WT/TPR/M/307
9 February 2015
(15-0822)  Page: 1/76
Trade Policy Review Body 
16 and 18 December 2014   
 
  TRADE POLICY REVIEW 
UNITED STATES 
MINUTES OF THE MEETING 
Chairperson: H.E. Mrs. Mariam MD Salleh 
CONTENTS 
 
1  INTRODUCTORY REMARKS BY THE CHAI RPERSON ....................................................... 2  
2  OPENING STATEMENT BY THE REPRESEN TATIVE OF THE UNITED STATES ................... 4  
3  STATEMENT BY THE DISCUSSANT ................................................................................ 9  
4  STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS ........................................................................................ 13  
5  REPLIES BY THE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE UNITED STATES AND ADDITIONAL 
COMMENTS ..................................................................................................................... 66  
6  CONCLUDING REMARKS BY THE CHAI RPERSON ......................................................... 74  
 
 
Note: Advance written questions and additional questions by WTO Members, and the replies 
provided by the United States are reproduced in document WT/TPR/M/307/Add.1 and will be 
available online at http://www.wto.org/ english/tratop_e/tpr_e/tp_rep_e.htm. WT/TPR/M/307 • United States 
 
- 2 - 
 
  1  INTRODUCTORY REMARKS BY THE CHAIRPERSON 
1.1.  The twelfth Trade Policy Review of the United States was held on 16 and 18 December 2014. 
The Chairperson, H.E. Mrs Mariam MD Salleh (Malaysia) welcomed the delegation of the United States headed by H.E. Mr. Michael Punke, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of the United 
States to the WTO; the rest of the delegation from Washington; other colleagues from the mission 
in Geneva; and the discussant, H.E. Mr. John Adank (New Zealand). 
1.2.  The Chairperson recalled the purpose of the Tr ade Policy Reviews and the main elements of 
the procedures for the meeting. The report by the United States was contained in document 
WT/TPR/G/307 and that of the WT O Secretariat in WT/TPR/S/307. 
1.3.  Questions by the following delegations had been  submitted in writing at least two weeks in 
advance and had been transmitted to the delegation of the United States: Malaysia; Australia; 
Switzerland; New Zealand; El Salvador; China; Colombia; Brunei Darussalam on behalf of ASEAN; 
Hong Kong, China; Costa Rica; Singapore; Antigua and Barbuda; Honduras; Japan; the Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu; Chile; Cuba; Argentina; Turkey; Mexico; 
Peru; the European Union; Canada; Brazil; Lao PDR; Norway; Guatemala; Indonesia; the Russian 
Federation; and India. The following delegations submitted written questions after the two-week 
deadline: South Africa; Dominican Republic; Paraguay; Ecuador; Pakistan; the Republic of Korea; 
the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; Thailand and Nigeria. 
1.4.  Since its previous review in 2012, the United States had maintained an open trade and 
investment regime; and had largely recovered from the great recession. Real GDP had continued to grow at an average rate of 2.4% during th e review period and had remained steady due to 
buoyant personal consumption, despite some weaker demand in export markets.  
1.5.  While trade had increased, especially servic es' exports, the performance of merchandise 
trade had remained mixed, with imports declining slightly during the period. The merchandise 
trade deficit and current account deficit had shrunk, mostly due to reduced demand for energy 
products. The services sector was the backbone of the economy, and it was also very important for trade. The United States remained the world's largest services' exporter and importer. 
1.6.  As regards trade policy, the United States had strongly supported the Trade Facilitation 
Agreement and had worked towards a successful Bali conclusion together with other WTO Members. The United States was a keen supporter of the multilateral trading system and of the 
DDA. At the same time, the United States had put a lot of emphasis on plurilateral initiatives in 
recent times with work on the revised ITA, the EGA, and TISA initiatives. While no new FTAs had 
been concluded since the last review, the United States was actively negotiating two major regional free trade agreements, TPP and T-TIP, with a number of trading partners. In their 
advance questions, Members had enquired about the current leadership role the United States 
planned to take with respect to the Doha Round and its commitment to the multilateral trading system. 
1.7.  Probably the most significant development in the United States' trade policy since the last 
review was the passage of the Agricultural Act of 2014, also known as the 2014 Farm Bill. It had, without a doubt, prompted a substantial number of questions from Members with a particular interest in some of the new measures, such as the Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programme, the 
Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) programme, and the Margin Protection Programme for Dairy 
Producers. In addition to getting clarification on these often technical issues, this meeting provided 
a good opportunity for the United States to elabor ate on the main thrust and direction of the new 
Farm Bill. 
1.8.  Judging from the number of advance questions received, another area of great interest to 
Members was the United States' Intellectual Prop erty regime, in particular its regulations and 
policies on internet service providers, drug exclusivity provisions, patent quality and timeliness, 
and actions pertaining to enforcement pursuant to voluntary industry "best practices".  
1.9.  The United States had undertaken a number of initiatives in the area of trade facilitation 
during the review period and recognized the importance of a timely import process. It had worked 
toward establishing a single window application which would require important changes for traders WT/TPR/M/307 • United States 
 
- 3 - 
 
  as it would be partially implemented in 2015 and fully implemented at the end of 2016. Further 
developments had occurred in the United States' trusted trade programmes, designed to facilitate and expedite the clearance of cargo for business partners that achieve approval of their supply 
chain security measures. Members had asked a number of questions in this area and liked to learn 
more about these programmes.  
1.10.  In the TBT and SPS areas, questions had been raised on a number of issues including the 
United States' new Food Safety Modernization Act and its proposed regulations that were still 
under review. Questions on the compatibility of U. S. standards with international standards, the 
process and procedures under the new Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy regulations, and 
equivalence and recognition issues had also been raised. 
1.11.  The United States' investment and services regimes had raised the interest of a number of 
Members as they had requested clarifications on the investment restrictions and follow up on the 
Dodd-Frank Act. 
1.12.  Of course it was not an easy task to summarise all the points that were of interest to 
Members when such a large number of advanced questions had been raised on nearly all trade, 
economic, and investment matters. Thus, the Chairperson was sure there would be many diverse interventions in the discussions on the first and second day of the meeting.  
1.13.  Before closing her introductory remarks, the Chairperson wished the United States a 
successful Trade Policy Review and looked forward to active engagement by Members. 
1.14.  Finally, she informed Members that the podcast of this meeting could be accessed on the 
Members' website after the first day of the meeting. WT/TPR/M/307 • United States 
 
- 4 - 
 
  2  OPENING STATEMENT BY THE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE UNITED STATES 
(H.E. MR. MICHAEL PUNKE) 
2.1.  We are pleased to participate once again in th e trade policy review of the United States. We 
are honoured to see the large number of participants at today's meeting and, in particular, to 
greet so many of my fellow ambassadors and permanent representatives. Thank you for the time 
you are taking to participate in this important process. 
2.2.  We especially appreciate the participation of Ambassador John Adank, Permanent 
Representative of New Zealand, whom we are honoured to have as our discussant.  
2.3.  We also want to acknowledge the Secretariat's team for their work in producing an 
informative report that provides a basis for today's discussion. 
2.4.  The United States places high value on the trad e policy review process. This process remains 
vitally important for promoting greater awarene ss and understanding of Members' trade policies 
and practices. It is for this reason that we actively engage in all Members' trade policy reviews and that we work diligently to answer the ever in creasing number of questions we receive every two 
years. We have set a new U.S. record of over  1700 questions with this review. We provided 
answers to all questions that were submitted two weeks prior to today's meeting, as well as those submitted within a few days after the deadline. We  are working hard to respond to the additional 
questions received just last week, and we hope to have responses for Members as soon as 
possible. 
2.5.  Our commitment to open markets and to the rules-based multilateral trading system 
embodied in the WTO remains a vital part of the United States' trade and investment policy. This 
commitment has been a consistent feature of U.S. trade policy since the end of the Second World 
War. We are proud of the role we played in creating the rules-based trading system that has lifted hundreds of millions out of poverty. It remains firmly in our national interest to safeguard that 
system and do our part to ensure that it meets its tremendous potential. The United States has 
matched its actions to its words, and our efforts before, at, and since the Bali Ministerial Conference have been very much  guided by that spirit.   
2.6.  The United States Trade Representative, Ambassador Froman, recently commented that the 
administration's trade agenda focuses on three strategic objectives: establishing and enforcing the rules of the road, strengthening U.S. partnerships with other countries, and spurring broad-based economic development – each of which serves th e overarching goals of revitalizing the global 
trading system. It is with this mindset that the United States has continued to pursue an active 
economic and trade agenda since the last U.S. Trade Policy Review in 2012.  
Openness and accountability 
2.7.  The United States continues to expand access to its already open market. In 2013, 
67 countries had the United States as their first, second, or third largest export partner. The current U.S. simple average tariff is 3.4% on  an applied basis under the WTO. When tariff 
preferences are taken into account, the U.S. trade-weighted average tariff is 1.4% on an applied 
basis. In 2013, nearly 70% of all U.S. imports, including those under preference programmes, entered the United States duty-free. The U.S. service markets also remain open to foreign providers and U.S. regulatory processes are consis tently transparent and accessible to the public, 
including to non-U.S. citizens. 
2.8.  The United States has remained focused on the role that international trade has played, and 
will continue to play, in domestic and global economic recovery. As a result of the United States' 
open markets, we are the world's largest single-country importer, importing US$2.76 trillion in 
2013, which is up an additional 3.4% so far in 2014.  This is equal to US$7.6 billion of imports of 
goods and services per day or US$5.2 million per minute. Put another way, the level of U.S. 
imports of goods and services exceeds the total size  of the economies of all but four countries in 
the world. In 2013, the United States was the recipient of 17% of global goods and services exports, excluding U.S. exports and intra-EU exports.  WT/TPR/M/307 • United States 
 
- 5 - 
 
  2.9.  As these figures underscore, it is no exaggeration to say that the openness of the U.S. 
economy to goods and services produced all over the planet constitute a major engine for global growth and economic stability. 
2.10.  In addition, the United States continues to be the world's largest recipient of foreign direct 
investment (FDI). In 2013, the stock of FDI in the United States was US$2.8 trillion. As evidenced 
from the continued high levels of inbound FDI, the United States maintains an open investment climate and is committed to remaining an attractive destination for investment.  
The United States in the multilateral system  
2.11.  The essential backdrop for the openness of th e United States to goods, services and 
investment from around the world is our unwavering commitment to the WTO as the developer and guardian of the rules that govern the global trading system. Following our last review, the 
United States played a key role in reaching agreement at MC9 on the Bali Package. This package 
helped to re-establish the WTO's credibility as a negotiating forum. Despite setbacks earlier this year in the follow through on the Bali Package, we  worked tirelessly to recapture the spirit of Bali 
and ensure that its historic gains were not lost. We did that as a Membership just weeks ago when 
the General Council agreed on an approach that preserved the letter and the spirit of the package 
of decisions reached at MC9. 
2.12.  A central pillar of that package, the Trade Facilitation Agreement, was important from 
several perspectives. Once implemented, the TFA will  substantially reduce the costs of trade for all 
WTO Members, and particularly developing countries around the world. The simplification and modernization of customs procedures will enhance trading opportunities, reduce trade costs for 
small- and medium-sized enterprises, attract investment, improve tariff collection, trade 
diversification, and overall economic growth, and help better integrate developing countries, particularly LDCs, into global supply networks. This agreement is extremely important for small 
and medium-sized businesses that don't have the resources to navigate the complexities of 
burdensome procedures that lack transparency . Through implementation of the TFA, small 
businesses that were once limited to local markets will have more opportunities to grow and 
connect to global supply chains. Further, this agre ement is a win for developing countries that are 
serious about enhancing the competitiveness of their producers and maximizing the capacity of trade to contribute to development. While there is still considerable work ahead in order to ensure 
that the TFA enters into force and is effectively implemented, donors are mobilizing and are eager 
to partner with developing countries that are truly committed to implementation of this important 
agreement. The United States looks forward to  submitting our letter of acceptance of the 
agreement as soon as possible, and we hope that others will do the same at their earliest 
opportunity, so that we can focus on the important work of helping developing countries 
implement this agreement. We are encouraged by the leadership of Kenya in setting out the goal 
of securing the acceptances necessary to bring the TFA into force by the time of the MC10. 
2.13.  Looking ahead, it is our hope that we can now turn to working constructively to demonstrate 
that the WTO remains relevant. As Ambassador Froman recently commented, "The stakes are huge for the Bali package, for the post-Bali work programme, for the WTO as an institution, and above all, for the billions of people around th e world that stand to benefit from expanding 
trade….We need to translate this new momentum into a more effective WTO. This will require 
vision and leadership. It will require new, creative thinking. We must learn from, and not repeat the mistakes of the past. We must avoid the pr edictable and familiar outcome of deadlock and 
drift". 
2.14.  This is why the United States has been excited about several major initiatives in Geneva, 
including the expansion of the Information Technology Agreement (ITA) and the recently-launched 
Environmental Goods Agreement (EGA). These plur ilateral agreements have the potential to 
reinvigorate the multilateral trading system and help the WTO. ITA negotiators missed an opportunity last week to conclude what would have been the first tariff-cutting agreement at the WTO in 17 years. We can't afford to not succeed here. And trade in environmental goods is an 
example of the WTO's ability to promote our sh ared values in environmental protection and 
sustainable development, while at the same time spurring economic growth. These negotiations too will require leadership from all participants, above all the major players. WT/TPR/M/307 • United States 
 
