Competitiveness and Innovation Archives

USCIB Facilitates Dialogue on US-China Cybersecurity

Published on December 19, 2016
USCIB’s Eva Hampl (center) and Barbara Wanner alongside Tad Ferris, Foley and Lardner (right)

USCIB facilitated an off-the-record dialogue with U.S. Government officials on the topic of U.S.-China cybersecurity last week in Washington DC. The meeting brought together officials from the White House, FBI, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Commerce, and USTR. After brief introductions by Tad Ferris, partner at Foley & Lardner LLP and chair of USCIB’s China Committee, Barbara Wanner, USCIB’s vice president of ICT policy and Eva Hampl, USCIB’s director, investment, trade and financial services, the group received a strategic overview of the U.S.-China cybersecurity relationship from Christopher DeRusha, senior cybersecurity advisor, Office of the Federal Chief Information Officer.

Discussions focused on the issue of cybersecurity from the perspective of different agencies. One of these perspectives was highlighted in a panel on trade-related aspects of the U.S.-China cybersecurity relationship, which was discussed by Jonathan McHale, deputy assistant USTR for Telecommunications and Electronic Commerce Policy, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and Christopher Wong, international trade specialist, Office of China and Mongolia, Department of Commerce.

Another panel addressed progress on law enforcement cooperation and international cooperation against third party threats.  This was discussed by Amit Kacchia-Patel, unit chief, Federal Bureau of Investigation and Jordana Siegel, director, international affairs, Department of Homeland Security.

Hampl_Cybersecurity_Mtg12162016
USCIB’s Eva Hampl moderates panel at U.S.-China Cybersecurity Meeting

“Cybersecurity is an issue of growing concern for USCIB members, which is reflected in our submission of Priority Issues for the U.S.-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade, as well as our annual Statement on China’s Compliance with its WTO Commitments” said Hampl.

USCIB also recently signed on to a multi-association letter on China’s draft Cybersecurity Law and related pending cybersecurity regulations and measures.

Click here to read USCIB’s submission of Priority Issues for the U.S.-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT)

Click here to read USCIB’s Statement on China’s Compliance with its WTO Commitments

UN General Assembly Grants Observer Status to International Chamber of Commerce in Historic Decision

Published on December 15, 2016
  • United Nations General Assembly adopts resolution granting Observer Status to world’s largest business association
  • New role for the International Chamber of Commerce first time business given official role in General Assembly in the 71-year history of the UN
  • Landmark move will enhance business engagement on global governance issues—including implementation of the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

UN_General_Assembly_hallNew York, N.Y., December 13, 2016 – In an unprecedented move, the United Nations General Assembly has today granted Observer Status to the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) – the world’s largest business organization representing more than six million members in over 100 countries, according to the United States Council for International Business (USCIB), ICC’s American national committee.

The decision – taken by 193 members of the UN General Assembly during its on-going 71st session in New York – is the first time that a business organization has been admitted as an Observer at the UN General Assembly. The list of UN observers is highly restricted and features principally intergovernmental organizations.

The new role for ICC means that business will for the first time have direct voice in the UN system. The decision paves the way for ICC to contribute directly to the work of the General Assembly and reflects the vital role the private sector will play in implementing the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

ICC Chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal said: “This is huge recognition of the role that business can play in contributing to a better and peaceful world. There is only one route to meeting the many challenges that face our society – from climate change to mass migration – and that is for governments and civil society to work hand-in-hand with the private sector.

“Granting Observer Status to ICC sends a powerful signal that the UN recognizes business as a vital partner. We stand ready to ensure that the private sector plays a full role in meeting the ambition of the 2030 agenda.”

The resolution to grant observer status to ICC was submitted by France – ICC’s host country – and was supported by 22 other Member States. ICC already works with a wide array of UN specialized agencies and organizations around the world providing business input and expertise on issues from commercial standards through to climate change. ICC was designated as the official business representative in the processes that lead to the creation of the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development – a key factor in the General Assembly’s decision.

