U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker announced today that she will travel to Colombia and Brazil next month, making her first trip to South America since joining the Commerce Department. As part of the Administration’s strong and sustained engagement throughout the hemisphere, she will meet with business executives and government leaders in both countries focusing on ways to deepen bilateral commercial relations.
“The Obama Administration’s renewed focus on the Americas can produce a new wave of trade and commerce that can spur the entire Western Hemisphere to become more globally competitive,” said Secretary Pritzker.
Secretary Pritzker made this announcement during the “Discover Global Markets: The Americas” event hosted by the Commerce Department’s International Trade Administration and the Florida District Export Council. In her address, Secretary Pritzker underscored the opportunities facing U.S. companies eager to sell their goods and services into markets throughout North, Central, and South America. She also discussed the services the Department of Commerce offers to support America’s exporters.
As the United States Senate and House of Representatives debate trade promotion legislation that would allow for the enactment of new trade agreements with countries around the world, the Secretary focused on the strength of U.S. relations with our existing free trade partners in the Americas. She also talked about the Administration’s recent policy changes toward Cuba, and the opportunities that exist for U.S. businesses as a result.
“Our engagement with Cuba and our push for the Trans-Pacific Partnership are just some of the ways we are looking to increase cooperation between our nations,” said Secretary Pritzker. “Together, these efforts demonstrate this Administration’s commitment to our ‘new chapter of engagement’ in the hemisphere.” The Miami event, part of a nationwide series of Discover Global Markets business forums, brought together nearly 400 business representatives and government officials to help companies identify emerging opportunities in foreign markets, obtain the tools necessary to succeed internationally, leverage government resources to compete successfully, and make key contacts with industry experts. Businesses also had the opportunity to meet one-on-one with U.S. commercial diplomats from 21 countries throughout the Americas.
Remarks as Prepared for Delivery Thank you, James Anzalone, Chairman, Florida District Export Council, for your introduction and for your commitment to finding new markets for U.S. goods and products across the Americas. It is a pleasure to be here at this Discover Global Markets forum with business leaders from 33 states; representatives from 21 countries; and Commerce staff and specialists.
This is an historic moment for the Americas. Last month, for the first time in more than a half century, every country in our hemisphere came together to discuss our shared future at the Summit of the Americas in Panama.
At that gathering, President Obama outlined how our Administration has led – and will continue to lead – a “new chapter of engagement” in the region; founded on equal partnerships, deeper economic ties, mutual interests, and mutual respect.
He emphasized this Administration’s commitment to reigniting growth in the region, and he focused on ensuring that the people of the Americas have the opportunity to thrive, prosper, and participate in the global economy.
From Guadalajara to Santiago to Sao Paulo, countries across the region, with some exceptions, are gravitating toward a more pro-market, pro-investment democratic vision for their future.
Building on these trends toward greater openness and investment—and on a long history of friendship and partnership among our nations—the Obama Administration’s renewed focus on the Americas can produce a new wave of trade and commerce that can spur the entire Western Hemisphere to become more globally competitive.
In order to realize this shared vision of mutual prosperity, President Obama recognizes that we must engage across the entire region – including with Cuba. Last December, he announced the most significant changes in our policy toward Cuba in more than 50 years, charting a new course for our relationship.
As the President recently said, “Better relations between the United States and Cuba will create new opportunities for cooperation across our region – for the security and prosperity and health and dignity of all our people.” Here in Miami – a gateway to Latin America where connections to Cuba run deep – our commitment to this change is particularly important.
Given the long, difficult, and sometimes painful history between our countries, for many Cuban-Americans the idea of renewing any relations with the Cuban government is challenging. But decades of isolation have not built a democratic and prosperous Cuba – and now is the time to try a different approach.
Restoring our diplomatic relationship is, in part, about building a future that empowers the Cuban people, develops a genuine Cuban private sector, and eventually creates new opportunities for Floridians and all Americans to do business with the people of an island just 90 miles off our coast.
The President’s new policy is designed to connect Cuban citizens to the world beyond their shores, as well as improve their standard of living.
While the embargo is still in place, the policy permits American industry in certain sectors – such as agriculture, telecommunications, and building materials – to export to Cuba. The President’s new approach creates avenues for engagement that, over time, will enable our private sector to serve as a positive force for change and foster greater economic independence for many Cubans.
For example, AirBnB recently entered the Cuban market and now has more than 2,000 homes across the country listed on its website.
They are creating value for Cubans and their company – but AirBnb co-founder Brian Chesky, who was just named a Presidential Ambassador for Global Entrepreneurship on Monday, is not stopping with listings on their website. He is also working to expand Cuba’s entrepreneurial ecosystem by increasing internet literacy; facilitating online payment systems to support Cuban start-ups; and promoting practical education through in-person collaboration and mentoring in areas like photography, art, and marketing.
This is one example of how a business – and a business leader – can play a central role in spurring innovation and progress in Cuba.
The shift in the President’s policy toward Cuba has rightly received significant attention recently, but the Administration’s focus on the region is much broader than our policy toward Cuba.