- 6 - 
 
  2.15.  Of course, the WTO demonstrates its value every day through the work of its standing 
committees and other bodies. This institutional structure is instrumental in promoting transparency of WTO Member trade policies, as well as monitoring and resisting protectionist pressures during a challenging time for the global economy. Since our last TPR, the United States has pushed to 
reenergize the daily work of the WTO, helping to deliver strong results in the Triennial Review of 
the TBT Committee, and collaborating with other Members to raise concerns about new trade-restrictive measures in the SCM Committee, the Committee on Agriculture, and the Council 
for Trade in Goods. These and other committees are the lifeblood of the institution, and we will 
maintain a firm commitment to keeping them active and healthy.  
2.16.  Outside the WTO but right here in Geneva, many of us are in the midst of negotiations that 
can reinvigorate liberalization efforts in the multilateral trading system – here I speak of the Trade 
in Services Agreement (TiSA). We have high expectations for TiSA, not just in terms of the 
increased market access it will provide, but also in  its potential to include rules that will support 
the expansion of services trade well into the future.   
2.17.  As a tool for promoting trade, plurilateral agreements have been part of the landscape for 
decades, and in recent years have offered one of the most productive channels for those countries that are committed to creating new opportunities for their companies and workers. 
Bilateral and regional developments 
2.18.  Our commitment to opening markets and supporti ng a rules based system is why we're also 
pursuing bilateral and regional arrangements. Le t us reassure Members - we are deeply committed 
to producing outcomes through these efforts that will reinforce and complement the multilateral 
trading system. They offer the opportunity to co ntribute to a more dynamic and open global 
trading system and the possibility of building on  them to pursue future ambitious trade and 
investment liberalization within the WTO. 
2.19.  During the period under review, the Administration made substantial progress in the 
negotiations of a Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement. TPP is remarkable in that the United States is one of a dozen economies, representing a wide range of stages of development, that have 
chosen to come together united by a commitment to open markets and a desire to level the 
playing field and strengthen the rules-based trad ing system. According to analysis supported by 
the Peterson Institute for International Economics, a successful TPP Agreement would provide global income benefits of an estimated US$223 billion per year, by 2025.   
2.20.  Further, in an effort to deepen our international partnerships with our allies, in July 2013 the 
United States and the European Union launched negotiations of a comprehensive trade and investment agreement. The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, referred to as "TTIP", 
will strengthen our relationship with the EU, which already consists of US$1 trillion in annual 
two-way trade, nearly US$4 trillion in investment, and roughly 13 million jobs. TTIP will reduce tariffs and traditional non-tariff barriers. It will modernize trade rules and bridge unnecessary 
divergences in our respective regulatory requirements, while continuing to ensure the high 
standards of health, safety and environmental protec tion that stakeholders have come to expect in 
the United States and the EU.    
2.21.  As we complete work on these two high-standard agreements, we'll work closely with our 
Congress to build bipartisan support for these agreements and for the authority to facilitate the 
approval of these agreements by Congress. Trad e Promotion Authority is the mechanism in the 
United States by which Congress has worked with U.S. Presidents since 1974 to give the Executive 
Branch its marching orders about what to negotiate, how to work with Congress before and during 
the negotiations, and how Congress will take up and approve or disapprove the final agreement. This is why we are working closely with Congress to secure a TPA that has as broad bipartisan 
support as possible. We look forward to keeping WTO Members here in Geneva informed of those 
efforts in the coming months. 
2.22.  In addition to engagement at the WTO an d ongoing trade agreement negotiations, the 
United States continues to promote mutual accountability and shared ambition as we work with 
our partners around the world on a bilateral and regional basis, through a variety of trade and 
investment avenues. Throughout the review period , the U.S. continued to engage trading partners WT/TPR/M/307 • United States 
 
- 7 - 
 
  through free trade agreement political and technical committees and councils, and through TIFA 
Councils and other arrangements with non-FTA partner countries. From a regional approach, we continued to develop the President's Middle East and North Africa Trade and Investment Partnership initiative. We continued to seek to strengthen regional economic integration in the 
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, and we look forward to working with the Philippines, the 
host country, and other APEC member economies to achieve concrete and meaningful trade and investment outcomes by the APEC Leaders' and Ministers Meeting in late 2015. We continued 
efforts to expand trade and investment ties with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations 
(ASEAN), through our TIFA and the Expanded Economic Engagement (E3) Initiative.   
2.23.  This past August, President Obama hosted the historic U.S.-Africa Leaders' Summit, the 
largest event any American President has held with African heads of State and Government. 
During the Summit, the United States delivered a clear message that the U.S. remains deeply 
committed to this increasingly dynamic regi on and to promoting broad-based economic 
development through trade. The United States also remains committed to supporting regional 
economic integration in Africa as well as greater U.S.-African trade and investment, as 
demonstrated by our work with the East Africa n Community under Trade Africa and the U.S.-EAC 
Trade and Investment Partnership, and our recently  signed TIFA with the Economic Community of 
West African States (ECOWAS). 
Enforcement in the rules-based system 2.24.  In the United States' view, achievement of the greatest economic benefits offered by the 
global trading system requires that all trading partners abide by their commitments and play by 
agreed upon rules. In this regard, the United States has continued to place an unprecedented 
emphasis on enforcement of existing trade agre ements. The United States prioritizes direct 
engagement with our trading partners, WTO committees and other WTO bodies, as a primary 
means of addressing concerns regarding protectionist measures. When direct engagement is not 
successful, the United States has frequently turned to the WTO's dispute settlement system for discussion and adjudication of disputes with trading partners. It remains our firm view that the 
work of the WTO in the area of dispute settlem ent represents a remarkable achievement of the 
multilateral trading system, and one that has proven  its benefits to both developed and developing 
country Members. We will continue to participate actively and constructively in upholding this vital function of the WTO.  
Trade and development 
2.25.  Another central component of U.S. trade policy is our commitment to partner with 
developing countries to alleviate poverty and foster opportunities through expanded trade and 
stronger economic growth. Whether through prefer ence programmes or new initiatives to increase 
trade and trade capacity in developing countries , promoting economic development by creating 
trade opportunities for some of the world's least-advantaged countries remains a priority for the 
United States. We believe that open trade is one of the strongest pro-development tools. 
2.26.  Notably, the United States remains committed to multilateral efforts to assist least 
developed countries (LDCs) to become better in tegrated into the global trading system. We 
enthusiastically joined in Members' discussion at MC9 on the "LDC package" of decisions. 
Recognizing that the least-developed countries need special assistance to achieve their 
development objectives, the United States will co ntinue to work within the WTO to advance the 
commitments made for LDCs at Bali an d previous Ministerial Conferences. 
2.27.  The United States has also committed substantia l resources to trade capacity building, and 
remains one of the leading donors to Aid for Trade programmes. Overall U.S. support for trade capacity building since 2001 has now surpassed US$15 billion. We are proud that many of the 
developing countries in this room today are beneficiaries of U.S. capacity-building assistance. This 
past September, the United States pledged an additional US$1 million for trade-related technical assistance to the WTO Global Trust Fund, to help WTO Members participate more fully in the WTO. We urged the Secretariat, in administering the funds, to devote particular attention to responding 
to requests for assistance from those developing country Members working to implement the 
Trade Facilitation Agreement. The United Stat es takes a whole-of-government approach to 
providing Aid for Trade. USAID, one of our principal providers of trade-related assistance, works WT/TPR/M/307 • United States 
 
- 8 - 
 
  closely with the Millennium Challenge Corporation, and other U.S. agencies to provide 
trade-related technical assistance.  
2.28.  Following conclusion of the TFA negotiations last December, U.S. assistance helped prepare 
a number of countries to understand and implement the TFA. USAID supported over 27 countries 
in conducting WTO Trade Facilitation Needs assessments. In Nigeria, Vietnam, and Central 
America, for example, U.S. missions conducted workshops focused on implementation of the WTO TFA. Nineteen countries have received the U.S. assistance under the continuing Partnership for 
Trade Facilitation. Recent results of those efforts include the completion in Burma, Mozambique, 
and the Philippines of trade portals to make information on trade procedures and processes transparent and available. 
2.29.  Just prior to our last review, the United States launched the "Standards Alliance," a 
partnership between USAID and the American Nati onal Standards Institute (ANSI). The Standards 
Alliance provides resources and expertise to enable developing countries to effectively implement the WTO Technical Barriers to Trade Agreement, for example, with respect to use of international 
standards and notification of technical regulations to the WTO. During the last year, the Standards 
Alliance conducted assessments for ten partner countries and regions that requested to participate (Mexico, Central America, Colombia, Peru, Mo rocco, Jordan, East Africa, Southern Africa, 
Indonesia, and Vietnam) and established work-plans for each. The programme also helped 
establish an electronic notification system in Kenya, called "Notify Kenya," which allows more efficient notification of technical regulation s and standards to private and public sector 
stakeholders. 
2.30.  Another mechanism through which the United States aims to promote broad-based inclusive 
development is through the African Growth and Opportunity Act, or AGOA. AGOA has supported job growth, contributed to diversification and improved competitiveness of many sub-Saharan 
African economies. The U.S. Administration is wo rking with Congress on renewal of AGOA, as well 
as possible modifications to improve utilizat ion and implementation of the programme.  
2.31.  A large number of our developing and least-de veloped WTO partners have benefitted from 
these various assistance mechanisms, and we will continue to explore the potential for synergies 
between our assistance efforts and developing  country Members' trade-led development.  
Looking forward 2.32.  I n  c l o s i n g ,  t h e  U n i t e d  S t a t e s  i s  e a g e r  t o  c o n t i n u e  t o  w o r k  c l o s e l y  w i t h  a l l  o f  o u r  W T O  
partners in a constructive manner that will help this institution move forward to a successful third 
decade. We must learn from, and not repeat, the mistakes of the past. Our hope, and our 
determination, is for a WTO that is responsive to the real world in which we are all actively 
trading; for a WTO that remains true to its core, trade-liberalizing mission; for a WTO that is a true 
means of advancing the development aspiration s of all Members; and for a WTO that works 
productively to resolve disagreements among Members.    
2.33.  The United States believes deeply in the importance of the work that we are all here to do. 
We approach this review as an opportunity to listen and to learn, and in doing so to strengthen further U.S. leadership within this institution. We look forward to participating in this exchange and we thank you all again for your interest and attention. WT/TPR/M/307 • United States 
 