ICC Secretary General John Danilovich said: “It’s a great honor for ICC to be granted Observer Status at the UN General Assembly. ICC has a long tradition of close cooperation with the United Nations and today’s decision reflects our sustained efforts to strengthen the relationship between the UN and the private sector.

“Given the complexity of today’s global challenges, it’s vital that business has a clear voice in UN decision making. We look forward to using this unique platform to deploy fully the resources, expertise and knowledge of world business in the work of the General Assembly.”

Danilovich also gave an interview on CNBC regarding ICC’s new status. Click here to watch.

USCIB President and CEO Peter M. Robinson added: “We have strongly supported this effort since its inception and are delighted at the elevation of ICC’s status within the United Nations. This reinforces the unparalleled network USCIB has built to convey U.S. business views to governments and international policy makers. It is part and parcel of our efforts to work more closely with the UN and other intergovernmental bodies in pursuit of shared goals.”

Following today’s UN General Assembly resolution, ICC will take up its position as observer to the General Assembly on January 1, 2017.

About ICC:
The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) is the world’s largest business organization with a network of over 6.5 million members in more than 130 countries. We work to promote international trade, responsible business conduct and a global approach to regulation through a unique mix of advocacy and standard setting activities—together with market-leading dispute resolution services. Our members include many of the world’s largest companies, SMEs, business associations and local chambers of commerce. Learn more at www.iccwbo.org.

About USCIB:
The United States Council for International Business (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. With a unique global network encompassing leading international business organizations, including ICC, USCIB provides business views to policy makers and regulatory authorities worldwide, and works to facilitate international trade and investment. More at www.uscib.org.

Contacts:
Andrew Wilson, ICC
Tel:  +33 6 70 49 68 74
andrew.wilson@iccwbo.org

Jonathan Huneke, USCIB
Tel: +1 212 703 5043
jhuneke@uscib.org

ICC Marketing Commission Takes Action on Several Fronts

Published on December 12, 2016

On December 5 in New York, USCIB helped host a semi-annual meeting of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Commission on Marketing and Advertising. It was, in the words of one member, among the most productive the commission has held in recent memory, with approval of several key statements on global marketing practices and regulatory challenges.

For eight decades, ICC has played a critical role in developing cross-border standards for marketing and advertising. The Consolidated ICC Code of Advertising and Marketing Communication Practice is the gold standard for self-regulation of the industry. Since its introduction in 1937, it has served as the foundation and cornerstone for the codes of most self-regulatory systems around the world.

The ICC commission is chaired by Brent Sanders (Microsoft), who also chairs USCIB’s Marketing and Advertising Committee. We will circulate reports on individual initiatives in the days and weeks to come, but here is an overview of the meeting’s major outcomes, as reported by USCIB Vice President Jonathan Huneke:

  • A new ICC Statement of Code Interpretation/Reference Guide on Advertising to Children has been approved by the ICC Executive Board.
  • Members are nearing completion of a new ICC Guide for Responsible Mobile Marketing Communications.
  • Work is beginning on expanded ICC guidelines on online behavioral advertising, to address issues related to mobile such as location data.
  • Members endorsed a draft ICC paper on labelling and packaging measures impacting on brand assets, developed jointly with the ICC Commission on Intellectual Property. Following approval by the ICC Executive Board, the document will be disseminated for advocacy purposes by affected industries in specific countries.
  • The commission is gearing up for a full revision of the Consolidated ICC Code in conjunction with its 80th anniversary (in 2017) as well as ICC’s centennial celebrations in 2019.

Berlin Meetings Kick Off Germany’s G20 Host Year

Published on December 12, 2016
Co-Chair Kathryn Porter, Hilton International; Co-Chair Mthunzie Mdwaba, IOE VP for Africa; Co-Chair Peter Robinson; Chair Gerhard Braun, Vice President of BDA
Co-Chair Kathryn Porter, Hilton International; Co-Chair Mthunzie Mdwaba, IOE VP for Africa; Co-Chair Peter Robinson; Chair Gerhard Braun, Vice President of BDA

On December 1, the first full meeting of B20 members during Germany’s G20 host year was held in Berlin. The B20 brings together private-sector representatives from each of the G20 nations and provides official input and advice to the G20. This year’s G20 Summit will be held July 7-8 in Hamburg. The B20 Summit will take place May 2-3 in Berlin.