We have 11 Latin American free trade agreements partners, which represents more than half of our free trade partners globally. Combined, these countries present a market opportunity of more than 270 million consumers.
Beyond the raw population statistics, Latin America’s GDP has nearly tripled over the last two decades.
Governments across the region are making it easier for American companies to do business in their countries, by strengthening their intellectual property protections, improving customs procedures, and becoming more open and transparent in their government procurement processes – all in an effort to draw more trade and spur greater investment.
Given the vast opportunity for U.S. companies to do more business in the region, the Department of Commerce is deeply engaged. Let me highlight a few examples.
Since I became Secretary two years ago, our Department has led 10 trade missions to the region.
Our Department created the Americas Competitiveness Forum in 2007. This annual meeting brings together senior government officials, business leaders, and members of civil society and academia to share best practices for enhancing the competitiveness, innovation, and prosperity of the region.
Through the Pathways to Prosperity initiative, we are improving customs and trade facilitation in Central and South America. This effort is focused on capacity building through technical training and promoting public private dialogue on these issues.
Commerce also serves as a co-chair of the U.S.-Mexico High-Level Economic Dialogue. The HLED is dedicated to further deepening the economic and commercial bonds that link the U.S. and Mexico. Our success in this work has the potential to make North America the most competitive economic platform in the world, which is good for the entire hemisphere.
But we have only begun to scratch the surface of the region’s economic possibilities – which is why the Administration is working to strengthen trade ties throughout the region and across the Pacific to Asia through the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
Of the 12 countries at the negotiating table for the Trans-Pacific Partnership, five are from the Western Hemisphere. The Trans-Pacific Partnership will open doors, lower barriers across one of the fastest-growing regions in the world, and knit together a free trade zone that encompasses 40 percent of the world’s GDP.
Today, there are 570 million middle class consumers living in the Asia Pacific region; that number is set to grow to 3.2 billion over the next 15 years. Expanding into these markets is an opportunity we cannot afford to miss.
The Trans-Pacific Partnership will secure fair access to this vast consumer base, while raising standards on labor, environmental protection, and intellectual property rights.
Put simply, this will be the most progressive trade agreement in history, and it will deepen the economic bonds that tie the United States to nations across the Americas and Asia. Completing this agreement will reassert U.S. leadership in the fastest growing market in the world.
Our engagement with Cuba and our push for the Trans-Pacific Partnership are just some of the ways we are looking to increase cooperation between our nations. Together, these efforts demonstrate this Administration’s commitment to our “new chapter of engagement” in the hemisphere.
As another sign of our deepened engagement, I am proud to officially announce that I will visit Colombia and Brazil next month.
Colombia is a significant strategic partner for the United States and an important commercial market for American companies. It is also in the midst of a historic peace process. The private sector, as the engine of prosperity for Colombia’s people, will have a critical role to play in forging a lasting peace. The Obama Administration is committed to supporting the Colombian people and President Santos as they continue traveling this difficult road.
It has also been three years since the United States and Colombia completed a free trade agreement. In that time, U.S. goods exports to Colombia rose by 42 percent, and Colombia has made progress in its goal to diversify its economy. This trip is about building on that success and finding new ways to deepen our bilateral ties.
In Brazil, after a challenging period, now is the time for the United States to reengage with the second largest country in the region. My visit to Brazil is a symbol of this Administration’s commitment to ensuring that our economic and commercial relationship remains at the heart of our bilateral relationship.
Whether leading a delegation of CEOs to Brazil, opening a new chapter in our relationship with Cuba, or our many initiatives throughout the region, our goal at the Department of Commerce is to further facilitate the ability of U.S. firms to export – and your work here today at the Discover Global Markets Business Forum is critical to that effort.
Today, you have the opportunity to engage with many of our U.S. Export Assistance Center staff members, who have traveled from communities across the country to be here. Their job is to help you identify new markets for your products and services.
We also have members of our Foreign Commercial Service team here from 23 offices in 14 countries across the hemisphere. These specialists are experts in their markets and can facilitate meetings with partners overseas, guide you through local regulations in your target markets, and provide you with market research.
Our team – at our Export Assistance Centers and in embassies and consulates around the world – can be part of your success in penetrating global markets.
For example, our Miami U.S. Export Assistance Center connected Radical Cosmetics, based in Fort Worth, with a local distribution company in the Dominican Republic. We also helped the company secure small business grants.
This entire effort enabled them to sell their “Made in America” branded products abroad, so that today, about 30 percent of their business comes from exports. Radical Cosmetics started with 20 employees three years ago and now have 42 employees on payroll. The company has told us that most of this is due to the growth of their export business.
At the Department of Commerce, our mission is to open doors to new markets, and to help your businesses walk through them. Through events like this Forum, our goal is to offer you, our customers and clients, the tools and knowledge necessary to tap into the vast economic potential across the Western Hemisphere.
By helping American businesses seize the opportunities across the Americas, we are doing our part to craft what the President calls our “new chapter of engagement.” By acting to deepen our commercial and economic ties today and every day, we will keep America – and the Americas – open for business. Thank you.
Source: U.S. Department of Commerce
