World Trade Month Celebrates Global Ties
World Trade Month Celebrates Global Ties
“The Mexican economic relationship is the third most robust relationship we have in the United States,’’ points out AS/COA’s Eric Farnsworth on President Barack Obama’s upcoming visit to Mexico.
World Trade Month kicked off Wednesday with a reminder of the impact that international trade has on the Florida economy.
A record $124.7 billion worth of products moved through South Florida airports and seaports in 2012. Trade between the Miami Customs District, which stretches from Palm Beach County to Key West, and 30 countries reached the $1 billion level, said Ken Roberts, president of WorldCity, a Coral Gables media company that analyzes trade data….
It was the first in a series of international events ranging from trade missions to the Dominican Republic, Brazil and Chile to tours of Miami International Airport’s cargo operations and exporting seminars that will mark the month. On Thursday, for example, the Africa Trade Development Center is sponsoring a seminar at the Miami Free Zone on doing business in Africa….
“The Mexican economic relationship is the third most robust relationship we have in the United States,’’ said Eric Farnsworth, who heads the Washington office of the Council of the Americas.
Canada and China are currently the top two U.S. trading partners.
Roberts pointed out that Laredo, Texas, on the U.S.-Mexico border does almost as much trade with Mexico as Miami does with the world. “The trucks are non-stop there,’’ he said.
What will make a successful meeting between the two presidents, said Farnsworth, who spoke at the WorldCity lunch, is coming up with a process to keep the momentum going between Mexico and the United States.
He said that could take the form of annual cabinet-level meetings between the two neighbors.
In recent years, China has overshadowed Mexico as a U.S. trading and production partner….
