Policy Issues || Recent Activities || Background || Contact Information

• U.S. Free Trade Agreements
   - Bi-Lateral and Regional Agreements and Negotiations
• World Trade Organization
   - Doha Round, Accession Negotiations
• Trade Promotion Authority

The U.S.-South Korea Free Trade Agreement South Korea is one of the world’s largest markets for high-tech goods from the United States.  Passing the U.S.-South Korea Free Trade Agreement will improve access and increase intellectual property protection for American high-tech products and services. June 2007

Opening Trade with Central and South America (OVERALL REPORT) U.S. high-tech trade with Central and South America is strong, as data in this report illustrate.  To expand this trade, the United States should continue to pursue all bilateral and multilateral means to open markets to U.S. goods and services in this strategically vital region. SUPPLEMENTAL COUNTRY REPORTS Free Trade Colombia   Free Trade Panama   Free Trade Peru June 2007

July 27, 2006:  AeA update on the Doha, Malaysia Free Trade Agreement, and Korea Free Trade Agreement negotiations.

July 24, 2006:  AeA Disappointed by Breakdown in Doha Negotiations, Supports U.S. Push for Ambitious Result.  Comments on WTO Doha Negotiations by Rob Mulligan, Senior Vice President International, AeA.

July 20, 2006:  AeA Applauds House of Representatives for Passage of U.S. – Oman Free Trade Agreement.

April 19, 2006:  AeA Cyberstates 2006 report shows U.S. Technology Exports Up by $8 Billion in 2005. China Remains a Key Trading Partner, with U.S. Tech Exports to China Increasing by 14 Percent and Tech Imports from China Jumping by 26 Percent in 2005.  Read the Press Release.

March 9, 2006:  AeA releases a new report on the impact of trade between the United States and Colombia. The report, "Free Trade Colombia," finds that high-tech goods exports to Colombia totaled over $1 billion in 2005, up 19 percent from the previous year.  Read the Press Release.

Free Trade Colombia The Colombian Free Trade Agreement promises new opportunities and expanded markets for U.S. high-tech exporters, manufacturers, services providers, and their employees. Colombia is a small but strong and growing market for tech products. March 2006

March 8, 2006:  AeA, releases a new report on the impact of trade between the United States and Peru. The report, "Free Trade Peru," finds that high-tech goods exports to Peru totaled $428 million in 2005, up 10 percent from the previous year.  Read the Press Release.

Free Trade Peru The Peruvian Free Trade Agreement promises new opportunities and expanded markets for U.S. high-tech exporters, manufacturers, services providers, and their employees. Peru is a small but strong and growing market for tech products. March 2006

International Trade
AeA has always played an active role in supporting U.S. trade negotiations that open global markets for its member companies to compete on a level playing field.  For an ever growing number of AeA companies access to foreign markets is critical to their future success and multilateral, regional, and bilateral trade agreements are critical to securing this market access.  AeA works with USTR to ensure key issues are addressed during the negotiation process and then works with Congress to ensure passage of the final agreements as well as the necessary trade related legislation.

Trade Negotiations

World Trade Organization

Doha Round
In 2001 in Doha, Qatar, the World Trade Organization (WTO) launched the Doha Development Agenda (DDA) negotiations to further liberalize the rules and regulations governing international trade. AeA identified an extensive list of areas to be addressed in the negotiations including: tariff and non-tariff barriers, transparency, e-commerce, trade facilitation, intellectual property protection, trade in services, and government procurement. Working with member companies, we have provided input to USTR on a wide range of issues and actively worked to build international support for an agreement.

Accession Negotiations

• Russia
• Vietnam

U.S. Free Trade Agreements

In recent years the U.S. has actively pursued regional and bilateral negotiations in parallel with the Doha process. AeA has supported these negotiations as another vehicle for opening markets to US high-tech companies by advising on country specific issues to be addressed in the negotiations and concerted efforts in support of passage in Congress. Today, the U.S. has completed FTAs with:

• Australia
• Bahrain
• Chile
• Israel
• Jordan
• Mexico and Canada (NAFTA)
• Oman
• Singapore
• Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua (CAFTA-DR)

Negotiations are still in process or awaiting Congressional approval for the following countries:

• Colombia
• Korea
• Malaysia
• Panama
• Peru
• South African Customs Union
• Thailand
• United Arab Emirates
• Free Trade Agreement of the Americas

Trade Legislation
AeA members can learn more on U.S. Bilateral Trade Agreements; U.S. Regional Trade Agreements; U.S. Trade Negotiations (Bilateral and Regional); U.S. Trade Bilateral Investment Treaties; European Trade Agreements; Latin, Central, South American Agreements; and other Related Government Sites and information sources at the AeA Customs Committee, Trade Agreements Subcommittee's Trade Agreement Reference Resources webpage.

Robert J. Mulligan (bio)
Senior Vice President International 
601 Pennsylvania Ave, NW
Suite 600, North Building
Washington, DC 20004
P: 202.682.4452
F: 202.682.9111
rob_mulligan@aeanet.org

This page was last updated on 06/22/07.  
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