Obama Renews Call for TPP Ratification in Final State of the Union Speech

• Get updates on trade, Customs and regulatory changes
• Stay informed on trade compliance seminars,
  workshops and industry events

x

International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development Jan 19, 2016

US President Barack Obama openly called upon domestic lawmakers to ratify the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement, referring once more to the need for Washington to play a leading role in setting trade rules in Asia.

Speaking at a joint session of Congress on Tuesday evening for his final State of the Union address, the US president said that the 12-country trade pact would “open markets, and protect workers and the environment, and advance American leadership in Asia.”

“With TPP, China does not set the rules in that region, we do. We want to show our strength in this new century? Approve this agreement, give us the tools to enforce it. It’s the right thing to do,” Obama said.

The speech otherwise featured little on trade, besides a call upon lawmakers to vote to lift the US embargo on Cuba, building upon last year’s restoration of diplomatic relations and steps to increase travel and trade with the island nation.

No mention was made by Obama of either the ongoing negotiations with the EU for a Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) agreement, nor of his thoughts for the WTO’s future following the Nairobi ministerial conference last month. (See Bridges Daily Update #5, 19 December 2015) 

Read Full Article on International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development »