- 9 - 
 
  3  STATEMENT BY THE DISCUSSANT 
3.1.  It is an honour to be the discussant for this 12th TPR of the United States. It is also a huge 
challenge given the economic importance of the United States to world trade and to global 
prosperity more generally.   
3.2.  Since the end of the nineteenth century, the United States has been the world's largest 
national economy, now representing over 20% of global GDP, estimated at US$17.6 trillion in the 
third quarter of 2014. It is one of the world's largest energy producers and, after China, the 
world's second largest trader and manufacturer. The United States remains the world's leading 
importer and exporter of services and also remains the largest single recipient of FDI. It has also been estimated that in 2012 a total of US$123 bi llion, representing a quarter of all global 
remittances, was sent from migrants within the United States to households and communities 
located in other countries. 
3.3.  It is home to large and influential financial markets with the New York Stock Exchange 
representing the most highly capitalised stock exchange in the world (amounting to 
US$16.6 trillion as of May 2013). The United States' tradition of encouraging innovation is 
reflected in the fact that 161 of Encyclopaedia Brittanica's 321 "Great Inventions" are listed as originating there. I don't plan to list these as I expect some items mentioned could cause fierce 
debate. I should clarify that the United States did not invent anti-dumping – that was apparently 
its neighbour to the North. But they did give us Bob Dylan as well as Grumpy Cat. 
3.4.  But most importantly, for a large proportion of the WTO Membership, the United States 
represents their first, second or third largest export market, a fact which the huge number of 
questions submitted today attest to. In short, U. S. trade policy impacts very directly on the 
interests of WTO Members as a whole and explains the great interest Members take in this review. 
3.5.  The story the Secretariat and the United States Government report for this Review tell about 
the quote "largely complete" recovery of the U. S. economy from the great recession of 2007 to 
2009 is encouraging, particularly when compared to  the situation at the time of the last TPR two 
years ago. The United States Government report notes the economy is expanding at a healthy 
pace but that challenges remain, particularly in terms of contraction in the housing sector and 
fiscal policy, as well as ongoing sluggish foreign demand. Significant climate events also continue 
to represent challenges that undermine growth and recovery from time to time.   
3.6.  Unemployment, even if higher than the histor ical average, has dropped significantly from 
nearly 8% in January 2013 to 6.2% in July 2014. The Financial Times earlier this month 
highlighted that 2014 represented the best jobs growth year in the U.S. since 1999.   
3.7.  Over the two years from 2011 to 2013, exports have increased by 6.4% at a significantly 
higher rate than the 3.5% increase in imports, with both imports and exports benefitting from a 
range of trade facilitation reforms that are in pl ace or being progressively implemented. Overall, 
exports of goods and services increased by 7% , higher than the global average of 5.5%. 
3.8.  The significant change in the current account deficit which has been reduced to a 4 year low 
as a result of the boom in shale oil and gas production which was predicted at the time of the last review and is now having huge implications for global energy markets has led to a sharp decline in the oil trade deficit in trade in goods. Between 2006 and 2012, the deficit had almost halved from 
5.8% to 3%.   
3.9.  The evolving improvement in the economy has led the Fed to announce last December that it 
would scale down quantitative easing, a policy that a number of Members have in the past 
highlighted in the Trade Policy Reviews as controversial. 
3.10.  Since the last TPR Review in 2012, the basic f undamentals of the United States trade policy 
framework have not changed. But there have been  a number of developments, some of which are 
of considerable interest to WTO Members that I will seek to focus the remainder of my comments 
on. WT/TPR/M/307 • United States 
 
- 10 - 
 
  Agriculture 
3.11.  Bearing in mind the significant attention accorded by Members to future farm policy at the 
time of the 2012 Review, perhaps the most signif icant trade related domestic policy change 
adopted by the United States during the last two years is the 2014 Farm Bill passed by Congress in 
February. This Bill provides the basis for United States government expenditure on agriculture for 
the five year period through to 2018 – an estimated total of US$489 billion.   
3.12.  The repeal of a number of specific support programmes, including the elimination of dairy 
export subsidies, in the Farm Bill represent important reforms.  
3.13.  More generally, the move away from direct payments to farmers – decoupled to any actual 
production - must rank as one of the most sign ificant developments in the Bill. These decoupled 
direct payments, which have been an important feature of U.S. support since the implementation 
of the Uruguay Round in 1995, are not subject to any limitations under the WTO Agreement on 
Agriculture Green Box (Annex 2 of the Agreement on  Agriculture) on the basis that such payments 
are non- or minimally trade distorting.   
3.14.  The background to this change is that decoup led direct payments, which from a trade policy 
perspective may be seen as least harmful or distortive, had come under considerable criticism and pressure from a U.S. national budgetary perspect ive. They have averaged around US$5 billion per 
annum in recent years even though returns to farmers in a range of commodity areas have been 
very good. Although these payments have now been  eliminated, the space they once occupied is 
now taken up with a range of policies that generally involve deficiency type payments aimed at compensating farmers for reduced returns when prices or yields go down. These new "coupled" 
policies therefore, are considered production distorting and, unlike the previous decoupled 
payments, are subject to limitations in accordance  with the commitments undertaken by the U.S. 
under the Agreement on Agriculture.  
3.15.  Cotton, for its part, is not covered by the ne wly established price or revenue programmes, 
but a new crop insurance policy called the stacked income protection plan (STAX) is made available for cotton producers. Given the prominen ce of cotton in the agriculture discussions the 
changes in this area will clearly be of interest, particularly to cotton-exporting Members.  
3.16.  Members may be aware that United States AMS expenditures in recent years under the 
former Farm Bill have been significantly below the current U.S. 19 billion AMS cap agreed in the Uruguay Round. At the same time, the actual ne w amber box outlays made each year under the 
new Farm Bill programmes cannot be predicted with any great precision as they remain partly 
price dependent. In short, if prices are high, support will be less and vice-versa. 
3.17.  The new Farm Bill importantly includes provisio ns which would allow the U.S. authorities to 
take action to ensure that they keep within their Uruguay Round commitments. The care that the 
U.S. has taken in its legislation to ensure that it does not exceed its Uruguay Round commitments is laudable. However, naturally, the larger question that looms is how does the new Farm Bill 
position the U.S. for its further participation, in terms of both its offensive and defensive interests, 
in the still to be completed Doha Round negotiations?   
3.18.  Clearly, a range of questions are raised here about what the Bill means to the United States 
not only in terms of trade distorting support levels but also to very specific issues like how de 
minimis  expenditure would now be affected and repo rted. It would be useful to have further 
reflections from the United States on this. Certainly, this is an area of enquiry that Members will wish to explore with the United States next year  as the work of the Committee on Agriculture in 
Special Session gets under way again. 
3.19.  Finally on agriculture, let me also mention that the mutually agreed solution to the cotton 
dispute recently reached with Brazil was also a positive development in particular in relation to 
export credits with the inclusion, as I understand it, of additional disciplines on maximum 
repayment terms beyond those included in the Farm Bill. WT/TPR/M/307 • United States 
 
- 11 - 
 
  Manufacturing 
3.20.  While agricultural exports account for only 11% of U.S. merchandise exports, manufactured 
goods dominate goods exports accounting for 65% of the total in 2013. The growth of jobs in the manufacturing sector stands out for particular mention, with 700,000 new jobs created since 2010. 
It would be interesting to hear more from the U.S. about the policies it has in place that have 
contributed to this expansion. For example, I note  that some measures introduced in recent years 
aimed at encouraging new manufacturing such  a s  T e m p o r a r y  D u t y  S u s p e n s i o n  t o  L o w e r  
Manufacturing Costs have expired and it would be interesting to know whether the United States, 
like Canada, might envisage such measures being put in place on an enduring basis. It is also clear from Members' questions that concerns remain over the effect of some other policies, such as the Buy America Act, that favour acquisition of U.S. over foreign products. The significant increase in 
2013 in anti-dumping and CVD measures has also given rise to a number of questions. 
Services 3.21.  Turning to services which contribute to 80% of  U.S. GDP, the Secretariat report details a 
range of new policy developments. These include increased prudential regulation in the financial 
services sector, as well as new developments in the telecoms sector which will see the adoption of 
new Open Internet rules by the end of 2014, all of  which will clearly be of interest to foreign 
services suppliers. The report also draws attention to the significant opportunities that the recent 
"Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act" (PPACA) health reforms may present for foreign 
health insurance providers as a result of the signif icantly expanded market for health services that 
this legislation brings about. This is also occurring in a context where the U.S. market remains 
very open to foreign competition and is proportionally larger than other developed country 
markets where private insurance only plays a complimentary role to public social security systems. In the area of audio-visual services where the U. S. market is one of the largest in the world in 
terms of value, the sector remains open with few restrictions covered under the U.S. GATS 
commitments. It is interesting, however, to consider the significant role that state-level subsidies play within the U.S. today as reflected in Tabl e 4.10 of the Secretariat report which show the 
extent to which this sector is a real focus for intra-U.S. competition in terms of subsidies and 
incentives in addition to international, including I expect strong regional, competition. The restrictions in place in the maritime sector which are unchanged from those noted at previous reviews continue to stand out as a significant exception to the generally open services regime.  
3.22.  Inevitably, as in past reviews, there are a range of questions and concerns that Members 
will, I am sure, take the time to air today – to name a few - concerns about a range of trade security measures, ongoing issues of tariff peaks notwithstanding generally very low tariffs for 
both NAMA and agriculture, how to explain the fu rther decline in TRQ fill rates, questions in 
relation to intellectual property policy, and on wh at approach the U.S. now plans to take to GSP 
which has expired in July 2013. And, of course, how the United States sees the way ahead in 
regard to Trade Promotion Authority and the impact on this for trade negotiations, including those 
within the WTO.   
U.S. within the WTO 3.23.  More generally, Members have posed a range of questions on how the U.S. sees the WTO 
among its trade negotiation priorities. I note here that much space in the United States 
Government report is taken up detailing the U.S. framework of its existing FTA initiatives, although it is also apparent that no new FTAs have been concluded over the last two years. The real 
questions in this area remain very much about what is yet to come. What is clear from all this is 
the strong interest of Members in seeing the United  States continuing to play a leadership role and 
continuing to engage constructively within the WTO to take the trade agenda forward, 
notwithstanding the range of regional and mega-reg ional initiatives, such as TPP and T-TIP, that 
are obviously a key current focus of U.S. global trade policy.     
3.24.  As things stand today, around 80% of U.S. trade remains governed by WTO rules, with only 
18.3% covered by FTAs. The conclusion of TPP and T-TIP would obviously change that ratio 
significantly. But even in those circumstances,  WTO Rules would continue to govern the U.S. 
relationship with a large number of Members, including all of the largest emerging economies. The U.S. affirmation in paragraphs 1.2 and 1.3 of its country report of the important ongoing role of WT/TPR/M/307 • United States 
 
- 12 - 
 
  the WTO for U.S. trade policy, including its role in  the evolution of new rules, should therefore be 
welcomed and further encouraged particularly as we approach the challenging agenda we have set 
for ourselves in 2015.   
3.25.  I think everyone would agree that if the WTO is to maintain its relevance the active 
engagement of all key players within the system will be particularly important. This remains an 
essential and necessary condition before a broader consensus within the Organization can evolve, and without this the ability of the Organization to deliver more significantly is constrained. This is 
particularly so in terms of the negotiating function of the Organization which, Bali outcomes aside, 
is still to deliver on the key objectives set by Members over the last two decades.  
3.26.  We have recently seen the importance of the leadership shown by the U.S. and India in the 
context of cooperating to bringing the impasse over Bali implementation to a resolution. Ongoing 
evidence of closer engagement between the United  States and other key players to take forward 
the trade agenda in Geneva would certainly be ex tremely welcome in the period going forward. In 
this regard, the recent bilateral trade discussion s between the U.S. and India which they noted 
their shared interest in exploring further market open ings in relation to products of interest to both 
countries should be seen as encouraging as unless an FTA is envisaged any such openings would necessarily need to apply to all Members. Likewise  the bilateral dialogue that the U.S. and China 
are pursuing in key areas such as investment this year, in addition to cooperation within the WTO 
in areas like ITA and EGA is a further encouraging development. And as I have noted earlier, very 
recently Brazil and the U.S. reached an agreem ent in the context of their cotton dispute. 
3.27.  Given the crucial role that they play in the multilateral trading system, it is to be very much 
hoped that the closer direct bilateral engageme nt between the U.S. and other key players will 
manifest itself in the period ahead with an evolving convergence on the unfinished business of the Doha Round that we have all committed to pu rsue "on priority" over the next year.   
3.28.   In conclusion, and while noting a range of areas where Members continue to have some 
questions or concerns, the U.S. trade regime deserves to continue to be acknowledged as one of the most open and facilitative among the WTO Me mbership. The United States' ongoing resistance 
to introduce protectionist measures and its commitment to pursue a range of trade-related 
capacity building initiatives are to be strongly commended.  
3.29.  I will leave my comments there and wish Member s and the United States all the best for a 
productive discussion today and on Thursday. WT/TPR/M/307 • United States 
 
