USCIB Urges Administration to Maintain Leadership on Trade

Harbor_tradeNew York, N.Y., January 23, 2017Peter M. Robinson, president and CEO of the United States Council for International Business (USCIB), issued the following statement regarding President Trump’s executive order withdrawing the United States from the Trans-Pacific Partnership:

“While we are disappointed that the United States will not take part in this ambitious and market-opening agreement, we hope this move sets the stage for future trade agreements that build upon the best in the TPP.

“As we noted in USCIB’s American Competitiveness Agenda 2017, which was released earlier today, the Asia-Pacific region is a very important market for U.S. business and the jobs they support. By 2030, two-thirds of all middle-class consumers in the world will be in Asia, so the area continues to be key to the future growth of many U.S. companies and their SME suppliers. We will work with Congress and the Administration to determine the best ways to further open markets in the Asia-Pacific region to U.S. goods and services, including by carrying forward key provisions from TPP.

“Maintaining U.S. leadership in the region should be a strategic priority. Trade relationships provide economic security but also important national security benefits. Letting other nations – including some with very different economic systems and priorities – write the rules in this fast-growing region would be a mistake. Moreover, some of our most important trading partners in the Asia-Pacific region have already ratified TPP or are continuing to undertake reforms consistent with the agreement.

“We encourage the Trump Administration to move quickly in pursuing its plan for the region, both to help American companies and workers compete, and to ensure that regional trade rules are not driven by others. We look forward to working with the Administration in support of these objectives.”

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. As the American affiliate of the International Chamber of Commerce, 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 information is available at www.uscib.org.

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

USCIB Welcomes International Trade Commission Report on Trans-Pacific Partnership

Washington, D.C., May 18, 2016 – The United States Council for International Business (USCIB) welcomed today’s release of a long-awaited report by the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) on the economic impact of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). USCIB said that the report’s publication represents a further step in the process of Congressional review and ultimate ratification of the landmark 12-nation agreement.

“Like others in the trade community, it will take us some time to scrutinize and digest this substantial study, but this is an important step in the process” said USCIB President and CEO Peter M. Robinson. “We are confident that TPP will be, on balance, a plus for American workers and companies and the growth of the American economy. We support the continued process to move the agreement forward, and encourage Congress to review the ITC’s findings closely and weigh all aspects of this important, 21st-century trade agreement.”

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. With a unique global network encompassing leading international business organizations, 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, VP communications, USCIB
+1 212.703.5043 or jhuneke@uscib.org

USCIB Recognized with Presidential-Level Export Award

New York-based United States Council for International Business honored as one of 123 companies nationwide for success in exporting and export service

This press release was issued by the U.S. Department of Commerce

L-R: U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker and Derek Leite, USCIB’s director of Trade Services
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker (left) presents the President’s “E” Award to Derek Leite, USCIB’s director of trade services.

New York, N.Y., May 16, 2016 –  United States Council for International Business (USCIB) was recognized today as one of 123 companies and organizations to receive the President’s “E” Award for exporting excellence during a ceremony in Washington, D.C..

Honoring USCIB was Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker for their work as an advocate of open markets and promoter of U.S. exports. Derek Leite, USCIB’s director of Trade Services, was on hand to receive the honors from the Secretary.

“USCIB has demonstrated a sustained commitment to export expansion,” said Secretary Pritzker in her congratulatory letter to the company. “The “E” Awards Committee was very impressed with USCIB’s dedication to promoting international trade. The organization’s innovative work to implement the ATA Carnet was also particularly notable. USCIB’s achievements have undoubtedly contributed to national export expansion efforts that support the U.S. economy and create American jobs.”

The President’s “E” Award is the highest recognition any U.S. entity can receive for making a significant contribution to the expansion of U.S. exports.

“This is a period of expanding use of ATA Carnets by U.S. companies,” said Leite. “This spurs U.S. exports worldwide, and helps to smooth the flow of global commerce. We would like to thank our ATA Carnet issuing providers, Boomerang Carnets and Roanoke Trade, for their persistent efforts to help grow ATA Carnet usage in the United States and around the world.”

Carmela Mammas, director of the U.S. Commercial Service New York, said this type of recognition highlights how hard businesses and organizations in The Empire State are working to be successful in a globalized economy.