USCIB President and CEO Peter M. Robinson took part in the December 1 event in his capacity as a Co-chair of the B20 Employment and Education Task Force, which met in parallel with all other B20 Task Forces, and for which the IOE serves as Network Partner. The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), for which USCIB also serves as U.S. affiliate, serves as Network Partner for other B20 Task Forces including Trade and Investment.

Because of the compressed schedule for 2017 – the G20 Summit has generally been held in the fall – Germany is proceeding with an accelerated work plan, and has entered into close cooperation with the B20 in support of a manageable yet ambitious agenda.

The December 1 conference brought together all Task Forces and cross-thematic groups. It gave members of various B20 working groups the opportunity to continue their work on policy proposals, and featured addresses by leading G20 and B20 representatives. The conference was opened by German Minister of Finance Wolfgang Schäuble and B20 Chairman Jürgen Heraeus. Lars-Henrik Röller, Head of the Federal Chancellery’s Economic and Finance Division and G7/G20 Sherpa, also participated. His B20 counterpart, Stormy-Annika Mildner of BDI, played an important organizational role in the conference.

B20 Germany is co-hosted by the Federation of German Industries (BDI), the Confederation of German Employers’ Associations (BDA) and the Association of German Chambers of Commerce and Industry (DIHK)—all three USCIB partners in its global network for Business at OECD/BIAC, International Organization of Employers (IOE), and ATA Carnet, respectively.

The theme of the Conference was “Resilience, Responsibility, Responsiveness—Towards a Future-Oriented, Sustainable World Economy.” The B20 issued a statement calling for open markets and inclusive growth, entitled “Make Trade Work for Everybody. Initiated in response to troubling emotional rhetoric taking place around the world, the statement began with:

“The B20 is deeply concerned about current anti-globalization sentiments, which can be witnessed in many countries around the world. Increasingly, communities are voicing strong opposition to trade liberalization and international investment. We need to take these concerns seriously and support communities during times of change and disruption. At the same time, seemingly easy solutions risk having long-term negative consequences for business, workers, and consumers. We urge governments to resist the temptation to resort to protectionist measures such as trade barriers or investment restrictions”

Click here to read a B20 Statement for Open Markets and Inclusive Growth

G20 Scorecard

At the Berlin meetings, the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) unveiled the latest edition of ICC G20 Business Scorecard, rating G20 responsiveness to key business policy priorities for growing the global economy, while revealing important missed opportunities G20 nations group to advance international trade and key international policy frameworks.

ICC Secretary General John Danilovich noted that ICC “is encouraged to see that G20 work is becoming increasingly responsive to priority recommendations put forward each year by business that aims to spur economic growth and job creation.”

The 2016 ICC Scorecard examined 25 business priorities developed during the Chinese B20 cycle and rates the G20’s responsiveness across seven policy areas. The overall score of 2.3 out of 3.0 across all seven policy categories marks the highest overall score since ICC began its monitoring. However, despite the positive overall trend, progress is shown to be uneven.

Click here to view the full results of the ICC Scorecard.

Business Welcomes OECD PISA Survey Results

Published on December 12, 2016

OECD’s Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) is a triennial international survey which aims to evaluate education systems worldwide by testing the skills and knowledge of 15-year-old students. In 2015 over half a million students, representing twenty-eight million 15-year-olds in seventy-two countries and economies, took the internationally agreed two-hour test. Students were assessed in science, mathematics, reading, collaborative problem solving and financial literacy.

Commenting on the public release of PISA’s 2015 survey results, Charles Fadel, chair of the Business at OECD (BIAC) Education Committee said, “Employers around the world value the importance of data, and PISA, as a unique instrument in its reach and quality, is the respected influential benchmark which BIAC supports.  However, as the world continues to evolve, so must PISA. BIAC will continue to collaborate with the OECD in expanding and improving measures in other skills and areas relevant for employability, such as entrepreneurship, engineering, creativity, critical thinking, ethics and leadership.”

