Global Initiatives Council

The Global Initiatives Council works to develop programs and events to promote global trade and investment to create regional employment and provides relevant networking for the Southern California global trade community.
 

2020 Trade Policy Recommendations

• Support the Administration's efforts and urge the U.S. Congress to approve the new U.S.-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) free trade agreement.
• Urge the Administration to engage in a constructive dialogue and continue negotiations with China that will result in addressing legitimate concerns and the removal of both countries' punitive tariffs.
• Urge the Administration to continue to engage in earnest efforts to conclude a comprehensive bilateral trade agreement between the US and Japan beyond the digital trade and trade in goods agreements signed in 2019.
• Encourage earnest and constructive dialogues that will expand trade and investment with the Europe Union and the United Kingdom after Brexit.
• Recommend that the Administration increase its support and efforts to engage small and medium-sized enterprises in trade, including SMEs owned by women and minorities, as well as rural SMEs.
• Encourage the Administration to continue seeking market access for U.S. farmers, businesses and investors in the Latin America and Southeast Asia regions.
• Follow up on the annual Special 301 investigation report through year-round engagement with trading partners to ensure adequate and effective IPR protection and enforcement; and market access for U.S. companies which rely on IPR.
• Support stronger enforcement of environmental and labor provisions in new US FTAs.
• Maintain close monitoring of GSP beneficiary countries to ensure they comply with obligations with respect to worker rights, market access, and the protection of intellectual property rights.
• Urge the Administration to ensure when it utilizes trade remedies that such measures are in compliance with WTO obligations.
• Urge the Administration to be more engaged in the WTO, including the WTO reform efforts and the strengthening the WTO Dispute Settlement System.
• Support the advancing of discussions for WTO agreements on e-commerce and digital trade including the protection and free transfer of data, as well as agricultural subsidies reform to help facilitate the conclusion of negotiations by the 12th WTO Ministerial Meeting in June 2020.
• Recommend that the state of California pursue MOUs to expand trade and investment opportunities in the clean tech-related sectors with other subnational governments.