I’ve been fighting free trade since 2008. For most of that time, while much of the public has been sympathetic, it’s been an uphill battle with Congress. I used to lobby on Capitol Hill, and I frequently got no better than bored politeness from Congressional offices. [Ian Fletcher| April 18, 2016 |Huffington Post] So I’m…
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The Boston Globe is reporting that U.S.-based shoe manufacturer New Balance has come out hard against the Trans Pacific Partnership trade deal. The odd thing, though, is that “the Boston company had gone quiet [on TPP] last year.” Now, apparently, we know why: [Jim Swift| April 13, 2016 |The Weekly Standard] New Balance officials say one big…
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The debate over signing the awful Trans-Pacific Partnership free-trade agreement is hamstrung by the fact that some American politicians don’t seem to understand what international law is. [Ian Fletcher| April 15, 2016 |Huffington Post] They talk about signing this agreement like it’s a lease on an storefront in Indianapolis, where what’s written down on paper really…
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On February 4, 2016, President Obama signed the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement on behalf of the United States. The TPP agreement has been in negotiation behind closed doors since 2010 between the United States and 11 other countries around the Pacific Rim: Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam.…
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In 2010, Canada hosted the G7 finance ministers in Nunavut, the country’s frigid Arctic province that is home to a mere 30,000 Inuit people. [Parag Khanna| April 11, 2016 |Market Watch] Canada’s “Northern Strategy” for the Arctic was a centerpiece of former Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s tenure, resulting in a larger coast guard, new icebreakers,…
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BEIJING (Reuters) – The United States has labeled China’s internet censorship a trade barrier in a report for the first time since 2013, saying worsening online restrictions are damaging the business of U.S. companies. [Paul Carsten and Michael Martina| April 8, 2016 |Reuters] Since Xi Jinping became China’s president that year, the U.S. had not listed China’s…
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To the Editor: American families devastated by the outsourcing of manufacturing jobs and lower wages would be dumbfounded by Eduardo Porter’s March 30 Economic Scene column, “The Jobs Nafta Saved.” Germany, Japan and other countries continue to have strong domestic auto industries while also paying livable, middle-class wages. American corporations take advantage of the North…
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Editorial note: CPA believes trade law enforcement must be drastically increased, however enforcement is not enough without a goal to balance overall trade. [John Veroneau and Shara Aranoff| April 6, 2016 |Politico] Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton may not agree on much, but they have both criticized the government for failing to adequately enforce U.S.…
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If you’re feeling like the Trans-Pacific Partnership doesn’t have much chance of passing this year, you’re not alone. During a lunchtime discussion of foreign policy and trade experts, Commerce Undersecretary for International Trade Stefan Selig was practically the only person who was optimistic that the deal could go through this year, our Doug Palmer reports…
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April 6, 2016 Contact: Paola Masman, Media Director 202-688-5145 ext 2, [email protected] Washington ~ The federal government announced that the US trade deficit worsened yet again in February 2016. Modern trade deals continue to cause failures in US trade performance and loss of dynamic, diverse manufacturing and agricultural supply chains. Here are the relevant points from the…
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