- 13 - 
 
  4  STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS 
MYANMAR  ON BEHALF  OF ASEAN 
4.1.  The United States remains an important trading partner for ASEAN despite the challenges 
brought about by uncertainties in the global econ omy. According to estimated data by the ASEAN 
Secretariat, our total trade increased by 3.5% from US$200 billion in 2012 to US$207 billion in 
2013. Foreign direct investments from the U.S. reached a peak with a share of 9.7% of total FDI inflows into ASEAN, valued at US$11.1 billion in 2012 but dropped sharply to 3.1% with a value of 
US$3.8 billion in the year after. 
4.2.  In October 2013 in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam, the ASEAN-U.S. relationship 
reached a milestone with the convening of the first ASEAN-U.S. Summit which symbolised efforts by both sides to further elevate the ASEAN-U.S . partnership and to deepen their existing 
cooperation. The Summit also focused on the impo rtance of strengthening economic cooperation 
between ASEAN and the U.S. and noted the g ood progress in the implementation of the 
ASEAN-U.S. Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) and the ASEAN-U.S. Expanded 
Economic Engagement initiative (the E3 initiative), a new framework for closer economic 
cooperation that intends to boost the trade and investment ties between ASEAN and the U.S., as 
well as create more economic activities amongst the eleven countries. At the second ASEAN-US 
Summit held in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar on 13 November 2014, ASEAN leaders and President 
Obama reaffirmed the importance of ASEAN-US ties and highlighted many of the cooperation activities the United States has undertaken with ASEAN across its economic, political-security, and social cultural pillars. 
4.3.  A number of us in ASEAN are also engaged with the U.S. in negotiations on the Trans-Pacific 
Partnership (TPP), a high-standard free trade agreement that will boost trade and investment, and promote regional economic integration throughout the Asia Pacific region and beyond. We continue 
to view our regional and bilateral economic partnerships as complementary to our efforts to 
strengthen the multilateral trading system. We are convinced that these partnerships will complement the successful outcome of the Doha Development Agenda (DDA) in due course. 
4.4.  ASEAN is encouraged by the continued recovery of the U.S. economy from the recession, 
which we trust will be a catalyst for further global economic expansion. ASEAN is further confident that this trend will be maintained as the administ ration has forecasted positive G.D.P. growth for 
the next two years, despite the pause in U.S.' real economic activity in the first quarter of 2014.  
4.5.  ASEAN is happy to note that the United States continues to be active in all areas of the DDA 
negotiations, and plays a strong leadership role in the multilateral trading system. We continue to v i e w  t h e  U n i t e d  S t a t e s  a s  h a v i n g  a  k e y  r o l e  i n  t h e  D D A  n e g o t i a t i o n s ,  a n d  w e  l o o k  f o r w a r d  t o  
working closely with the United States to ensure that we can come up with credible deliverables 
ahead of the 10th Ministerial Conference in Nairobi, which would contribute towards our efforts in concluding the DDA.  
4.6.  Some ASEAN member States have submitted written questions to the United States' 
delegation and we would like to thank the U.S. in advance for their written responses. 
4.7.  In conclusion, on behalf of ASEAN member States, we would like to express our appreciation 
to the United States', in particular to Ambassado r Punke and his delegation for their tireless efforts 
and constructive engagement with delegations here in Geneva.  
AUSTRALIA 4.8.  In 2013, the United States was Australia's third-largest two-way trading partner in goods and 
services, with trade valued at almost 55 billion Australian dollars. The United States is also 
Australia's largest investment partner, with two-way investment totalling over AU$1.1 trillion, of which more than AU$270 billion is direct investment. 
4.9.  Our bilateral trade and investment relationship is built on a very deep and broad alliance with 
the United States and underpinned by the Austra lia-United States Free Trade Agreement. We are 
looking forward in 2015 to marking the 10th anniversary of its entry into force. WT/TPR/M/307 • United States 
 
- 14 - 
 
  4.10.  While Australia enjoys a strong trading relationship with the United States, as in all 
relationships there is still room for improvement. I would like to highlight in my statement a few of the areas where there are opportunities for further reform. 
4.11.  Australia commends the United States for the constructive reforms undertaken, with the 
abolition of export subsidies for dairy products. However, we continue to be troubled by some of 
the policies pursued by the United States in relation to export credits for agricultural commodities. Since the last Trade Policy Review, the United States has enacted the 2014 Agricultural Act and we 
will be carefully monitoring its impact on our ex porters. We are concerned by what seems to be a 
general trend from green box expenditure to a return to increased amber box expenditure under the Act. 
4.12.  Further, Australia's concerns about the U.S. sugar programme are long-standing and well 
known. We continue to encourage the United States to address them. We are also concerned 
about the potential impact of proposed anti-dum ping/countervailing duty suspension agreements 
with Mexico in October 2014 relating to sugar. Th ese could have a detrimental effect on Australian 
exporters.  
4.13.  Australia also has some concerns about the consistency of the "Make it in America" 
programme and of country-of-origin marking requirements with the international trade obligations 
of the United States.  
4.14.  Australia further encourages the United States to revisit its restrictive regulations relating to 
foreign investment for US registered ships and aircraft.   
4.15.  Australia is, moreover, interested in whether the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable 
Care Act will enable greater foreign participation in the private health services sector in the United 
States.   
4.16.  Australia and the United States share extensive interests on trade policy, including in 
multilateral forums such as the WTO, APEC and the G20, which Australia was pleased to host in 
2014. Australia is also committed to working with the United States to conclude the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations.   
4.17.  Australia encourages the United States to us e its influential role among WTO Members to 
ensure the successful implementation of the outcom es of the Bali Package. Australia looks forward 
to working with the United States in our discussions this year on a WTO post-Bali work plan and looks to the United States to continue to show leadership in WTO negotiations. 
4.18.  We also work together on initiatives such as the ITA, TISA and environmental goods. In our 
view, these initiatives make a tangible contribution to the do ability of the Bali Package and support a core principle of the WTO through furthering trade liberalization.   
SWITZERLAND 
4.19.  The U.S. economy has progressively recovered since the Great Recession of 2009. Since 
then, a strong increase of goods and services exports together with growing domestic energy 
production have significantly reduced the U.S. curr ent account deficit. Normalisation of the Federal 
Reserve's monetary policy and the expected rise of interest rates are further signs that the U.S. has improved fundamentals and will continue to be  an engine of global economic growth in the 
years to come. And an impressive 2.3 million jobs we re created in the first ten months of this year 
alone. 
4.20.  Swiss companies have clearly benefited from  s t r o n g  d e m a n d  o n  t h e  U . S .  m a r k e t .  A s  
Switzerland's second most important trading part ner, the U.S. accounts for about 12% of total 
Swiss exports, which have grown by more than one fifth since the year 2010. For the U.S., 
Switzerland is the 14th most important trading partner for goods and the 5th largest for services. With an investment stock of more than US$200 billion, Swiss affiliates support nearly 
450,000 jobs. WT/TPR/M/307 • United States 
 
- 15 - 
 
  4.21.  In order to discuss both global and bilateral ec onomic issues, the U.S. and Switzerland have 
established a Joint Economic Commission, which held its tenth meeting last month in Washington, and a Trade and Investment Cooperation Forum.  
4.22.  Allow me to turn to a few specif ic remarks on U.S. trade policy. 
4.23.  When the United States' policies were last reviewed in 2012, Switzerland inquired about low 
quota fill rates for several types of cheese. Two ye ars ago, the U.S. replied that "the dairy import 
licensing regulations contain several mechanisms that provide incentives to fill the quotas." 
However, the United States' most recent notification concerning imports under tariff quotas shows 
no significant improvement in quota fill rates. We encourage the U.S. to consider introducing more flexibility in order to improve the fill rate of the quotas, in particular also taking into account the respective decision taken in Bali a year ago. 
4.24.  Second, I would like to emphasise that Switzerland fully shares the U.S. Food and Drug 
Administration's concerns about food safety risks for humans and animals. We thus support attempts to prevent health risks stemming from fo od and feed. However, we take note of some of 
the additional requirements under the U.S. Food Safety Modernization Act for monitoring, data 
storage and notification practices for FDA-approved accreditation bodies and auditors. In particular, we have difficulties with the US FDA's intention to access data records of such bodies at 
any time.  
4.25.  Third, the Secretariat's report shows that today about one fifth of U.S. imports benefit from 
reciprocal preferential trade agreements. This share is likely to increase substantially if the U.S. 
and its partners successfully conclude the talks on two large regional preferential trade 
agreements - the Transpacific Partnership (TPP)  and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment 
Partnership (TTIP). In particular, Switzerland follows the TTIP negotiations very closely given that the EU and the U.S. are our two most important trading partners. In order to avoid trade-diversion 
effects on other trading partners we encourage the parties to the TTIP negotiations to design the 
agreement in a way that would allow other partners to join at a later stage. 
4.26.  In this context, we welcome and appreciate the United States' commitment to the 
multilateral trading system. A strong engagement of the large players is essential to advance talks 
i n  t h e  W T O .  I n  p a r t i c u l a r ,  t h i s  b e c a m e  a p p a r e n t  t o  o v e r c o m e  t h e  r e c e n t  i m p a s s e  i n  t h e  implementation of the Bali package. 
4.27.  In conclusion, Switzerland is looking forward to continuing to engage with the United States 
and other Members to define a concrete outline of a post-Bali work programme, so that we can 
start tackling the remaining work that lies ahead of us. 
NEW
 ZEALAND 
4.28.  New Zealand welcomes the opportunity to partic ipate in the 12th Trade Policy Review of its 
third largest trading partner, the United States of America. New Zealand and the United States have a rich and varied relationship that is supported by cooperation between businesses through 
trade in goods and services, investment, education and tourism.    
4.29.  The United States, as the world's largest economy and a major trading nation, plays a 
critical leadership role in this Organization through the strong contribution it makes both to setting and maintaining open and transparent trade rules, and to promoting and achieving further global 
trade liberalisation. As a country that firmly supports the multilateral trading system and the 
benefits it brings, New Zealand appreciates the key role the U.S. has played since the inception of 
the WTO and in the GATT before that.  
4.30.  Active U.S. participation and leadership in the WTO, and close engagement by the U.S. with 
other Members remains vital to the future wellbeing of this Organization and to achieving further gains in WTO negotiations. New Zealand thanks the U.S. for its engagement and support during 
New Zealand's recent accession to the WTO Government Procurement Agreement (GPA). Equally, 
New Zealand commends the positive role the U.S. has played recently in securing progress on both 
the Trade Facilitation Agreement and the ITA negotiations which should help maintain momentum as we now collectively turn to the question of the post-Bali work programme.   WT/TPR/M/307 • United States 
 
- 16 - 
 
  4.31.  These demonstrations of the United States' commitment to trade liberalization and the 
strengthening of the multilateral trading system are to be warmly welcomed. New Zealand also wishes to record the value it attaches to its cooperation with the United States to help build consensus around global trade issues such as fossil fuels subsidy reform.  
4.32.  In the period under review, the United States has been a participant in negotiations towards 
a Trans-Pacific Partnership, with New Zealand and ten other WTO Members. All TPP participants share a commitment to concluding a high quality, comprehensive, 21st century TPP that delivers 
on the instructions from Leaders' in 2013 to achieve a Honolulu-consistent agreement.  
4.33.  New Zealand welcomes the positive developments in the 2014 United States Farm Bill 
including the removal of price supports and export  subsidies. In New Zealand's experience the 
removal of subsidies and supports has directly helped contribute to our vibrant agricultural sector. 
New Zealand has always taken a keen interest in the evolution of U.S. agricultural trade policy, 
and we encourage the United States to continue  pushing forward with the much-needed reforms 
that have been on-going through the past decade.    
4.34.  New Zealand hopes that the implementation of recent agricultural policy changes will be 
done in such a way that potential trade distortion s are minimised, but is concerned that the move 
to risk management policies with enhanced safe ty nets could see this progress reversed in a 
situation of significantly lower world prices. New Zealand urges the United States to consider 
further reforms to mitigate this possibility. New Zealand also encourages the United States to continue considering ways to bring a greater level of transparency to the large number of sub-federal measures and regulations that impact on international trade.   
4.35.  On fisheries subsidies, the U.S. participation in the Friends of Fish joint Ministerial statement 
at MC9 in December 2013 was very much welcomed. Ministers collectively issued a statement reiterating their commitment to agreeing to ambitious and effective disciplines on fisheries 
subsidies, and pledging to refrain from introduc ing new fisheries subsidies that contribute to 
overfishing or overcapacity, or extend or enhanc e existing such subsidies. The U.S. role is 
significant given that it is a major player in terms of fishing activity, support programmes, and 
leading international efforts to establish international fisheries subsidies disciplines and improve 
broader oceans governance. In this latter respec t we appreciate that the U.S. has not been 
discouraged by the slowdown in WTO negotiations in  recent years, but has continued to be active in the WTO and beyond, and New Zealand looks forw ard to continuing our work with the U.S. in 
the Friends of Fish and more broadly. 
4.36.  In conclusion, New Zealand welcomes the continued commitment by the United States to 
the multilateral trading system, including its commitment to increase trade liberalization and to 
fight protectionism. We look forward to the furthe r discussion today, including on the issues raised 
in our questions, over the course of this review. 
EL
 SALVADOR 
4.37.  The United States and El Salvador maintain cl ose relations in the area of policy, trade and 
investment, as evidenced by our first trade agreement dating from 19 February 1937, an agreement which for its time was extremely ambitious and included topics such as origin, 
customs valuation, sanitary measures, and market access. 
4.38.  Where trade is concerned, El Salvador has been strengthening its ties with the United States 
within the framework of the CAFTA-DR Free Trade Agreement, which entered into force on 1 March 2006 and is designed to  promote greater stabilit y and certainty in the areas of bilateral 
economic relations and investment. 
4.39.  Our trade relations are promoting a positive balance, putting the United States in first place 
among El Salvador's export destinations as well as among the sources of its imports and thus 
reflecting the commercial importance and complementarity of our trade. In 2013, 
El Salvador's exports to the United States to talled US$2,490 million, with 74% being accounted for 
by the made-up goods sector while the rest came  from exports of coffee, sugar and tantalum 
capacitors. Imports amounted to US$4,184 million, of which 60% was accounted for by petroleum 
oils, textiles, and mechanical and electrical machinery and appliances. WT/TPR/M/307 • United States 
 