“Congratulations to the United States Council for International Business on their well-deserved “E” Award,” said Mammas. “USCIB has played a crucial role in strengthening and growing our economy by providing export promotion services to the business community. They should be proud of this extraordinary achievement.”

The “E” Award ceremony is one of the highlights of World Trade Month, a month-long celebration of the benefits that U.S. exports bring to national, state, and local economies through job creation and growth.

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. With a unique global network encompassing leading international business organizations, 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, VP communications, USCIB
+1 212.703.5043 or jhuneke@uscib.org

Global Business Body Highlights Crucial Importance of FDI for Growth and Development

Money_globeNew York, N.Y., April 12, 2016 – In the face of growing populist rhetoric from some quarters calling into question the very nature of global trade, investment and private sector-led growth, the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) has issued a ringing defense of foreign investment as a driving force in improving people’s lives around the world.

In its statement, Foreign Direct Investment – Promoting and Protecting a Key Pillar for Sustainable Development and Growth, the Paris-based global business body – which encompasses companies from all sectors in some 130 countries, developing as well as developed – voices its strong support for FDI as an effective tool to foster economic growth and sustainable development. ICC calls on governments to both maintain and strengthen investment protection and promotion agreements, including the investment provisions now common in many U.S. free trade agreements.

The statement was released by ICC’s American national committee, the United States Council for International Business (USCIB).

“A key lesson from the past half century and more is that investment, including foreign direct investment, is crucial in influencing a country’s overall prospects for economic progress and prosperity,” said James Bacchus, the former chief judge for the World Trade Organization and former U.S. Congressman who chairs ICC’s Commission on Trade and Investment Policy, which developed the paper. “Countries that put in place strong, well-considered policies both to promote and protect investment, and ensure the rule of law, benefit more from FDI as well as from domestic investment. Those countries have more effective institutions and higher standards of living.”

The ICC statement encourages governments to pursue high-standard bilateral and regional investment agreements. These important agreements should continue to include strong dispute resolution provisions, through investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) with independent proceedings to settle investment disputes, the paper says. It further proposes that, in the longer term, an equally high-standard multilateral framework on investment could further foster FDI in support of growth and sustainable development.

Other key messages from the ICC policy statement include:

  • Discrimination is never a good idea. ICC calls on national governments to avoid any sectoral restrictions in investment agreements coverage or access to dispute settlement.
  • Governments around the world should give greater attention to investment challenges related to State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) so as to ensure a level playing field when private companies (domestic or foreign) compete with SOEs.
  • National security or “essential security” reviews by governments should be narrowly focused on true national security issues and not become an excuse for discrimination against foreign investors.
  • All governments should avoid “forced localization” requirements against foreign investors.

“We need sensible policies to promote and defend FDI in order to meet the numerous challenges we face in the years ahead,” said USCIB President and CEO Peter M. Robinson. “This strong and timely policy statement, coming as it does from the leading global business organization, provides a useful contribution to the ongoing debates on investment, investment agreements and, more specifically, ISDS. We urge policy makers in the United States and other nations, as well as the policy community more broadly, to read and digest its recommendations.”

About ICC:
ICC is the largest, most representative business organization in the world. Its global network comprises over six million companies, chambers of commerce and business associations in more than 130 countries, with interests spanning every sector of private enterprise. A network of ICC national committees mobilizes and supports business in its interactions with governments and international organizations around the world. The United Nations, the World Trade Organization, the G20 and many other intergovernmental bodies, both international and regional, are kept in touch with the views of international business through ICC. More at www.iccwbo.org.

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. 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.

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

USCIB Hails Signing of TPP in New Zealand

Harbor_tradeNew York, N.Y., February 3, 2016 – Welcoming a milestone on the road leading to the ratification of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), USCIB hailed the signing of the agreement by 12 countries in Auckland, New Zealand today (February 4 local time). TPP is a historic market-opening free trade agreement whose Pacific-Rim members represent 40 percent of global GDP.

“The signing is an important next step, since TPP will increase American export opportunities, support U.S. jobs, and advance security and rule of law across the Asia Pacific region,” said USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson. “We applaud the U.S. government and our TPP partners for moving forward on an agreement that will create so many benefits for workers, families and businesses.”

Robinson noted that hard work still remains, with the ratification of the agreement by Congress and other national governments. USCIB is committed to working with the Obama administration, Congress and its members to ensure that TPP becomes law.