Education and training are top priorities for business especially in a rapidly changing dynamic work place of today.  Investment in training and access to quality education for all are essential to foster innovation and inclusive growth in our economies. PISA is an important benchmark and comparative analysis towards this goal. The link to the 2015 survey results can be accessed here.

For further information on Business at OECD work on skills and education please visit: BIAC Education Survey and BIAC Character Survey.

USCIB Contributes to Annual Internet Governance Forum

Published on December 12, 2016
BarbaraWanner_IGF2016
Barbara Wanner, USCIB’s Vice President for ICT Policy moderating a workshop at this year’s Internet Governance Forum in Mexico

More than 3,000 stakeholders from business, government, civil society, the technical community and academia gathered December 6-9 in Guadalajara, Mexico for the 11th Internet Governance Forum (IGF). The four-day conference featured wide-ranging discussions under the overarching theme, “Enabling Inclusive and Sustainable Growth,” a theme deliberately chosen to enable IGF participants to highlight the importance of the Internet and ICTs in realizing the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set forth in the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

This was the first IGF meeting since the United Nations renewed the forum’s mandate for another 10 years as part of the 2015 WSIS +10 Review, last year’s UN conference to take stock of commitments made at the pivotal 2005 World Summit on the Information Society. USCIB members joined global business colleagues under the aegis of ICC-BASIS (Business Action to Support the Information Society) in urging that the IGF not remain static, but continue to evolve in the coming decade as viable multi-stakeholder entity.

Joseph Alhadeff (Oracle), chair of the ICC Digital Economy Commission and vice-chair of USCIB’s ICT (Information, Communications and Technology) Policy Committee, stated that this approach to involve “informed contributions from business, government, civil society, and the technical community will continue to be key to ensuring that policies and regulations do not create unintended consequences or unnecessary burdens that impair the potential of emerging technologies to propel sustainable and inclusive development.”

The week culminated with strong endorsements from all IGF participants for a comprehensive approach to tackling obstacles to inclusive growth. Barbara Wanner, USCIB’s vice president for ICT Policy, emphasized that “a comprehensive approach should feature a shared commitment to Internet openness, expanded public-private partnerships, more focused attention to both supply- and demand-related issues affecting Internet deployment, including digital literacy, and enlightened regulation and legal frameworks.”

Wanner said IGF participants acknowledged that much of this will continue to require multi-billion-dollar investments in both infrastructure and local content to reach all communities. “They also emphasized the urgent need to address security issues undermining user confidence and trust and in the Internet,” she said. “A refrain throughout the week’s discussions was that vibrant, multi-stakeholder dialogue will best enable the Internet community to navigate these many challenges.”

Workshops on the role of women, “demand-side” capacity

USCIB organized two IGF workshops that went to the heart of the inclusive growth theme. Wanner moderated “An ‘Internet of Women’ by 2020: WSIS Vision to Reality,” a discussion involving 10 representatives from all stakeholder groups who examined the factors causing a significant and persistent gender digital divide that has hampered the ability of women to become productive members of the digital economy. The WSIS Outcome Document calls for achieving gender equality in Internet users by 2020. USCIB Members Hibah Kamal-Grayson (Google), Carolyn Nguyen (Microsoft), and Jackie Ruff (Verizon) discussed what their companies are doing to bridge the gender digital divide by improving digital literacy and ICT-related professional opportunities for women. All agreed that the challenge of gender digital equality cannot be tackled effectively by any one company, organization, or stakeholder group. Rather, this requires collaboration among all stakeholder groups, partnerships between business and government, linkages between local communities and national governments, and coordination across various international organizations and a need for a mix of both bottom-up and top-down initiatives.

Another workshop, “Demand Side Capacity for Internet Deployment,” explored efforts in regions as diverse as Africa and Latin America to build “demand-side” capacity,” a term referring to the development of local content and services in a variety of languages and efforts aimed at improving digital literacy, among other measures. This workshop was moderated by Ellen Blackler (The Walt Disney Company.) The WSIS Outcome Document recognized that such demand-side initiatives serve as essential complements to government efforts to improve competition, expand infrastructure and connectivity, and other “supply-side” policies. However, numerous surveys of Internet use in developing countries have indicated that, even when people have Internet access they seldom use it because they believe Internet access would have limited value due to a lack of content relevant to their interests and needs. Workshop panelists looked broadly at stakeholder efforts to create locally relevant content and considered challenges they face, ranging from weak digital literacy, to phone affordability, to problems securing venture capital financing. In particular, they maintained that public-private partnerships help to ensure that the content is locally relevant.

