelly and the 12-member study tour visited Google Switzerland’s major operations and R&D center. Google’s Zurich operations are the company’s third-largest R&D operation globally and their largest outside the United States. Google opened its first office in Zurich only fifteen years ago and it has quickly grown into one of the largest and most respected employers in the city.

Coincident with the study tour’s visit, Google invited the leadership of economiesuisse, Switzerland’s largest and most influential business association to a luncheon meeting with the visiting Washington team. Economiesuisse is USCIB’s Swiss counterpart and partner in Business at OECD, the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and other international business fora.

USCIB Speaks at Annual OECD Investment Treaties Conference

Published on March 11, 2019
Shaun Donnelly (USCIB) speaks at the 2019 OECD Investment Treaties Conference in Paris

OECD’s annual all-day conference in Paris on International Investment Treaties had a distinctly USCIB flavor this year.  The conference, held on March 11, included leading academics, lawyers, civil society and business representatives under the auspices of the Business at OECD (BIAC) team in addition to the government experts delegates in Paris for the OECD Investment Committee meetings.

This year’s conference theme was a “Level Playing Field for Foreign Direct Investment.” USCIB Vice President for Investment Policy Shaun Donnelly led the Business at OECD team, serving as a panelist during the discussion on addressing State-Owned-Enterprises (SOE) Investment Issues and again as the business representative on the final wrap-up panel.  In addition, USCIB member lawyers and leading international arbitrators Jeremy Sharpe of Shearman and Sterling and a former chief of investment arbitration in the State Department Legal Advisor’s Office, as well as David Rivkin of Debevoise and Plimpton, formerly president of the International Bar Association, spoke on different panels.  Deputy Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Investment Policy Lauren Mandell was also a panelist.

“Investment policy issues, investment treaties and especially ‘ISDS’ international arbitration to resolve investment disputes are increasingly under political attack internationally so the conference did spark some interesting debate,” said Donnelly. “USCIB will be on the front lines defending strong investment treaties, including effective dispute settlement disciplines and arbitration provisions.”

IOE Secretary General Shares Global Priorities With USCIB

Published on March 6, 2019
L-R: Gabriella Rigg Herzog (USCIB), Peter Robinson (USCIB), Ronnie Goldberg (USCIB), Roberto Suarez Santos (IOE)

On March 1, Roberto Suarez Santos, secretary general of the International Organization of Employers (IOE), visited USCIB’s New York headquarters to discuss the group’s global priorities and evolution as it gets ready to mark its centennial next year.

The IOE, based in Geneva, is part of USCIB’s global network and serves as the voice of the private sector on employment, labor and social affairs in the International Labor Organization (ILO), as well as a number of other multilateral bodies.

Suarez Santos met with USCIB staff and members (with help from a video link to our Washington, DC office), led by USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson, who serves on the IOE management board and as an IOE regional vice president for North America. The IOE secretary general outlined the organization’s recent growth, now up to 30 staff members, and its engagement beyond its traditional ILO role, especially in the area of sustainability, business and human rights, and broader responsible business conduct policy and practice.

Suarez Santos also noted the IOE’s longstanding complaints against the government of Venezuela due to its harassment of the Venezuelan employers federation Fedecamaras, which has resulted in the creation of an ILO commission of inquiry – the ILO’s highest level investigative procedure. USCIB and its fellow IOE members remain concerned about the situation for employers in Venezuela and will follow this ILO procedure closely.

USCIB Co-Sponsors China-US Foreign Policy Association Panel

Published on March 4, 2019

USCIB co-sponsored a recent Foreign Policy Association event titled, “U.S.-China Trade: Taking Stock and Looking Ahead” on February 28. The event, hosted by Citi in New York, featured a panel of experts who discussed the state of trade between the two countries, including the geopolitical and economic implications of the trade war, the 90-day truce, and the negotiations currently taking place.

