Office of the U.S. Trade Representative
Ambassador Ron Kirk | Executive Office of the President | www.ustr.gov http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001y_jVtevPItxA9hZWIQUDRL2JJjLXXHae_TZORXtS_3jslWSeY3DhwEPT4DZBPXPvMM77lzK3o5a7dmZmz_qSpqdUx5Ir79xnOzbx-X6TV-M=
Office of Intergovernmental Affairs & Public Engagement | 202.395.6120 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
April 27, 2012
Volume 132 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Announcements for the Week of April 23-27, 2012 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
U.S. Trade Representative Kirk Concludes Successful Visit to Malaysia
April 24 - United States Trade Representative Ron Kirk concluded his visit to Malaysia today by meeting with Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak. Ambassador Kirk and Prime Minister Najib discussed the bilateral trade and investment relationship between the United States and Malaysia, as well as our countries' common interests as members of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the 9-country initiative toward a high-standard trade agreement that will have its twelfth round of negotiations in the U.S. city of Dallas, Texas next month.
"As part of our very positive discussion about the trade relationship between the United States and Malaysia, I was pleased to indicate to Prime Minister Najib the United States' desire to work together to close remaining issues in the Trans-Pacific Partnership, and to conclude an agreement as quickly as possible," said Ambassador Kirk. "The United States and Malaysia can work together to find creative approaches to achieve high standards across an eventual TPP agreement." "
Read the rest of the release here http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001y_jVtevPItwNayIXIJeOoH_r0TftlPoH50JDJjStIGDzKpVYtybCdwntnORwt_r5BByZTOMwofx--A__aSfaNR5cVB4Mg4wdMQZoi_ifM0ODVE6qOL3fm68DC9zLxlo6gq1kDU_y0UFR0DfBeEGIqa890e8xP8gRKkHWmivRBDtos0odqb3byu6AkJTg7dCaCOTzt0B6qZSpusTYsF0v6Lytzn42e9WJM6o4wUKjm5Iw5MLdNen0g216NbBaRxYt. ================================================================================
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USTR.gov ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Talking TPP in Malaysia
April 23 - Ambassador Kirk tries his hand at hammering a pewter mug at the Royal Selangor pewter company in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, before meeting with leaders of the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers. Ambassador Kirk is in Southeast Asia this week to outline key U.S. trade objectives with regard to the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Ambassador Kirk tries his hand at hammering a pewter mug at the Royal Selangor pewter company in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Following his two-day stop in Kuala Lumpur, Ambassador Kirk will fly to Singapore where he will deliver a speech at Singapore Management University. ================================================================================
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United States Trade Representative Ron Kirk Concludes Visit to Malaysia by Meeting with Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak
Ambassador Kirk meets with Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak ================================================================================
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Deputy Assistant USTR Christina Sevilla Speaks on "Exporting for Small Business" Panel at Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Units Conference
April 26 - Last week, Deputy Assistant USTR for Small Business and Market Access Christina Sevilla spoke on the "Exporting for Small Business" panel at the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Units (OSDBU) Annual Conference. The OSDBU Procurement Conference is a national conference fostering business partnerships between the Federal Government and small, minority-owned, veteran-owned, service-disabled veteran-owned, HUBZone, and women-owned businesses. Now in its 22nd year, the OSDBU Directors Conference is a premier event for small business throughout the United States.
According to organizers, this was the first time that the OSBDU conference -- primarily focused on Federal Government contracting opportunities for small business --- also included a panel on Small Business exporting with interagency participation, given the National Export Initiative's goal of doubling U.S. exports by the end of 2014 and priority attention to small businesses who are new to exporting. And according to the Department of Commerce's Minority Business Development Agency, minority-owned firms are more likely to export compared to non-minority-owned firms, regardless of firm size. For example, minority-owned firms in wholesale trade; professional, scientific and technical services; and finance and insurance were more likely to export compared to non-minority firms in those same industries. Among firms generating 50% to 100% of their annual $1 million plus sales through exports, minority-owned firms were four times (4.2%) as likely to export compared to non-minority firms (1%). Minority firms are also five times more likely to conduct business in a language other than English compared to non-minority owned firms.
Deputy Assistant USTR Christina Sevilla, second from right, participates in "Exporting for Small Business" panel
Foreign language capability can be a huge advantage for U.S. minority and diaspora entrepreneurs seeking to make export sales to U.S. trade agreement partners in Latin America, Asia, the Middle East, Africa and elsewhere. Sevilla spoke about the benefits to small businesses of U.S. trade agreements, such as the new agreements with Colombia and Korea. Trade agreement partners can be easier markets for small firms to access due to the reduction and elimination of tariff barriers, non-tariff barriers, and speedier customs procedures to get products to market under the agreements. Reducing tariff costs and cutting red tape can make a big difference to a small company seeking to export for the first time or to enter a new market.
She also highlighted new opportunities for small business suppliers to access foreign government procurement markets under the revised WTO Government Procurement Agreement (GPA) that will be available when it enters into force, possibly as early as 2013. For example, the revised agreement will give U.S. suppliers access to more than 150 additional central government entities in European Union Member States, including Bulgaria, Finland, France, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Romania, and Sweden. U.S. suppliers will also gain access to a number of additional central government entities in other GPA Parties, including in Aruba, Hong Kong, Israel, Liechtenstein, Korea, and Switzerland.
Small and minority-owned and women-owned firms which have successfully competed for U.S. government contracts may now consider foreign government contracts a promising new opportunity opened up by U.S. trade negotiations. ================================================================================
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IN THIS ISSUE ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
U.S. Trade Representative Kirk Concludes Successful Visit to Malaysia ================================================================================
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USTR.gov ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Talking TPP in Malaysia
United States Trade Representative Ron Kirk Concludes Visit to Malaysia by Meeting with Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak
Deputy Assistant USTR Christina Sevilla Speaks on "Exporting for Small Business" Panel at Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Units Conference ================================================================================
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RECENT EVENTS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
On April 21-27, Ambassador Kirk traveled to Singapore and Malaysia to meet with government and business leaders to discuss the Trans-Pacific Partnership, advance regional objectives and deliver a speech on U.S.- Asia Pacific trade policy.
On April 23-26, Ambassador Sapiro traveled to Brussels to meet with European Commission officials to discuss the U.S.-EU High Level Working Group. She will also meet with the Executive Council of the Brussels American Chamber of Commerce to the EU and the Center for European Policy Studies.
Ambassador Siddiqui participated in a panel discussion at the White House Business Council's Stakeholder Fly-In on how the Administration's international trade agenda helps create jobs here at home.
Ambassador Marantis spoke at a Software and Information Industry Association (SIIA) roundtable lunch.
Ambassador Siddiqui delivered remarks on the recent signing of the equivalence arrangement for U.S. and EU organic products in Nuremberg, as well as other issues critical to the organic foods sector, at the Organic Trade Association's Policy Conference at the Newseum.
Ambassador Siddiqui met with the Danish Minister for Trade and Investment, Pia Olsen-Dyhr to discuss issues critical to the U.S.-EU trade relationship.
Ambassador Marantis will speak at the Computer and Communications Industry Association's 2012 Washington Caucus.
Ambassador Marantis will speak at AmCham China's Annual DC Dialogue at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
Assistant U.S. Trade Representative Gail Strickler participated in the Texprocess symposium at the Techtextile/ Texprocess show being held this week in Atlanta. She spoke at the global trade outlook seminar. ================================================================================
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