Topics in this issue: U.S. Free-Trade Agreements with Colombia, Peru and Panama
• Market access
• Services and investment
• Labor
• Export growth
“When you look at the statistics, we have lost jobs to China and India—countries where we do not have a freetrade agreement. So, it is not the free-trade agreements that cause the problem.”
On December 12, AS/COA held the 6th Annual Latin America Conference , which examined regional politics, trade and economic reforms after the heaviest election year in Latin American history. The event, which also analyzed the future of U.S. policy in Latin America after the U.S. mid-term election, featured a keynote address by U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Thomas Shannon.
In testimony to U.S. Congress, COA Vice President Eric Farnsworth offered support for the U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement.
Step aside foreign direct investment (FDI) and net official development assistance (ODA), the volume of remittances going to the Latin America and Caribbean region has again exceeded the combined totals of these monies in 2005.