USCIB member Citigroup’s Global Head of Subsidiaries Marc Merlino moderated the panel. Experts included Bloomberg’s Chief Economist Tom Orlik, Director of CSIS’ Project on Chinese Business and Political Economy Scott Kennedy and Global Head of Research for JP Morgan Joyce Chang.

Technology issues, particularly as they relate to data and Artificial Intelligence (AI), were a common theme of discussion across all panelists. AI is a necessary investment for China due to their demographics and life expectancy. However, while China is focused on AI and data, they lag in the quality of their commercial aircraft and semiconducters, making economic partnerships with the United States a necessity, particularly as China’s debt continues to grow.

Conference to Help Policymakers Navigate Fast-Evolving Digital Economy

Published on February 26, 2019

Washington, D.C., February 26, 2019 – With the digital economy delivering innovations at breakneck speed, how can policymakers maximize the beneficial impacts of new technologies and business models, while also addressing challenges they may create? This is the fundamental question to be tackled at a March 25 conference in Washington, D.C.: “Going Digital: OECD Insights for a Changing World.”

The conference, a joint program of the United States Council for International Business (USCIB), Business at OECD (BIAC) and the 36-nation Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), will bring together an array of experts from business, government, the technical community and civil society.

“Since the OECD launched its Going Digital project two years ago, it has sought to help policymakers foster an environment that enables national economies and societies to prosper in a world that is increasingly digital and data-driven,” said USCIB President and CEO Peter M. Robinson. “This conference will provide a first readout of discussions at the OECD’s pivotal Going Digital Summit, which takes place March 11-12 in Paris, while also serving as a platform for discussion of developments in the digital economy from an American perspective.”

Topics for discussion include:

  • Making the Digital Transformation Work for Growth and Well-Being
  • The OECD’s “Going Digital” Policy Recommendations: From Paper to Practice
  • Securing the Digital Economy rom Cyber-Threats
  • Harnessing Artificial Intelligence for Economic and Social Prosperity

Confirmed speakers for the conference include:

  • Andrew Wyckoff, director of the OECD Directorate for Science, Technology and Innovation
  • Robert Strayer, deputy assistant secretary for cyber and international communications and information policy, U.S. Department of State
  • David Redl, administrator of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), U.S. Department of Commerce
  • Gail Slater, special assistant to the president for technology, telecommunications and cybersecurity policy, National Economic Council, The White House
  • Lynne Parker, assistant director for artificial intelligence, Office of Science and Technology, The White House

Held at the AT&T Forum for Technology, Entertainment and Policy, this event is the latest in the Joseph H. Alhadeff Digital Economy Conference Series, named in honor of the late Oracle Corp. executive who provided crucial business leadership on digital economy topics at the OECD and in many other forums.

More information is available on the conference website.

About USCIB:

USCIB promotes open markets, competitiveness and innovation, sustainable development and corporate responsibility, supported by international engagement and regulatory coherence. Its members include U.S.-based global companies and professional services firms from every sector of our economy, with operations in every region of the world, generating $5 trillion in annual revenues and employing over 11 million people worldwide. As the U.S. affiliate of several leading international business organizations, including BIAC, USCIB provides business views to policy makers and regulatory authorities worldwide, and works to facilitate international trade and investment. More information is available at www.uscib.org.

Contact:

Jonathan Huneke, USCIB

jhuneke@uscib.org, +1 212.703.5043

 

Broad-Based Business Coalition to Press for USMCA Adoption

Published on February 26, 2019

Washington, D.C., February 26, 2019 – The United States Council for International Business (USCIB), which represents America’s most successful global companies, has joined with an array of U.S. companies and industry associations to urge swift approval by Congress of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), an updated and modernized framework for expanded trade, investment and market integration in North America.

The USMCA Coalition, encompassing more than 200 leading companies and major associations representing farmers and ranchers, manufacturers, service providers and technology companies, was formally launched today. Click here to read the coalition’s statement on the launch.

