Acting Deputy U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Wendy Cutler and chief agricultural negotiator Darci Vetter concluded two days of talks on Aug. 5 with chief Japanese negotiator Hiroshi Oe and Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries official Makoto Osawa without a breakthrough in bilateral negotiations, according to a USTR release. USTR said the two sides continued to narrow gaps, and “technical experts” will continue to discuss market access this week in Washington, D.C. Japanese officials still want more than 500 tariff lines exempt from tariff elimination, according to the most recent public updates.

U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman traveled to Guatemala from July 31-Aug. 1 to press forward with implementation of a Guatemalan labor enforcement plan (here) aimed at bringing the country into compliance with Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement labor provisions (CAFTA-DR), said the Office of the USTR. The CAFTA-DR spelled out a number of labor mandates, including commitments to obligations in the 1998 International Labor Organization Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work.

U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman will lead an African Growth and Opportunity Act ministerial meeting in Washington, D.C. on Aug. 4, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative said in its weekly schedule. Froman will attend numerous events with African leaders throughout the week. Acting Deputy USTR Wendy Cutler and chief agricultural negotiator Darci Vetter will also host chief Japanese negotiator Hiroshi Oe and Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries official Makoto Osawa in Washington, D.C. Aug. 4-5 to discuss agricultural market access in the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Froman on Aug. 5 will then participate in the signing of a Trade and Investment Framework Agreement with the Economic Community of West African States.

The U.S. and sub-Saharan African countries should partner in the months prior to the September 2015 expiration of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) to consider tariff liberalization on excluded beneficiary exports, specifically textile and agricultural products, said U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman at the Aug. 4 outset of a U.S.-sub-Saharan African trade ministerial summit in Washington, D.C. Froman’s call for liberalization echoes similar statements delivered to the Senate Finance Committee on July 30 (see 14073119).

The U.S. faces a critical opportunity in the coming days to determine how best to boost trade with Africa as the Obama administration prepares to host 50 African heads of state for the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit from Aug. 4-6, said U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman in remarks before the Brookings Institution on July 29. The House and Senate will also host hearings on the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) on July 29 and July 30 (see 14072537). Froman said the administration is collaborating with Congress to renew AGOA and the expired Generalized System of Preferences. AGOA, which entered into force in 2000, is due to expire at the end of fiscal year 2015 and many beneficiaries of the program are pushing for early renewal in order to preserve existing supply chains. “Since 2000, U.S. goods exports to sub-Saharan Africa increased fourfold, from $6 billion to $24 billion,” said Froman. “Last year, U.S. exports to sub-Saharan Africa supported nearly 120,000 jobs here in the United States. Given that Africa is home to the world’s fastest-growing middle class and six out of the top 10 fastest-growing economies in 2014, it’s easy to see why global companies like GE, Caterpillar, and Procter & Gamble increasingly view engaging with Africa not as a choice, but as a necessity.”

The U.S. is poised to build on record food and agricultural exports in fiscal year (FY) 2013 through Trans-Pacific Partnership and Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership negotiations, along with non-tariff barrier fights at the World Trade Organization, said U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman in a July 24 speech at the White House Rural Opportunity Investment Conference. Agricultural exports reached $148.4 billion in FY13 (see 14040318). The U.S. is registering more export growth to developing markets than developed markets, said Froman. “They want more protein; they want a more diverse diet,” he said. “They want to make sure their food is safe and nutritious. All of that points to greater demand for U.S. agricultural products -- not just commodities, but also specialty foods, organic foods and processed products.”

Acting Deputy U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Wendy Cutler will deliver remarks on July 23 to the Atlantic Council on the Trans-Pacific Partnership and other trade initiatives in the Asia-Pacific region, the Office of the USTR said in its weekly schedule. USTR chief Michael Froman will then meet on July 24 with the Agricultural Policy Advisory Committee at the Department of Agriculture, alongside Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. Froman will wrap up the week with a meeting in Washington, D.C. with ambassadors from Southeast Asian nations, said the release.

Acting Deputy U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Wendy Cutler concluded on July 18 three days of Trans-Pacific Partnership auto trade negotiations without announcing any significant breakthroughs in the talks. The two sides made “steady progress” in the talks but gaps remain, said USTR. Through the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), the Obama administration is aiming to liberalize the historically closed Japanese auto market by dismantling a number of non-tariff barriers, but the U.S. and Japan don't see eye to eye on a number of areas (see 14050123). USTR did not announce any date for auto talks to resume.

The U.S. and Japan will continue to negotiate in the coming weeks on agricultural market access in the Trans-Pacific Partnership following two days of talks between Acting Deputy U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Wendy Cutler and senior Japanese trade negotiator Hiroshi Oe in Washington, D.C. The next summit is scheduled for Aug. 4-5 in Washington, D.C., said the Office of the USTR in a statement. The statement said the two officials made progress in narrowing negotiating gaps, but did not announce any significant breakthrough. The Obama administration has publicly called for comprehensive elimination of agriculture tariffs in the agreement, but many analysts and lawmakers argue that's unlikely (see 14060404). Japanese officials are still protesting tariff elimination on more than 500 tariff lines, according to the most recent public updates.

U.S. negotiators will participate in the sixth round of Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership negotiations from July 14-18 in Brussels, said the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative in its weekly schedule. Meanwhile, USTR Michael Froman will participate in a July 14 roundtable on the African Growth and Opportunity Act hosted by the Global Leadership Coalition.