- 17 - 
 
  4.40.  Almost all tariff lines enjoy free access, thanks mainly to the tariff reduction programme 
associated with the implementation of the Agreement. 
4.41.  It should also be noted that there are many Salvadorans living in the United States, where 
they have found security, peace and financial rewards for their labour, as reflected, according 
to the latest figures, in 3,495.6 million of "family  remittances", which have been increasing at 
an annual rate of 7.5%, according to a report by the Central Reserve Bank of El Salvador. 
4.42.  As far as the present Review is concerned, we note with satisfaction that the United States 
has eliminated the International Settlements Policy in order to modernize its international 
telephony rules and, as indicated in the reports, lower the price for international calls and increase competition, in addition to taking measures to facilitate, among other things, the provision of voice and broadband services and the adoption of new rules on Internet neutrality (Open Internet). 
4.43.  We also observe that in the area of intellectual property, and in particular in the copyright 
category, the United States has focused on the growth and soaring development of the digital 
environment for the dissemination of protected material, releasing through an inter-departmental 
consultation mechanism a green paper framing the policy questions in terms of "how to retain 
a meaningful copyright system that continues to dr ive the production of creative works, while at 
the same time preserving the innovative power of the Internet and the free flow of information" 
at a time when, for example, "the Internet continues to grow in economic, social and cultural 
relevance". In this respect, its best practices could provide a useful benchmark for other negotiating forums in this city and, in its turn , for a discussion of national development in this 
field. 
4.44.  Before concluding, we would like to recognize the active participation of the United States, 
under its trade policy agenda, in the multilateral arena, both in the negotiating bodies and in regular meetings, where it has made contribu tions and provided support on various fronts, 
including support for the implementation of th e Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) and for 
accession negotiations. We urge the United States to continue playing its leadership role in this Organization with a view to furthering the conclusion of the Doha Development Agenda. 
4.45.  At the same time, we appreciate the contributions and assistance provided within the 
context of the Aid for Trade programme and other multilateral capacity-building initiatives for developing countries and LDCs. 
4.46.  The El Salvador delegation has asked questions concerning customs procedures and about 
the status of the Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) and trade-related capacity-building initiatives 
and is grateful for the preliminary replies received. 
4.47.  Within the context of the present exercise, we would appreciate further information 
on United States policy with respect to the prom otion of private standards and its procedures for 
notifying, via the information service, measures ad opted by States in the area of technical barriers 
to trade, particularly as regards the review of it s TBT regulatory practices with respect to the use 
of voluntary consensus standards in federal regulation and procurement, which is a matter 
of concern for our industries. 
4.48.  We would also appreciate it if, with respect to sanitary and phytosanitary measures and 
taking into consideration the entry into force of the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, we could 
be provided with updated information concerning the progress being made in the regulatory area 
and told whether there is a legislative timetable for the conclusion of the work, this because we 
understand that the FDA is in the process of drawing up regulations for giving effect to the main 
aspects of this new Act. 
4.49.  Finally, it only remains for me to congratulate the United States on the occasion of the 
present Review and wish it the utmost success in th is exercise. As this is the last meeting of the 
year, I would also like to wish everyone a happy Christmas and an excellent New Year. WT/TPR/M/307 • United States 
 
- 18 - 
 
  CHINA 
4.50.  With regard to the macro-economy and relevant policies, we are pleased to see that the 
U.S. economy has largely recovered from the crisis. GDP, fiscal balance, foreign trade and employment among major economic indicators have improved and the financial system is 
stabilizing. But at the same time, China is conc erned at the implementati on and withdrawal of 
quantitative easing, debt problem, and a series of financial, taxation and credit policies adopted by the U.S. to encourage homecoming of manufacturing and export growth. It is our hope that the 
U.S will take into full account the spillover effects and potential influence of its policies on the 
global economy, and minimize the risks and challenges they may impose on other economies. 
4.51.  With regard to upholding the multilater al trading system and promoting the DDA 
negotiation, the U.S., as the world's biggest sing le economy and one of the principal founders of 
GATT and WTO, has long been committed to the multilateral process and played a critical role in 
bringing success to the past multilateral rounds. WTO Members have always been placing high hopes on the U.S. and expect it to continue shou lder the responsibility to press ahead with the 
Doha Round. Report of the Secretariat also confirms that "the U.S. takes an active leadership role 
in the WTO". But we also noticed with concern th at the Heading of Part One of the U.S. Policy 
Statement has changed from "United States in the multilateral trading system" in its previous 
statements to "United States in the global trading system". The word "multilateral" is hardly found 
in the full text of Part One. Why is there such a change? We look forward to the clarification by the U.S. 
4.52.  W e  a l s o  c a l l  o n  t h e  U . S .  t o  o b s e r v e  t h e  principle of transparency, inclusiveness and 
openness in its mega-FTA negotiations such as TPP, T-TIP and TISA, provide timely update to all 
WTO Members and reassure developing ones, and take substantive actions with all parties to 
ensure that the plurilateral negotiations contribute to the multilateral trading system. At the critical 
juncture for producing Post-Bali Work Programme and accelerating the DDA negotiation, we hope 
to see firm support from the U.S. for the multilateral trading system, and a continuous leadership role of it in guiding all WTO Members towards an early conclusion of the Doha Round. 
4.53.  With regard to trade and investment regime and policies, the U.S. is generally open to trade 
and investment with a relatively high level of facilitation, which China always appreciates. However, there still exist some new and old problems badly needed to be addressed. 
4.54.  On the one hand, certain new policies and practices with protectionist feature adopted by 
the U.S. Government in recent years have severely impaired the economic and trade interests of 
WTO Members including China, about which we have a strong concern. 
4.55.  For instance, government expenditure of the U. S. under the 2014 Farm Bill is estimated to 
reach US$489 billion in the coming five years, showing a negligible decline only. China will further 
study whether the move from decoupled direct  payments towards deficiency-payment type 
instruments, and the changed price setup and base period under the new measure could cause an 
increase in trade and production distortion, as warned by the Secretariat. In addition, while the 
U.S. heavily subsidizes its own agricultural products, it imposes considerable tariff peaks on imported agricultural products, resulting in double protection and distortion of international trade. 
4.56.  Another striking example is the sharp growth of  the U.S. trade remedy measures in recent 
years. 294 anti-dumping and countervailing measures were in effect in 2013, an increase of 18% 
from 2010. In 2013 alone, 39 anti-dumping investigations and 19 countervailing investigations were initiated, both far higher than historical levels. Most of the investigations were targeted at 
developing members including China. 90% of the fi nal rulings in the U.S. sunset reviews between 
2013 and 2014 resulted in the continuation of trade remedy measures. It's worth underlining, in particular, that some of the WTO DSB rulings have not been fully respected and comprehensively 
implemented by the U.S. The WTO dispute settlem ent body judged that the U.S. violated WTO 
rules by initiating concurrent AD and CVD investigations against China in cases DS379 , DS437 and 
DS449, but the U.S has yet to make complete corrections.  
4.57.  On the other hand, some repeatedly highlighted old issues in China's bilateral economic and 
trade interaction with the U.S. remain unaddressed, which I would like to take this opportunity to reiterate.  WT/TPR/M/307 • United States 
 
- 19 - 
 
  4.58.  First, the U.S. frequently launched trade remedy measures against China, including the 
concurrent Antidumping and Countervailing Duty （AD and CVD ） investigations inconsistent with 
the WTO rules and abused the unjustifiable "substitute country price" in these investigations; the 
U.S. has maintained the export control on high-tech products to China which does no good to 
bilateral trade balance; certain U.S. SPS measures for long snout catfish, cooked poultry and some tropical fruits from China have no sound scientific grounding; and as a result of the adoption of 
relevant amendments by the U.S. House Committee on Appropriations and rejection to take 
concrete actions by the U.S. administration, Chinese poultry has no access to the breakfast-lunch plan for U.S. schools. 
4.59.  Second, recent years have witnessed a surge in the Committee on Foreign Investment in 
the United States (CFIUS) national security reviews against Chinese investors. The number of 
investigations increased from 6 in 2010 to 23 in  2012. The review procedure lacks transparency 
and reasons for the decision don't need to be provided. Enthusiasm of Chinese companies to invest 
in the U.S has been dampened.  
4.60.  Thirdly, in the IP field, deviating from the U.S.'s original intention of IP protection, 
Section 337 investigations have been abused by the U.S. Patent Troll, causing difficulties to the 
operation of enterprises. In addition, there are no uniform rules on standard essential patent, 
which adds to the uncertainty and cost of the process and may result in de facto market monopoly. Legislative and enforcement discrepancy  a m o n g  d i f f e r e n t  U . S .  s t a t e s  i n  t e c h n i c a l  
standards and administrative charges have also led to inconvenience for companies in their 
business. 
4.61.  We sincerely hope that the U.S. will pay full attention to the above fresh and longstanding 
problems, and get them fixed through tangible efforts. 
4.62.  China and the U.S. are important trading partne rs to each other and our bilateral economic 
and commercial cooperation has gone into further depth in recent years. Last month, the two heads of states had a successful meeting in Beijing, and have reaffirmed the importance of 
economic ties as the core of our bilateral relationship. 
4.63.  This year marks the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between 
the People's Republic of China and the U.S. Today is the 36th anniversary of the publication of Sino-U.S. Joint Communiqué on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations. And right now the 25th 
China-U.S. Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT) is held in Chicago. We believe that 
through multilateral and bilateral communication and interaction, we can reach more consensuses, boost the development of bilateral economic and trade relationship and safeguard the stability of 
the multilateral trading system.  
4.64.  Last but not least, I would like to thank the American delegation for their reply to the 
questions raised by China, which we will go thro ugh carefully. I wish the 12th trade policy review 
of the U.S. every success. 
COLOMBIA 4.65.  As the United States is our main trading partner, we are pleased to note that it is now 
reporting that its economy has largely recovered from the global financial crisis. In fact, during the 
review period, growth rates of more than 2% have  been recorded, with the prospect of real GDP 
growth rates in excess of 3% for the next few years. Private consumption, exports and private investment have been the main factors contributing to the recovery. 
4.66.  Likewise, the report also indicates that the services sector continues to mirror the general 
performance of the economy. As is well known,  services constitute the backbone of the 
United States' economy, contributing almost 80% of GDP and a similar percentage of employment, 
while at the same time the United States is the world's leading services market. We also note the 
prominent role played by the manufacturing sector in the country's economic recovery. 
4.67.  At the same time, the unemployment rate is gradually decreasing and in the middle of this 
year was standing at 6.2%. Though still at high levels, there are good prospects of its continuing 
to fall. For its part, inflation has remained stable at between 1 and 2%. WT/TPR/M/307 • United States 
 
- 20 - 
 
  4.68.  Where trade is concerned, we note that the rate  of growth of exports of goods and services 
has slowed and in the last two years has verged on 2%, partly as a consequence of weak global economic growth. In 2013, the United States accounted for almost 12.3% of global imports and 8.4% of exports. 
4.69.  We also note the changes in the trade balance, where the deficit has been reduced thanks 
to a slight fall in imports – especially of fuels, in view of the increase in domestic production – and a rising trend in exports due, in particular, to  the growing contribution  of mining and energy 
exports, which accounted for almost 10% of the total in 2013. 
4.70.  The United States is giving clear priority to the development of initiatives that will help to 
generate more open and predictable markets and greater flows of trade and investment, 
as a means of stimulating growth and development, as well as creating new jobs. This is well 
reflected both in its participation within the WTO and in its broad network of trade agreements and 
regional initiatives, such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (T-TIP) agreements, as well as the Agreement on Trade in 
Services (TISA). 
4.71.  With respect to the WTO, the Secretariat report appropriately stresses the active part played 
by the United States within the Organization, both in its regular work and at the negotiating table. 
In addition to mentioning its role in various sectoral initiatives, such as the expansion of the 
Information Technology Agreement or the initiation of negotiations on environmental goods, we would draw attention to the active part it has played in the negotiation – and very recent 
approval – of the Trade Facilitation Agreement. 
4.72.  May I take this opportunity especially to welcome the steps taken not only to enable the 
General Council to approve the Protocol on the adoption of that Agreement but also to resolve the impasse in the negotiations and resume the work on drawing up a work programme which 
we hope will bring us closer to concluding the Round. We feel sure that the United States will play 
an equally important role within the donor group that will support the TFA implementation activities. 
4.73.  One especially interesting aspect of the United States' participation in the WTO is 
its extensive use of the dispute settlement mechan ism. As follows clearly from the Government 
report, the United States has been a major user of the WTO's dispute settlement mechanism, considering the strict observance of trade rules to be a central pillar of its trade policy. In fact, 
during the review period,  the United States participated in 26 disputes, as a complainant, 
respondent or third party. Given its wide use of  the mechanism, we would like to draw attention 
to certain concerns expressed by various Member s with regard to the implementation by the 
United States of certain recommendations made by the DSB. 
4.74.  Where notifications are concerned, we observe that the Secretariat report refers to three 
notifications concerning agriculture (export subsidies, domestic support and the utilization 
of quotas) that need updating. Given the United States' good record in submitting notifications 
and the importance it attributes to the fulfilment of  that obligation, we feel sure that this situation 
will be very quickly rectified. 
4.75.  With regard to its trade agreements, we note with interest that, in addition to imports from 
its NAFTA partners, which continue to grow, the report mentions the increasing share of imports 
under its FTAs with Korea and Colombia, which have become its second and third largest trading partners under an FTA, given the significant increase in trade since the entry into force of the 
agreements in question (although it should be noted that last year our exports fell substantially, 
due to a decline in petroleum purchases). 
4.76.  The report mentions that the United States is duly fulfilling its notification commitments with 
regard to trade agreements. It also indicates that three factual presentations have not yet been 
considered under the Transparency Mechanism – and it should be noted that one of them relates 
precisely to our bilateral agreement. I am confident that we shall be able to settle this matter also among the tasks for next year. WT/TPR/M/307 • United States 
 
