Canadian Minister of International Trade David Emerson emphasizes that strategic interests reach well beyond North America. His country is committed to helping its hemispheric partners create opportunities and reduce poverty through greater economic cooperation.
In testimony to the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs, COA Vice President Eric Farnsworth calls on Congress to pass the pending bilateral trade agreement and re-authorize Plan Colombia. “The time to act is now” to support one of the strongest U.S. allies in the region.
Making Mexico a foreign policy priority can increase U.S. security and prosperity, write COA’s Eric Farnsworth and Monica Guevera in Latin Business Chronicle.
U.S. ability to address significant global challenges would be directly enhanced by closer coordination with willing Latin American partners. An enhanced relationship with Brazil is central to this new strategic approach.
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.