No bilateral free-trade agreement exists, and India often flirts with slapping duties on Chinese imports, most recently of power equipment.
Leaders of the 34 nations of the Western Hemisphere ended their fourth Summit of the Americas this weekend with no agreement to create a free trade zone for the region.
Delegates left Rome without consensus on key issues such as the increased demand for crops to produce biofuels and the impact on world food prices, and there is also no agreement on the lifting of trade barriers and the issue of farm subsidies, officials said.
He no longer opposes the Central American Free-Trade Agreement with the United States.
Touting the TPP and the benefits that go along with a new trade agreement should be a political no-brainer for the president: huge export potential, job growth, and lower prices for American consumers.
FORBES: Trans Pacific Partnership: an Economic, Political Opportunity for Obama
Although he has spoken in support of free trade in the past (and voted for NAFTA), his more recent record includes "no" votes on the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) and a number of bilateral free trade agreements.
The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), which makes no mention of tobacco, states that free trade should not interfere with a country's right to protect public health.
His general platform, his support for the Central American Free Trade Agreement with the United States and his alliances with business organizations gave no hint that halfway into his term he would make a radical U turn.
CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: What's wrong with Insulza and the OAS
Although some U.S. complaints about Chinese trade and economic policies are legitimate and probably worth deploying the resources to resolve (including through dispute settlement in the World Trade Organization), other complaints are bogus because there is no violation of an agreement or because the United States is guilty of the same infractions.
Though it plays well in certain American states, there is no basis to the argument that large numbers of American jobs would be lost were the trade agreement to be passed.
CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: The FTA with Colombia: the political dimension
Even the more modest goal of a free-trade area, if it is to be a credible one, means that they can no longer shirk agreement on a few common laws (on matters such as competition policy) and some minimal common institutions, including a permanent tribunal to settle trade disputes.
The USTR says that claim has "no factual basis, " adding that Rangel and other members of Congress were briefed on the agreement as soon as trade negotiators returned from Seoul earlier this month.
应用推荐