Sens. Cruz, Coons Introduce Bipartisan Bill on GSP Eligibility for Cambodia
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., have introduced a bill that would require the administration to review whether Cambodia should remain on the list of countries eligible for the General System of Preferences. Cambodia exported $400 million…
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worth of products in 2017 that are covered by GSP, according to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. Only eight GSP countries had higher GSP exports that year. In all, more than $21 billion in imports received GSP duty benefits during 2017. Cruz said that Cambodia does not meet basic labor rights standards, has had the integrity of its elections undermined by its prime minister, and tilted toward China. "The [just introduced] Cambodian Trade Act aims to hold [Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen] and his government accountable for this behavior, and reinforces steps our European partners are taking," he said in a statement. Coons added that "Countries that undermine democracy, ignore labor standards, disregard human rights, and fail to protect intellectual property should not enjoy special trade privileges."