“USCIB is proud to count itself among the many vocal American business supporters of the USMCA,” said USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson. “The success of our economy depends upon a reliable framework for cross-border trade and investment among our three integrated economies, and the USCMA makes important improvements over the earlier NAFTA framework. We intend to press for speedy approval on Capitol Hill.”

Robinson added that USCIB would also work closely with its counterpart organizations in Canada and Mexico, as well as with its global business network, to advance the USMCA as well as open, rules-based trade and investment regimes more broadly.

About USCIB:
USCIB promotes open markets, competitiveness and innovation, sustainable development and corporate responsibility, supported by international engagement and regulatory coherence. Its members include U.S.-based global companies and professional services firms from every sector of our economy, with operations in every region of the world, generating $5 trillion in annual revenues and employing over 11 million people worldwide. As the U.S. affiliate of the International Chamber of Commerce, the International Organization of Employers and Business at OECD, USCIB provides business views to policy makers and regulatory authorities worldwide, and works to facilitate international trade and investment. More at www.uscib.org.

Contact:
Jonathan Huneke, USCIB
+1 212.703.5043, jhuneke@uscib.org

 

CEO of ICC Finland Talks US-Europe With USCIB Washington Team

Published on February 20, 2019
L-R: Meghan Giblin, Barbara Wanner, Eva Hampl, Timo Vuori, Rob Mulligan, and Shaun Donnelly

ICC Finland’s Executive Director/CEO and Executive Vice President of the Finland Chamber of Commerce Timo Vuori met with USCIB Senior Vice President for Policy and Government Affairs Rob Mulligan and key staff members of USCIB’s Washington office on February 13.  Vuori, a longtime and influential ICC insider and a good friend of USCIB, is also a key board member of the influential “Eurochambres” continental business leadership group.

The wide-ranging discussion with USCIB staff touched on the challenging U.S.-European Union trade agenda including “232” steel and aluminum tariffs, possibly to be expanded to the automotive sector, as well as digital economy, data and tax issues, and the prospects for some sort of U.S.-EU trade negotiations. The underlying political developments on both sides of the Atlantic, including the Brexit developments were also of interest to all. The group discussed the global trade issues including China and WTO reform while touching on challenges in global customs, regulatory and investment policies. The group compared notes on developments inside the global ICC network and possibilities for promoting U.S.-Finnish trade and investment relationships.

“As usual, our USCIB assessments, priorities and concerns often closely aligned with Timo’s,” noted USCIB Vice President Shaun Donnelly.  “We very much value our close relationships with key partners in USCIB’s unique global network. ICC Finland has long been one of our closest and most reliable partners.  It was a great meeting and we very much appreciate Timo making time to meet with us.”

Vuori was in Washington as part of a Finnish business delegation to meet with the Hill, U.S. agencies and U.S. businesses like USCIB. Vuori also attended an Embassy of Finland dinner, along with USCIB Senior Director Eva Hampl. The theme of the February 12th dinner was “Competitiveness in a Globalized World” and provided an opportunity for a discussion on the impact that trade policies, global companies, technological revolution and politics have on competitiveness. The event was organized on the occasion of the Finnish Minister for Foreign Trade Anne-Mari Virolainen‘s visit to Washington DC.

ICC UK’s Chris Southworth Discusses Brexit Burdens in FT Letter

Published on February 19, 2019

On February 8, the Financial Times published a timely letter from Chris Southworth, the secretary general of the International Chamber of Commerce ‘s UK national committee, on the adverse impact a “hard Brexit” could have on smaller British traders.

According to Southworth, all the excellent work to ensure port operations remain efficient post Brexit should not distract from the fact that the burden, risk and cost of new trading arrangements will be shifted upstream to companies who will have to do all the additional paperwork before their goods reach the port.

“We need the government to be a lot more honest with business. Leaving the single market will mean hard borders and new burdens,” he wrote in the letter.

To read the full letter, visit FT’s website (paid subscription required). Click here to visit ICC UK’s website.