- 21 - 
 
  4.77.  During the review period, the United States' agricultural policy underwent some important 
changes with the enactment of the new Farm Bill. As the report points out, the new Act eliminates market price support measures and export subsidies for dairy products, as well as direct payments based on agricultural production for previous periods. In our questions we have inquired into the 
possible effects of replacing direct payments with other instruments and we will carefully examine 
the answers received, for which we are grateful. 
4.78.  We also note the recent announcement by the United States Commerce Department 
concerning the proposed amendment of the Fi sheries Financing Programme to modernize the 
fishing fleet, which (we consider) could lead to an increase in fishing capacity. We recall that the United States, as one of the "Friends of Fish", has supported important commitments made 
by the group to the elimination of fisheries subsidies (for which reason we appeal to it to consider 
the implications of these new measures for its international leadership in the field). 
4.79.  Nor should I omit to mention the fact that the report refers to several significant advances 
in the area of trade facilitation, especially impo rtant in the present circumstances now that the TFA 
is about to enter into force. These include, in particular, the progress made in developing the 
Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) single-window application, with the work expected to be complete by the end of 2016 and three of the seven modules already in operation. 
The International Trade Data System, which provides for coordinated electronic data transmission, 
should also be ready by then. These measures will undoubtedly make an important contribution towards expediting trade flows. 
4.80.  Finally, in preparing my statement I was reminded of an observation made 
by Franklin Delano Roosevelt, which seems timely now that we are about to undertake the difficult 
task of completing, in the next six months, a work programme that will bring us closer to the conclusion of the Doha Round: "The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts 
of today". 
4.81.  That brings me to the end of my statement. Colombia wishes the United States a profitable 
Trade Policy Review, which we hope will yield recommendations and suggestions that may 
prove useful. 
REPUBLIC
 OF KOREA 
4.82.  Let me begin with bilateral trade and investme nt relations. The U.S. has been for many 
decades Korea's major economic and strategic partner. The two-way trade in goods reached over 
US$103 billion in 2013. The U.S. thus stands as Korea's third largest trading partner, while Korea 
is the 10th largest trading partner of the U.S. Korea's cumulative investments also exceeded 
US$73 billion by the first half of this year, making the U.S. the top destination for Korea's 
outbound investment. 
4.83.  Today, we are almost three months away from the third anniversary of the entry into force 
of the Korea-U.S. FTA or KORUS FTA. While it is still too early to have a full assessment of the 
impact of the Agreement, some positive signs have been witnessed. Compared to the previous two 
years before the KORUS FTA's entry into force, bilateral trade has increased 4.1% and U.S. investment into Korea has doubled. We see this as strong evidence that the KORUS FTA has not only brought our bilateral economic relationship to a new height, but has also served as a catalyst 
for the liberalization in trade in goods and services, which is one of the fundamental objectives of 
the WTO. 
4.84.  The U.S. will continue to play a vital role  in the global economy. Since its economic 
performance has significant implications for global  growth and development, we welcome the fact 
that the U.S. economy has largely recovered from  the aftermath of the global financial crisis 
through the implementation of an appropriate mix of policies that support growth, strengthen 
demand and create quality jobs. Against this backdrop, we would also like the U.S. to be mindful 
of the global impacts of its policies and to strengthen its policy coordination efforts in managing spillovers. 
4.85.  We would like to commend the U.S. for maintaining one of the world's most open trade and 
investment regimes. In this regard, we would under line several reform measures that the U.S. has WT/TPR/M/307 • United States 
 
- 22 - 
 
  taken during the period under review such as the gradual implementation of the single window 
system and expansion of trusted trader programmes as well as reviews on TBT regulatory practices and changes in IP legislation and regulati on. We hope that these continued efforts can be 
conducive to promoting trade and investments. 
4.86.  While appreciating the positive developments, we also find it noteworthy to point out some 
areas of particular interest and concerns for Korea with respect to the trade policies of the U.S. We 
would like to make a few comments as follows: 
• First, we would like to share concerns expressed by other Members that the initiation of 
investigations for anti-dumping, subsidies and countervailing measures significantly increased in 2013, in particular on steel products. We also share concern over the excessive duration of those measures, with a recent trend that more trade remedy 
measures continue to apply over five years which can only be justifiable under the 
exceptional circumstances. 
 
• Secondly, with regard to the new Farm bill enacted in 2014, we posed our questions on 
the policy implications that the new elements of the Act might have and, along these lines, we would like to hear the views of the U.S. as to how the new features can be 
relevant in the context of the DDA negotiations on agriculture. 
4.87.  In addition to these points, my delegation also submitted advance written questions to the 
U.S. on the various aspects of its trade and trad e-related policies and measures. We would like to 
thank the U.S. delegation for providing an swers and we will carefully review them. 
4.88.  The U.S. has not only been a staunch supporter for the open, transparent and rules-based 
multilateral trading system but has also played a crucial role in its enhancement. After a prolonged impasse, there is now renewed momentum in the impl ementation of the Bali Ministerial Decisions. 
We hope and trust that the U.S will continue to play a proactive role in proceeding with the 
formulation of the Post-Bali work programme, as a key stepping stone to concluding the DDA negotiations. 
4.89.  In addition, the U.S. has been pursuing trade liberalization through plurilateral initiatives 
which will be applied on a MFN basis. In particular, we would look forward to the continued leadership of the U.S. in the ITA expansion negotiations as well as its instrumental role in moving forward the negotiations on the EGA. 
MALAYSIA 
4.90.  Malaysia is pleased to take part in this Twelfth Trade Policy Review of the United States and 
associates itself with the statement made by Myanmar on behalf of ASEAN. 
4.91.  We commend the United States for having la rgely recovered from the Great Recession and 
continuing to be one of the world's most open tr ade and investment regimes, driving its economy. 
4.92.  We note that the United States has been active in pursuing trade and investment 
liberalization through bilateral, regional and plurilateral initiatives. These initiatives should remain 
complementary to multilateral trade and that the United States continues to assume a key role in advancing the multilateral negotiations.  
4.93.  In this respect, we welcome the pragmatism shown by the United States and other major 
Members in the compromises made recently, that have enabled us to move beyond the impasse 
on the Bali Package. It is certainly our hope that this leadership and positive spirit would continue to guide us as we resume negotiations and deliver credible outcomes by the MC10 next year. 
4.94.  The Unites States has been traditionally a close economic partner of Malaysia, and the 
Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), when completed, is expected to further intensify our bilateral and regional partnership.  
4.95.  The United States was Malaysia's 4th largest trading partner in 2013, both as an export 
destination and import source. From January to October 2014, bilateral trade increased by 6.3% or WT/TPR/M/307 • United States 
 
- 23 - 
 
  US$29.61 billion. Exports recorded an increase of  8.8% (US$16.23 billion) and imports showed an 
increase of 3.5% (US$13.38 billion), compared to the corresponding period in 2013.  
4.96.  On investment, at end of 2012, the accumulated United States Foreign Direct Investments 
stock in Malaysia stood at US$14.48 billion or 10.2% share of total FDIs, making the United States 
the leading source of FDIs for Malaysia.  
4.97.  In 2013, a total investment of US$1.93 billion was made with 19 approved projects, which 
create 7,800 job opportunities with about 1,500 or 19% in high income jobs.  
4.98.  While welcoming the trade initiatives and further liberalization undertaken by the United 
States over the review period, Malaysia is also concerned on a number of measures that could be 
regarded as barriers to trade. Examples of these measures include, country of origin marking rules 
in different laws and Customs-Trade Partnership against Terrorism (C-TPAT). Thus, we encourage 
the United States to review these measures with a view to simplify the procedures and not be 
burdensome to traders. 
4.99.  Finally, we would like to take this opportunity to thank the delegation of the United States 
for responding to our questions and these are being examined at the Capital. In addition, we will 
also be submitting additional questions an d we look forward to receiving feedback. 
HONG  KONG,  CHINA 
4.100.  Hong Kong, China (HKC) and the U.S. enjoy a robust, longstanding and multi-faceted 
relationship. Our trade, education, cultural and people-to-people ties bring us close together. There are around 65 000 U.S. citizens in Hong Ko ng, and U.S. companies have set up more than 
1 300 regional headquarters and offices there. They make the U.S. one of the biggest foreign 
presences in our city. 
4.101.  For trade in goods, the U.S. is our second largest trading partner as well as our second 
largest export market. At the same time, HKC is the ninth largest export market for the U.S. – we 
were in fact the No. 1 export market in 2013 fo r a number of U.S. products, including frozen 
bovine meat, chicken cuts and leather. For trade in services, the U.S. is our second largest trading partner, whereas for investment, it is our fifth largest source of inward direct investment and our 
ninth largest destination of outward direct investment. 
4.102.  The U.S. is our valued trading partner not only in bilateral terms, but also in plurilateral 
and multilateral contexts. In the WTO, we are both  strong supporters of trade liberalization and a 
rules-based multilateral trading system. We are glad to note that the U.S. continues to look upon 
the WTO as a vital institution in the global trading system and is committed to its continued 
success, while it pursues regional and plurilateral initiatives which are WTO-complementary. 
Details 
4.103.  Let me now turn to some specific points on measures directly affecting imports. In general, 
HKC welcomes the U.S.' continuous efforts in streamlining its customs procedures. While we understand its considerations for introducing measures that seek to enhance enforcement and 
national security, we hope these measures will not create unnecessary barriers to trade. 
Trade facilitation 4.104.  The good progress that the U.S. has been making on the trade facilitation front also must 
not be compromised. During the review period, the U.S. has simplified entry programmes, and 
either introduced or expanded its trusted trader  programmes. We look forward to 2016, when the 
Automated Commercial Environment will provide single window functionality for clearing imports or exports, and allow traders to submit data an d documents electronically. As the WTO Agreement 
on Trade Facilitation enters a new phase, HKC would also like to take this opportunity to commend 
the U.S. for its contribution towards its negotiation, conclusion and operationalization. WT/TPR/M/307 • United States 
 
