According to President Obama, the United States is on track to double its exports within five years....
“American exports grew almost 17% over the first four months of this year, compared to the same period last year. Now part of this, of course, is due to the global recovery. But, we’re also moving forward on improving conditions for America’s exporters.”
Following a meeting Wednesday with his 20-member National Export Council, Mr. Obama said his administration has run 18 trade missions to lift U.S. sales overseas, doubled loans to support exports, and fought to remove agricultural trade barriers....
“On a global level this begins with pushing hard in the Doha Round to improve those negotiations so that they have a higher level of ambition in a way that will translate directly into more opportunities for American exporters.
Regionally, we’re working on the Trans-Pacific Partnership Free Trade Agreement to expand our commercial presence in some of the most dynamic markets in Asia.
And where our businesses run up against barriers in individual markets, we are acting. In March, for example we reached an agreement with China to re-open their market to American pork and pork products. Last month during President Medvedev’s visit we reached an agreement with Russia to reopen their market to American poultry. These steps are worth more than $1 billion to American business.”
The President insisted he’s committed to moving forward on three pending bilateral trade deals that represent an estimated 2.5-billion dollars in additional sales for farmers....
“I’ve instructed U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk to begin discussions to resolve outstanding issues with the pending Korea Free Trade Agreement before my visit to Korea in November. We also want to deepen and broaden our relations with Panama and Columbia, and we’re working to resolve outstanding issues with the Free Trade Agreements with those key partners. And we’re focused to submitting them as soon as possible for congressional consideration.”
The administration’s National Export Initiative is aimed at ending what Obama called a false political debate....
“Where business was on one side, labor was on the other, there were partisan divides, the argument was either you were pro-trade or you were anit-trade. What we now have an opportunity to do is refocus our attention…we’re all in it together; businesses, workers, government, everybody’s focused on the same goal.”
The President’s Export Council contains only one member with ties to agriculture – Archer Daniels Midland President and CEO Patricia Woertz.
|