USCIB is a leading member of the U.S. Coalition for TPP, a broad-based group of American companies and associations representing all sectors of the U.S. economy. The Coalition issued a statement in support of TPP in January.

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. With a unique global network – encompassing ICC, the International Organization of Employers, and the Business and Industry Advisory Committee to the OECD – USCIB provides business views to policy makers and regulatory authorities worldwide, and works to facilitate international trade and investment. www.uscib.org.

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

More on USCIB’s Trade and Investment Committee

USCIB Applauds Obama’s Call to Ratify Pacific Trade Pact

SOTU_2016
President Obama delivers his final State of the Union address on January 12, 2016.

New York, N.Y., January 12, 2016 – USCIB welcomed President Obama’s call in his State of the Union address for Congress to ratify the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement, a market-opening trade deal between the United States and eleven Pacific-Rim countries.

“U.S. business remains united behind TPP,” said USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson. “This landmark agreement will enhance American competitiveness, support U.S. jobs, eliminate thousands of tariffs and expand the rule of law in the Asia-Pacific region.”

USCIB voiced support for TPP in a statement last month, saying that after reviewing the agreement’s text and consulting with its broad membership, USCIB believes the agreement “will contribute substantially to economic growth in the United States and the region, cement U.S. global leadership and provide significant new opportunities for U.S. businesses, workers and farmers.”

A central component of the United States’ foreign policy in the Asia-Pacific, TPP would help establish American commercial values in the region, with new standards to promote good governance and transparency.

Robinson continued: “We look forward to working with the administration and Congress on a range of issues raised by the president in his address, especially trade, and we urge legislators to secure TPP’s passage.” He noted that TPP would set new, high standards for future trade agreements.

The U.S. coalition for TPP, of which USCIB is a leading member, issued a statement in support of TPP last week.

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. With a unique global network – encompassing ICC, the International Organization of Employers, and the Business and Industry Advisory Committee to the OECD – USCIB provides business views to policy makers and regulatory authorities worldwide, and works to facilitate international trade and investment. www.uscib.org.

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

More on USCIB’s Trade and Investment Committee

Following Nairobi Ministerial, USCIB Encourages WTO Members to Look to the Future

switzerland-wto-general-councilNew York, N.Y., December 19, 2015 – The United States Council for International Business (USCIB) welcomed progress by World Trade Organization members on a number of issues at the WTO ministerial in Nairobi but expressed concerns about the lack of consensus on a post-Nairobi action plan.

The ministerial made progress on agriculture and in other areas, but WTO members remain divided over the path for addressing issues from the Doha Round and new issues of increasing concern to business. USCIB applauded positive developments for business that came out of the ministerial, including agreement on expansion of the Information Technology Agreement (ITA), eliminating tariffs on 201 IT products valued at over $1.3 trillion per year, as well as six additional ratifications for the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA).

“The WTO should look to the future, focusing its resources and energy in pursuit of a practical agenda that addresses 21st-century trade challenges,” said USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson. “USCIB reiterates its support of the multilateral trade agenda and encourages the WTO to continue its engagement on these and other issues of importance to business.”

USCIB strongly supports ratification and implementation of the TFA and is encouraged that 63 countries have now ratified the agreement, which is expected to reduce worldwide trade costs by some 17 percent by streamlining and modernizing customs procedures. In Nairobi, the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), working with several other business groups and government agencies, launched a new partnership to support the effective implementation of TFA.

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. With a unique global network – encompassing ICC, the International Organization of Employers, and the Business and Industry Advisory Committee to the OECD – USCIB provides business views to policy makers and regulatory authorities worldwide, and works to facilitate international trade and investment. www.uscib.org.

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

More on USCIB’s Trade and Investment Committee

USCIB Voices Support for the Trans-Pacific Partnership

Will push for congressional ratification, but urges some shortcomings in agreement be addressed

washington-Lincoln-MemorialsNew York, N.Y., December 8, 2015 – The United States Council for International Business (USCIB) supports the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) and urges members of Congress to approve TPP. After reviewing the text of the agreement and consulting with our broad cross-sectoral membership as well as our Board of Directors, USCIB believes that the TPP agreement will contribute substantially to economic growth in the United States and the region, cement U.S. global leadership and provide significant new opportunities for U.S. businesses, workers and farmers.