- 24 - 
 
  Customs procedures – import security initiatives 
4.105.  The U.S. has extended the deadline of July 2014 by two years for 100% scanning of cargo 
containers destined to the country, which is required by the Secure Freight Initiative (SFI) under the SAFE Port Act to enhance US border security. We are pleased that the U.S. has taken into 
account the SFI's impact on cargo traffic. We hope that the U.S. will carefully consider the impact 
on port operations and the efficiency of trade flows when pursuing frei ght security measures. 
Tariff 
4.106.  HKC notes that the current U.S. simple average tariff is 4.8%, and that there is a 
significant number (7%) of tariff peaks in sensitive sectors, such as textiles. Recalling the removal of worldwide quantitative restrictions on textiles and apparel products in 2005 under the WTO Agreement on Textiles and Clothing, we are disappo inted that these products are still treated as 
sensitive by the U.S. and are still subject to ad valorem  tariffs of more than 25%. We urge the 
U.S. to review the need for their maintenance, es pecially with regard to their adverse effect on 
U.S. traders and consumers. 
Contingency measures – anti-dumping, countervailing and safeguard measures 
4.107.  On contingency measures, while HKC is pleased to see that the U.S. has not initiated any 
safeguard investigations under the global provisions since 2001, we note with concern the 
increased use of anti-dumping and countervailing du ties on emerging markets in recent years, and 
in particular the significant jump in the initiation of investigations last year. At the same time, we have seen fewer anti-dumping and countervailing duties revoked after sunset reviews. Knowing full well that remedy investigations can carry significant trade stifling effects, we hope Members 
would think twice before initiating such proceedings; and if they really have to resort to remedies, 
we urge them to refrain from any abusive and unwarranted use or extension of such measures. 
Concluding remarks 
4.108.  As the Secretariat report says, the U.S. takes an  active leadership role in the WTO. We are 
pleased to see on the U.S.' trade policy agenda a readiness to continue playing a major role in 
promoting and strengthening the WTO's core functi ons. HKC will work closely with the U.S. and 
other Members to support the multilateral trading system and contribute to its development. 
4.109.  Finally, I would like to thank the U.S. for its replies to our written questions. We will study 
them carefully. May I wish the U.S. delegation a very fruitful and successful trade policy review.   
COSTA
 RICA 
4.110.  Costa Rica wishes to draw attention to the role of the United States and its leadership 
in preserving and strengthening the WTO's function as a multilateral forum for multilateral trade liberalization. In particular, my delegation woul d like to recognize the recent efforts made and 
leadership exercised by the United States in putti ng the WTO negotiations back on track during the 
negotiation and implementation of the Bali Package. Its leadership and active participation continue to be of vital importance to the Organization. 
4.111.  Costa Rica values the joint work of our delegations in various WTO contexts, such as 
Trade Facilitation, the negotiations on broadening the Agreement on Information Technology Products, the negotiations on the Environmental Goods Agreement, the WTO's e-commerce programme, and the plurilateral initiative for an Agreement on Trade in Services (TISA). 
4.112.  Costa Rica and United States are very close neighbours, with a mature trade and 
investment relationship which has strengthened and continued to grow since the CAFTA-DR entered into force in Costa Rica on 1 January 2009. The United States is Costa Rica's 
principal trading partner: in 2013 it was the destination for 38.7% of our exports and the origin of 
48.7% of our imports. In the last five years, bila teral trade has grown at an average annual rate of 
7.1%. WT/TPR/M/307 • United States 
 
- 25 - 
 
  4.113.  At the same time, the United States is Costa Rica's main source of foreign direct 
investment. In 2013, 46% of inward foreign direct investment flows into Costa Rica came from the 
United States. 
4.114.  We welcome the recovery in the United States economy since the global crisis 
of 2007-2009. Since then, and up to the second quarter of 2014, its economy has grown at an 
annual rate of 2.2%. Looking ahead, the prospect s are also encouraging for the next few years. 
It is also worth noting the efforts made by the United States to reduce the federal budget deficit 
as a proportion of GDP. Equally noteworthy are the reduction in unemployment and the increase 
in labour productivity in recent years, to a le vel well above the average for the OECD countries, 
as well as the high ranking of the US economy in the global competitiveness index (third place in 2014-2015). This is all good news, particularly insofar as it concerns the world's largest 
economy and the main trading partner for many of our countries. 
4.115.  As indicated in the Government report, for the United States, "[t]rade is a key component 
in efforts to achieve ... broad-based economic growth". The United States has succeeded in 
applying this principle both at home and to promote the development of other regions. 
Proof of this can be found in the fact that the United States continues to maintain one of the world's most open economies; the average WTO-bound tariff is 3.4%, while the trade-weighted 
average, with account for the various preferential regimes, is a mere 1.4%. We also salute the role 
of the United States in the Aid for Trade programme and in supporting other countries in the area of trade facilitation. 
4.116.  Although its exports increased at a slower ra te than in the previous period (7% between 
2011 and 2013 as compared with the 33% recorded between 2009 and 2011), the level was still 
higher than for world exports during the same period (5.5%). 
4.117.  Given its relative importance in the trade in agricultural products, the United States' 
policies in this sector have a substantial impact on world markets. For this reason Costa Rica is 
taking a keen interest in the implementation of th e new Farm Bill enacted in February of this year. 
The new Act eliminated some subsidy programmes and replaced them with others. We are 
interested in any information that the United Stat es can provide concerning the effects of the new 
Act on international trade. 
4.118.  Like previous speakers, I would like to stress the role played by the United States 
in combating harmful fisheries subsidies that lead to the depletion of fishery resources. As Friends 
of Fish, at the 9
th Ministerial Conference in Bali in December 2013 our Ministers signed a joint 
declaration aimed at preventing the introduction of new subsidies that contribute to overcapacity and overfishing. We urge the United States to continue in this direction and to carry on displaying 
leadership in this field. 
4.119.  Within the context of this Trade Policy Review, Costa Rica has submitted questions 
concerning the effects of the "Make it in America" programme, the protection of intellectual 
property rights, restrictions applied to the consum ption of health services abroad, and the progress 
with and outlook for the negotiations relating to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (T-TIP) agreements. We appreciate the attention they have been given and will carefully examine the answers received. 
SINGAPORE 
4.120.  Singapore is fully associated with the ASEAN statement delivered by Myanmar.  
4.121.  Singapore and the U.S. share a close and robust economic partnership. The U.S. is 
Singapore's largest foreign direct investor and fo urth largest trading partner, while Singapore is 
the U.S.' largest trading partner in ASEAN. 2014 marks the 10th anniversary of the U.S.-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (USSFTA). The USSFTA under scores the value of what is achievable in a 
mutually cooperative economic partnership. Its built-in review process also reflects both parties' 
desire for the agreement to remain relevant in addressing changing business needs and evolving supply chains.   WT/TPR/M/307 • United States 
 
- 26 - 
 
  4.122.  Ten years on, Singapore and the U.S. are once again together on the frontlines of another 
high-ambition trade liberalization initiative, this time involving ten other parties. The Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP), when concluded, will deepen and broaden economic integration in the Asia-Pacific and encourage greater trade liberalization. 
4.123.  The U.S. is one of the world's more open trade regimes. The U.S.'s regulatory processes 
are generally transparent and accessible to the pu blic. Singapore also welcomes the U.S.' updates 
regarding its implementation of a Single Window application, which will expedite customs 
clearance and reduce transaction time. Despite the challenges from the global recession, the U.S. 
economy remains resilient as is evident from its GDP growth in 2012 and 2013. As the world's largest economy, growth in the U.S. in a manner which is forward-looking and which respects the spirit of multilateralism would be important in helping to lift the global economy out of its current 
doldrum.  
4.124.  It is therefore a matter of concern that the U.S. has adopted certain protectionist measures 
which can have a negative impact on trade. Leaving aside the issue of consistency with WTO 
provisions, the implementation of the Buy American Act can have a significant protectionist effect 
as the playing field for imported products is distorted. We call upon the U.S. to uphold its commitment to maintaining an open trade regime and the integrity of the multilateral trading 
system.   
4.125.  The U.S. has continued to play a key and active  role in the WTO. We appreciate the U.S.'s 
contributions in all areas, including on Government  Procurement, Trade Facilitation as well as the 
Information Technology Agreement, and we look forward to the U.S.'s continued commitment and 
leadership towards the conclusion of the DDA. Our delegation has always enjoyed excellent 
working relations with Ambassador Punke's very ca pable team in Geneva and we look forward to 
continuing our close cooperation in the coming year. We wish the U.S. a successful 12th trade 
policy review. 
ANTIGUA
 AND  BARBUDA 
4.126.  The Government of Antigua and Barbuda would like to wish the United States a successful 
trade policy review over the next few days. Both countries enjoy traditionally good relations in 
areas encompassing trade, culture, institutions and what can be considered a healthy regard for 
the rule of law.  
4.127.  Notwithstanding the above, Antigua and Barbuda and the United States have been 
embroiled in a WTO trade dispute spanning over 10 years concerning the cross border supply of 
gaming and betting services. The rulings of the appellate body and the binding verdict of the 
Arbitrator are pellucid; however, the United States has not complied with the rulings and 
recommendations of the DSB in this matter. Conseq uently, Antigua and Barbuda is yet to reap the 
benefits from prevaili ng in the dispute. 
4.128.  With the resolution of this matter being a top priority for my Government coupled with the 
sentiments expressed by the United States in its Government report under section 4 
subheading 4.1 entitled WTO Agreements and Initiatives in paragraph 4.6 "to ensure the enforcement of WTO Agreements, the United States has been one of the World's most frequent users of the WTO dispute settlement procedures", Antigua and Barbuda formally submitted eight 
written questions related to the aforementioned dispute.   
4.129.  Therefore, we extend gratitude to the U.S. for the written responses it has provided which 
will be reviewed in-depth and possible follow-up questions tabled. 
HONDURAS 
4.130.  We are pleased to note that the United States' economy has largely recovered from the 
recession of 2007-2009, generating a steady increase in GDP, driven partly by private 
consumption, the results of private domestic inve stment and exports, thereby producing positive 
overall growth. WT/TPR/M/307 • United States 
 
- 27 - 
 
  4.131.  Although in the last two years inward foreign direct investment flows have declined, 
the United States is still the chief recipient of world foreign direct investment and we have noted that the Government is maintaining or conti nuing to develop foreign investment incentive 
programmes. 
4.132.  In this connection, we should mention the Bilateral Investment Treaty and the investment 
provisions of the CAFTA-DR free trade agreement in  force with our country since 2006. Both these 
instruments have helped to stimulate investment flows. 
4.133.  In 2012, North American investment in our country amounted to US$881 million, 
as compared with US$821 million in 2011, and was concentrated in the manufacturing and wholesale trade sectors. 
4.134.  As for bilateral trade, it has, on average, steadily increased, and in 2013 our imports 
amounted to five billion three hundred and seventy three million (5,372,962) US dollars and our 
exports to four billion seven hundred and fifty eight million (4,757,763) US dollars. 
4.135.  Our main exports include wiring harnesses for vehicles, cotton T-shirts, socks and 
sweaters, coffee and fresh bananas, men's cotton underwear and unrefined gold, while the main 
imports include fuel oil, cotton yarn and synthetic fibre, unleaded petrol, propane, liquefied gas, kerosene, electrical terminals, soya cake an d other soya cake waste, wheat and knitwear. 
4.136.  We are grateful for the US mission's answers to our questions on various topics, which we 
have already forwarded to the capital for analysis. 
4.137.  Finally, may I again express our appreciation of this new opportunity to engage 
in exchanges and examine the United States' trad e policies and practices and, at the same time, 
wish the authorities success in presenting their trade policy review mechanism. 
JAPAN 4.138.  Japan greatly appreciates that the U.S. has hi storically contributed to strengthening and 
maintaining the multilateral trading system. The U.S. has once again played an important role in 
helping the conclusion and implementation of the Bali Package including the Trade Facilitation Agreement, and retaining the negotiation function of the WTO.  
4.139.  The U.S. has been also exercising its leader ship to develop plurilateral agreements for 
trade liberalization in Geneva, such as the revised Government Procurement Agreement (GPA); expansion of the Information Technology Ag reement (ITA); Environmental Goods Agreement 
(EGA); and Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA).  
4.140.  In addition, the U.S. has been engaged very ac tively in negotiations of RTAs, establishing 
ambitious trade rules for the 21st century, su ch as the TPP and TTIP. Japan commends these 
efforts aimed at further trade liberalization, and hopes that these efforts will complement and 
strengthen the multilateral trading system. 
4.141.  Japan believes that the U.S. Government's obtaining the Trade Promotion Authority will be 
a strong push for accelerating these trade negotiatio ns, be they bilateral, plurilateral, regional, or 
multilateral.  
4.142.  In general, Japan commends these trade policie s of the U.S. However, a few U.S. regimes 
and practices still remain as concerns for Japan. We  believe that further U.S. efforts to solve these 
specific issues will bring remarkable development not only for Japan but also for world trade as a 
whole. I would like to touch upon some of these issues. 
4.143.  First, anti-dumping. Japan is concerned about some U.S. anti-dumping practices such as 
Sunset reviews and the model matching method to calculate dumping margins. Japan requests 
that the U.S. to amend these practices and the mo del matching method which impose unjustifiable 
burdens on foreign export companies. WT/TPR/M/307 • United States 
 