Next year’s IGF will be held in Geneva, Switzerland, December 18-21, 2017.

US Unlikely to Sign New Global Tax Treaty

Published on December 2, 2016

Businessman hand touching tax word on virtual screen the concept of online taxation.

USCIB’s vice president for taxation policy, Carol Doran Klein, was quoted extensively in a November 30 Bloomberg BNA article on the OECD’s multilateral tax treaty, known as the Multilateral Convention to Implement Tax Treaty-Related Measures to Prevent Base Erosion and Profit Shifting. According to Doran Klein, while many countries are likely to sign on to parts of the treaty, it is unlikely the U.S. will sign on mainly because the multilateral instrument (MLI) “does not have a lot to offer the U.S. Many of the provisions are variations on treaty policies that the U.S. has been implementing for decades.”

Regarding effect on business, Doran Klein said it will be a challenge for companies and their advisers to analyze the changes made by the MLI to individual bilateral treaties. “This is actually a huge issue, because it may be difficult to work through exactly what the new treaty language is.” Doran Klein said she is worried that the tax treaty area will wind up like the trade area. The trade agreements are very difficult to read and understand, because they refer back to other agreements for basic principles. “I believe that the reason they do that is they do not want to open up the fundamentals of the old agreements to complete renegotiation, but it is therefore extremely difficult to understand the obligations.”

To read the full story, visit Bloomberg BNA (subscription required).

Business Supports Expansion of APEC Privacy Rules

Published on November 29, 2016

Global Communications. 3D rendering.

Eight major business groups — including USCIB, Japan’s Keidanren and ICC Mexico — released a joint statement calling on all Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) economies to expand participation in the APEC Cross-Border Privacy Rules (CBPR) system. An important priority for USCIB, the CBPR is a high-standard and enforceable privacy code of conduct that facilitates cross-border trade and ensures strong privacy protection of personal information. The statement commended the work done by policy makers in promoting the CBPR system, and urged the 21 APEC economies to commit to the system during 2017.

CBPRs are based on the internationally respected APEC Privacy Framework and endorsed by APEC Leaders since 2011. They are an interoperable, enforceable, and high-standard privacy code of conduct that facilitates cross-border trade of goods and services and ensures that strong privacy protection will follow personal information across the Asia-Pacific region. By creating a certification system that bridges the privacy regimes of each participating economy in a cost-effective and scalable way, the CBPRs allow participating companies to focus their time and resources on innovating, serving customers, and pursuing their business objectives.

USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson attended the annual APEC CEO summit and various side events alongside USCIB Vice President Helen Medina. Robinson featured the joint statement in his meetings with US government officials, as well as other APEC government representatives on the sidelines of the recent APEC Leaders meeting in Lima, Peru. “We applaud the support that APEC Leaders and Ministers have demonstrated towards expanding participation in the CBPRs. We believe this reaffirms both APEC’s recognition of the importance of data flows to trade and investment in the region and its commitment to building bridges between national privacy regulatory regimes. We see great potential for the CBPRs to serve as a platform for a truly global system of interoperable and robust privacy protection,” noted Robinson. USCIB members certified under the CBPR include Apple Inc., Cisco Systems, Hewlett-Packard Enterprise, HP Inc., IBM, and Merck and Co., Inc.

The CBPRs signal to governments in the Asia-Pacific and in other parts of the world that mutual cooperation between like-minded economies can serve as a rational, effective international approach to high-standard privacy and data protection, without requiring data to be stored, managed, or otherwise processed locally or prohibiting data transfers to other markets.