The TPP expands market access in the region through elimination of tariff and non-tariff barriers as well as breaking new ground in addressing growing regulatory impediments to trade. Some of the key measures include:

  • Eliminates 98 percent of tariffs in the TPP region including on a wide range of U.S. agricultural exports.
  • Establishes new rules protecting cross border flow of data and prohibiting forced localization of servers, while also requiring governments to ensure protection of personal information wherever it is stored.
  • Sets new disciplines on state-owned enterprises, including limitations on sovereign immunity, non-commercial assistance and increased transparency requirements.
  • Provides more comprehensive opening of markets for service providers through negative lists that expand the scope of opportunities for many U.S. service providers.
  • Establishes disciplines on regulatory developments and creates a Regulatory Coherence Committee to help prevent emerging regulations from creating trade barriers.
  • Streamlines and simplifies customs procedures throughout the region by requiring advanced rulings and other measures to improve transparency and facilitate movement at the border.
  • Strengthens labor and environment provisions.

While we support TPP, we also believe that it could be improved by addressing provisions in the agreement that limit or exclude protections for certain sectors. We urge the Administration to work to address these limitations before submitting the final agreement to Congress. Dealing with these concerns would avoid any possible negative precedents for future agreements and facilitate consideration of TPP under Trade Promotion Authority.

With slowing global trade and modest economic growth forecasts, passage of the TPP is a critical act and affirmation by governments representing almost 40 percent of world GDP that protectionism is not the answer and that liberalized markets in which businesses are allowed to compete on a level playing field are the best formula for creating jobs, opportunity, innovation and spreading the rule of law more extensively in the region. This reality is already being grasped by many other countries that now aspire to join the TPP.   The United States and the global economy will be better off with a TPP and USCIB will work with the Administration and Congress, as well as our global business partners, to secure passage.

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. With a unique global network, 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 Welcomes Conclusion of Trans-Pacific Partnership Negotiations

Golden_GateWashington, D.C., October 5, 2015 – The United States Council for International Business (USCIB) welcomed the conclusion of negotiations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership by TPP trade ministers meeting in Atlanta, saying that a comprehensive, market-opening TPP agreement would provide a significant boost to the U.S. and world economies.

“We have urged the conclusion of an ambitious, high-standard TPP throughout the course of these talks, and we look forward to reviewing details of the agreement to see if they meet these expectations,” said USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson.” U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman and his counterparts are to be congratulated for seeing these talks through to their conclusion.”

Robinson continued: “Our future prosperity hinges on expanded trade, investment and job creation. Together, the TPP nations account for some 40 percent of global GDP, with a burgeoning middle class. And of course there is the added potential of other countries signing on now that a deal has been sealed.”

USCIB is a leading member of the U.S. Coalition for TPP, a broad-based group of U.S. companies and associations that supports the negotiation of a comprehensive, high-standard and commercially meaningful TPP agreement.

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. With a unique global network — encompassing the International Chamber of Commerce, International Organization of Employers, and the Business & Industry Advisory Committee to the 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

More on USCIB’s Trade and Investment Committee

USCIB Welcomes Expansion of WTO Information Technology Agreement

ITA_manufacturing

New York, N.Y., July 24, 2015  – The United States Council for International Business (USCIB) welcomed today’s agreement among members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) to expand the 1996 Information Technology Agreement (ITA) to a wide array of additional products.

“These are critical, market-opening negotiations, with vast potential to boost U.S. exports,” said USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson. “Combined with last December’s agreement on the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement, this breakthrough further demonstrates the importance of keeping a robust multilateral track in the U.S. trade agenda.”

The original ITA helped cement the growth of electronic commerce and the digital economy by freeing up trade in many IT goods and services. But with the rapid growth of the Internet and digital technologies in the two decades since, many newer products fall outside its purview. A plurilateral undertaking among 54 WTO members, the ongoing ITA negotiations aim to lift tariffs on approximately $1 trillion worth of trade in high-tech products annually.

Robinson added: “We applaud the determination displayed by U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman and his team to get this important agreement done by this December’s WTO ministerial in Nairobi. We urge all WTO members to seize this momentum to finalize a deal as soon as possible.”

In May 2013, USCIB joined a wide array of high-tech and other business groups in urging negotiators to aim for a comprehensive, ambitious and commercially meaningful expansion of the ITA.

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. With a unique global network, 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

More on USCIB’s Trade and Investment Committee

More on USCIB’s Information, Communications and Technology Committee