The next meeting of APEC’s Data Privacy Subgroup, which developed the CBPR framework and continues to oversee its implementation, will be held in 2017 in Vietnam. USCIB will work with APEC member economies to support these commitments and raise awareness with officials and stakeholders on the benefits of CBPRs, increasing participation and helping APEC economies set the standard for how to do privacy right globally.

Will COP22 Mark the Beginning or the End of the Paris Climate Agreement?

Published on November 21, 2016
Norine Kennedy at COP22
USCIB Vice President Norine Kennedy at COP22 in Marrakesh

The first part of the UN climate talks that wrapped up last week in Marrakesh, Morocco coincided with the U.S. presidential election. According to Norine Kennedy, USCIB’s vice president for energy and environment, who was in Marrakesh for the duration, Donald Trump’s election as the next U.S. president delivered a jolt to negotiators, who suddenly were faced with the prospect of a possible U.S. pullout from the historic Paris Climate Agreement agreed last December. But negotiators rallied around the agreement, which entered into force earlier this month, presenting a challenge to the new U.S. administration come January 20.

As COP22 – the 22nd Conference of Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change – was coming to a close, Kennedy presented on business perspectives on implementing the Paris Agreement and the role of business in nationally determined contributions (NDCs) at an official COP22 side-event on November 18. The side-event was organized by the Major Economies Business Forum (BizMEF), of which USCIB is a member. Kennedy participated on a panel with other experts and representatives from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Turkish business association Tüsiad, the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber, Confederation of Swedish Enterprise, Japan’s business group Keidanren, and the Global CCS Institute.

USCIB actively works with the Major Economies Business Forum (BizMEF), developing global business recommendations on the top-line issues that matter to U.S. business. Just one week prior to the official COP22 side-event, USCIB, through BizMEF, partnered with Morocco’s preeminent business group, General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises (CGEM) to hold a Business Dialogue with government and UNFCCC secretariat representatives. This Dialogue brought together over seventy participants from business, governments, and UN agencies and was a crucial platform for Kennedy to present USCIB’s report on NDC’s.

Kennedy has represented USCIB and its members in UN climate deliberations since 1993. The common thread for USCIB, she said, has always been the importance of U.S. business as solution providers and the need to have U.S. economic interests represented and furthered in international decision-making on climate change. “The climate challenge is itself a long-term phenomenon that impacts regulations and energy access in all countries where U.S. companies operate, and which will also offer new market and innovation opportunities for U.S. business,” she said. USCIB intends to provide continuity and thought leadership on climate policy in the broader context of sustainability, to the administration of President-elect Trump and to future administrations. “We intend to help U.S. government decision makers and the UN system to develop policy frameworks that best address climate change while also facilitating cross-border trade, investment and innovation by U.S. companies,” noted Kennedy.

The Paris Agreement is not a finished product – the broad outlines and goals are indeed established, but key details on a number of critical issues to business, such as the role of various national and regional carbon markets, the tracking and updating of national pledges, and how technology innovation and potential liability for climate-related damages might be tackled are still works in progress. There is still an essential role for U.S. business to stay in touch with our government delegation to offer views and suggestions on thorny issues, and provide examples and other relevant information on business initiatives.

The next two years will bring multiple fast-moving – by UN standards – decision-making deliberations across a number of key issues, and USCIB will continue to track those that most directly impact our members. USCIB will focus on ways to carve out a clear role for business input and representation in the process. Kennedy emphasized: “We consider it fundamental, at both the national and international levels, for policy makers to consult with business on the economic and environmental aspects of climate policies. There is no doubt that the Paris Agreement will affect every business sector, across all types of commercial activity, in both the near and the long terms. So preserving and improving the UN system’s accountability and transparency, and creating new opportunities for the private sector to contribute, this is USCIB’s bottom line.”

CLICK to download new BizMEF statements on the role of business in the UN climate talks, implementing the Paris Agreement, national reporting and verification and greenhouse gas markets.

APEC CEO Summit Highlights Need for Continued US Leadership

Published on November 21, 2016
USCIB's Peter Robinson and Helen Medina in Lima
USCIB’s Peter Robinson and Helen Medina in Lima

The annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO summit, which wrapped up over the weekend in Lima, Peru, coincided with concerns about an uncertain U.S. role in Asia and the Pacific at an especially pivotal time. But according to USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson, who attended the summit and various side events alongside USCIB Vice President Helen Medina, there were also signs of progress and hope for continued U.S. leadership in the region.

“I believe that, despite the political rhetoric back home, our trading partners still want and expect the United States to play a leading role in APEC and in the region as a whole, and so do we,” said Robinson. “Now is the time to work even more closely together to promote trade and regional solutions that meet the needs of all parties.”

Under the leadership of the National Center for APEC, USCIB and other business groups joined a diverse array of American CEOs and other executives (including numerous USCIB members) in Lima. Throughout 2016, USCIB has addressed a number of key priorities through APEC, including chemicals policy, advertising self-regulation, data privacy, customs, digital trade, and women in the economy. Our 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.

Robinson gave introductory remarks at a roundtable hosted by the U.S.-APEC Business Coalition and USCIB member Deloitte, “Driving APEC Growth Through Competitive Services and High-Quality Regulations.” The focus of Peru’s 2016 host year was on quality growth and human development. Within this context, particular attention has been devoted to the services sector, which represents a large and expanding portion of the overall economic growth and development. The event, moderated by Deloitte Global Chairman David Cruikshank, focused on APEC’s current work in the areas of services and good regulatory practices, including the APEC Services Cooperation Framework and APEC Services Competitiveness Roadmap, as well as further opportunities to drive the service sector in 2017.

Other speakers included John Andersen, deputy assistant secretary of Commerce for the Western Hemisphere; John Drummond, head of the OECD’s Trade in Services Division; and Ho Meng Kit, CEO of the Singapore Business Federation; and Vietnam ABAC Chair for 2017 Hoang Van Dung. Key themes addressed included the slowing pace of liberalization in services in the APEC area, its impact on small and medium-sized businesses, and the need to reinvigorate trade.

While in Lima, Robinson and Medina participated in business meetings with the prime minister and finance minister of Peru, the president of Vietnam and Canada’s international trade minister. They also joined APEC Business Coalition members at meeting with key U.S. Congressional staff attending the summit, as well as Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Robert Holleyman, where the post-election focus was on crafting better trade deals that can address concerns voiced by everyday Americans.

Robinson and Medina attended a dinner hosted by Eli Lilly, Pfizer, Abbott and Merck KGaA, on “Driving Sustainable Health Systems to Achieve Quality Growth and Human Development.” The dinner, which featured remarks by Peruvian Health Minister Patricia García Funegra and Matt Matthews, the U.S. senior official for APEC, highlighted the region’s shared achievements to advance the APEC health agenda, which carries significant trade and investment, innovation and capacity-building components.

Statement on cross-border privacy rules

During the final day of the APEC CEO summit, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg urged world leaders to invest in connecting citizens to the Internet. In a related move, eight major business groups — including USCIB, Japan’s Keidanren and ICC Mexico — released a joint statement calling on all APEC economies to expand participation in the APEC Cross-Border Privacy Rules (CBPR) system. An important priority for USCIB, the CBPR is a high-standard and enforceable privacy code of conduct that facilitates cross-border trade and ensures strong privacy protection of personal information. The statement commended the work done by policy makers in promoting the CBPR system, and urged the 21 APEC economies to commit to the system during 2017.

Chinese President Xi Jinping addresses the CEO Summit.
Chinese President Xi Jinping addresses the CEO Summit.

Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a keynote address with a strong message in favor of open and free trade, saying that the Asia-Pacific region must lead the way in the face of slowing global growth and rising protectionism.

“President Xi clearly demonstrated that China is ready to take a leading role in APEC integration at a time when the U.S. appears to be reevaluating how it intends to engage with its economic and trading partners,” observed USCIB’s Medina.

But Robinson said that USCIB, NCAPEC and members of the U.S. APEC Business Coalition remain well-positioned to champion U.S. business interests in APEC. “The time and energy we have invested in APEC has resulted in some important accomplishments,” he said. “Whatever happens regarding a specific trade deal, the fact is that we in the United States still need APEC, and APEC needs us. I continue to have high hopes for APEC as we approach 2017.”