- 28 - 
 
  4.144.  Second, maritime transport. This has been a long-time request from Japan, but again, we 
have to request that the U.S. eliminate the oblig ation in the Jones Act to use U.S.-made ships for 
the cabotage. 
4.145.  Third, on different occasions in the WTO, Ja pan has expressed its concerns or interests 
regarding some issues such as Buy American measures, the examination requirement for maritime 
containers, and implementation of the Food Security Modernization Act. Although we will not go into detail today, Japan reiterates its concerns and will continue to closely follow up on these 
issues. 
4.146.  To conclude, we would like to reiterate the important role of the U.S. in world trade. It is a 
historical fact that the U.S. has shown strong le adership and made strenuous efforts to establish 
and expand the multilateral trading system. With out the U.S. leadership, neither the GATT nor the 
WTO would have been possible. Now that the multilat eral trading system has grown to be global in 
a real sense of the word with the participation of many developing countries, including the LDCs, decisions cannot be made by the leadership of only one country. However, the U.S. engagement 
and contribution remain indispensable to making the MTS strong and sound and to the conclusion 
of the DDA.  
4.147.  Japan looks forward to further cooperating wi th the U.S., along with other Members, to 
maintain and strengthen the MTS under the WTO. 
THE
 SEPARATE  CUSTOMS  TERRITORY  OF TAIWAN,  PENGHU,  KINMEN  AND  MATSU 
4.148.  Given the U.S. continuing leading role in world trade and the global economy, it is very 
good, and we welcome that the U.S. economy ha s largely recovered from the recent global 
recession, and is projected to expand at a health y rate over the next few years. It is very 
encouraging that the U.S. remains committed to pursuing an ambitious trade and investment 
strategy, which promotes further liberalization on both a global and a regional basis and is aimed 
at strengthening the multilateral trading system. 
4.149.  One important example is the substantive progress made by the U.S. in the Trans-Pacific 
Partnership (TPP) negotiations. The TPP has been identified by APEC as a major pathway to an 
Asia-Pacific Free Trade Area (FTAAP) which aims to create an open, low-cost and predictable 
business environment, and a more efficient supply chain. The Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu continues to make efforts towards further liberalization and regulatory reform, and stand ready to join relevant regional arrangements, including the TPP. 
4.150.  On the multilateral front, we welcome the U.S. reaffirmation of its firm commitment to the 
multilateral trading system. We have been workin g closely with the U.S. and other Members in the 
area of Trade facilitation. We also share with the U.S. to promote the further liberalization of trade 
in services, information technology and environmental goods. 
4.151.  Turning specifically to the subject of trade po licies and practices, we have submitted to the 
U.S. a number of questions on various issues in adva nce. One particular concern of ours is the fact 
that in recent years the U.S. has been an exceptionally active user of anti-dumping and 
countervailing measures. From 2010, for example, there has been an 18% increase in the number 
of measures adopted by the U.S. At the end of  2013, the U.S. had a total of 237 anti-dumping 
measures in force, many of which had been active for more than 10 years. It is also noted that in 
2013-2014, nearly 90% of U.S. anti-dumping measur es, after sunset reviews, were still continued. 
4.152.  Given the closely connected supply chains among Members, frequent recourse to these 
measures can only benefit narrow domestic interests, and they neither help to improve the 
competitiveness of related industries nor generate comprehensive economic benefits. In particular, 
such measures are often trade prohibitive for small and medium businesses (SMEs), since SMEs usually cannot afford the high legal fees to respond properly to the complex investigations and so 
are penalized by unreasonably high anti-dumping duty. 
4.153.  We hope that the U.S. will guard against the abusive recourse to trade remedies, work on 
more credible rules on sunset reviews, make determinations based on public interest, and consider adopting a consultative process for resolving the relevant issues. Such steps would improve free WT/TPR/M/307 • United States 
 
- 29 - 
 
  and fair trade, in line with the spirit and prin ciple of the WTO Agreement, for the benefit of all 
business operators, the welfare of consumers, and the healthy development of global supply 
chains. 
4.154.  On another issue, the implementation of trade facilitation, the recent severe congestion of 
cargo handling in harbours on the West Coast of the U.S. presents a substantial extra cost burden 
and uncertainty for exporters and importers across the region. We urge the U.S. to step up efforts to bring the situation to an end and to restore normal operations as soon as possible. 
4.155.  The Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu has for long had a 
very fruitful trading partnership with the U.S. in many areas of bilateral trade, such as innovation, 
technology, agriculture, investment and services. The U.S. is our third largest trading partner and our largest source of FDI. We are the U.S.'s 12th largest trading partner overall. We remain the 
second largest consumer market for U.S. agricultural products on a per capita basis. We look 
forward to strengthening this economic cooperation with the U.S. even further, in a bilateral, regional and multilateral context continuously in the future. We hope that the U.S. would continue 
to play a leadership role in the multilateral trading system. 
CHILE 4.156.  The year 2012 marked the completion of 200 years of uninterrupted bilateral relations 
between Chile and the United States. 
4.157.  During these two centuries our two countries have worked together in a wide range 
of areas, at both bilateral and multilateral levels. 
4.158.  Our relations have been maintained in a climate of cooperation, on the basis of shared 
political, economic and cultural values. 
4.159.  The direct dialogue between our nations enables opinions and points of view to be 
expressed frankly, with each party upholding its national interests and its mode of international 
integration. 
4.160.  Globalization is bringing new challenges, both for large and for medium-sized and small 
economies. We all need agreements to facilitate synergies, cooperation, productive interlinkages, 
value addition, and complementarity. 
4.161.  In this respect, Chile and the United States have made a qualitative leap forward in our 
economic and trade relations since the beginning of the present century. 
4.162.  On 6 June 2003, after a complex negotiating process, given the asymmetries between the 
two economies, the will of both parties found fr uitful expression in a Free Trade Agreement that 
covers a wide range of aspects of our economic relationship, such as trade in goods, government procurement, investment, services, intellectual property and matters relevant to the new 
economy, such as e-commerce and environmental and labour issues. 
4.163.  Since its entry into force, bilateral trade has quadrupled. Chilean exports to the 
United States have tripled, and imports from the United States have increased by a factor of six. 
However, our trade balance and the structure of ou r trade need to progress towards a reasonable 
equilibrium. 
4.164.  In a few days' time, on 1 January 2015, one of the Treaty's fundamental goals will be 
achieved: 100% of the trade between Chile and the United States will be completely liberalized. 
4.165.  This will constitute a challenge for the competitiveness of our exporters and for the 
systemic behaviour of our economy. Total liberalization will make it possible to gradually bring the trade balance into equilibrium. 
4.166.  In this connection, it is appropriate to mention the strong growth of Chilean non-mining 
and non-cellulose exports to the United States, which have been increasing at an annual rate of WT/TPR/M/307 • United States 
 
- 30 - 
 
  12%. Given our partner's economic recovery and the aforementioned total liberalization, there is 
reason to expect an even higher rate of expansion of Chilean shipments. 
4.167.  The United States is our second largest global trading partner. However, the effects of the 
FTA are also being reflected in reciprocal investment. The United States is our leading investor, but 
also the fifth most important destination for Chilean investment abroad. 
4.168.  The bilateral economic and trade relationsh ip between Chile and the United States 
is currently centred not only on the FTA but also on the ongoing negotiation of the Trans-Pacific 
Partnership (TPP) agreement, where Chile is seeking to maintain its position as a strategic partner. 
4.169.  This process began with a pioneering agreement initiated by Chile, New Zealand, 
Singapore and Brunei in 2005; the United States joined the negotiations in 2010 and has been playing a significant role, making various important and highly ambitious proposals. 
4.170.  Likewise, Chile supported the participation of the United States as an observer in the 
Pacific Alliance, which came about in June last year. Two areas of work for the United States have been identified: the Global Entry and Trusted Tr aveller programmes on the movement of persons 
and Trade Facilitation. 
4.171.  There are other aspects of our relationship that we could mention, such as the Double 
Taxation Agreement awaiting completion of its passage through our two parliaments. 
4.172.  On 31 March of this year, Chile was officially admitted to the Visa Waiver Programme, 
which will free up the movement of persons, especially tourists, students, businessmen and academics. 
4.173.  As regards the report presented, we note with great interest the recovery in the 
United States' economy during the review period. There can be no doubt that international trade 
has played a predominant role in this improvement. 
4.174.  It is noteworthy that the external sector is growing steadily, as is clear from the degree 
of openness, which amounted to 31% in 2013 although in the middle years of the last decade 
it never exceeded 23%. 
4.175.  The series of trade facilitation initiatives that the United States is taking will do much to 
support our export sector, and at the same time will be useful to us in assessing the 
implementation of the TFA in Chile. 
4.176.  The steps taken by the United States Government to establish a framework for combating 
unreported and unregulated illegal fishing, by establishing panels and related policies or strategies, 
are also significant. 
4.177.  As regards the introduction of the new Farm Bill, enacted on 7 February 2014, we hope 
that in the future we will have at our disposal the material necessary to carry out a follow-up and 
assess the impact of these regulations. 
4.178.  Within this Organization, we share with the United States a common vision of the 
liberalization of international trade within a multilateral framework and the search for ways and 
means of reaching understandings to that end. 
4.179.  Thus, we hope that the United States will continue to play a committed and energetic 
leadership role within the Friends of Fish group, to eliminate harmful fisheries subsidies within the negotiations on rules. 
4.180.  At the same time, within the context of the WTO, we share the interest in services and the 
desire to progress towards a services agreement that would help to liberalize them at multilateral level. 
4.181.  Finally, on the basis of the hopes expressed this morning by Ambassador Punke, we note 
the intention of the United States to continue playing a constructive role in the completion of the WT/TPR/M/307 • United States 
 
- 31 - 
 
  work programme, with a view to making the next Ministerial Conference in Nairobi the success we 
all desire and thus progressing towards the eagerly awaited conclusion of the Doha Round. 
CUBA 4.182.  We have read the answers to our questions offered by the United States. Regrettably, 
we find that its Government lacks the political will to lift the blockade against Cuba and 
deliberately intends to continue intensifying it, despite its having been overwhelmingly rejected by the international community. This all goes to confirm the validity and relevance of this statement. 
4.183.  The United States is constantly violating the principles, objectives and rules of the 
multilateral trading system endorsed by the Marrake sh Agreement, by persisting in its discredited 
policy of imposing an economic, commercial and financial blockade of Cuba whose complex network of policies and measures is intended to suffocate the Cuban economy and impede the 
economic and social development of a small developing country, thereby making it difficult to raise 
the standard of living of the Cuban population. 
4.184.  Allow me to offer a necessary clarification wi th respect to one of the answers provided 
by the United States. The actions taken by its Government against my country are not a bilateral 
matter, nor do they fall within the definition of "embargo", that is, the judicial process of detaining goods to ensure the fulfilment of an obligation lawfully incurred. It can also mean an asset-related 
precautionary measure authorized by a judge, court or competent authority, for the same purpose 
of compelling a debtor to fulfil the commitments made to his creditors. Clearly, Cuba is in no way a debtor of the United States. Cuba is not and has never been a threat to the security of the 
United States, so that the claim to be applying measures of legitimate defence is contrary to 
international law. 
4.185.  In reality, the United States uses the term "embargo" to avoid acknowledging that it is 
applying wartime measures to Cuba, in an undeclared war, with the application of actions, 
measures and laws intended to "isolate, suffocate and paralyze" and which they describe as 
a "blockade", which means to cut off, shut off or isolate from the outside world in order to achieve the surrender of a country by force or starvation, in  violation, moreover, of recognized principles of 
international law, such as the sovereignty of States and the right of peoples to free determination. 
4.186.  Owing to the policy of blockade, Cuba remains unable freely to export or import products 
and services to or from the United States; it is unable to use the US dollar in its international financial transactions or hold accounts in that currency in third-country banks. Nor is it allowed 
access to loans from banks in the United States, from their subsidiaries in third countries or from 
international financial institutions such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) or the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). Moreover, any vessel that calls at a Cuban port 
may not enter a United States port until after 180 days. 
4.187.  The economic harm done to the Cuban people by the application of the blockade, based on 
very conservative estimates and considering the depreciation of the dollar relative to the value 
of gold on the international market, is calculat ed at 1 billion 112,534 million US dollars, despite 
the fall in the price of gold. 
4.188.  The discriminatory measures being applied by th e United States and their extraterritorial 
impact have no basis whatsoever in WTO provisions. No argument can justify the application 
of such measures, whose immediate impact is to impair the acquired rights of third-party Members 
of the WTO, simply for maintaining trade relations with Cuba. 
4.189.  To illustrate this assertion, between 2010 and the present some 130 actions 
of an extraterritorial nature adversely affecting Cuba's economic ties with third-country entities 
have been recorded. Of these, 81 were in the financial sphere. The fines imposed by the United States on foreign and North American fina ncial institutions between 2004 and the present, 
for maintaining ties with Cuba and other countries , totals 11.5 billion US dollars. The mega-fine 
of 8.97 billion US dollars imposed by the United States on the major French bank BNP Paribas is 
no isolated incident, but forms part of the intensified financial harassment of Cuba that that has already hurt numerous financial institutions throughout the world. WT/TPR/M/307 • United States 
 
- 32 - 
 
  4.190.  The stale argument about protecting national security has been discredited year after year 
in the United Nations General Assembly. How can a small and vulnerable economy, defender of the noblest principles and objectives such as peace, solidarity and international cooperation for development, constitute the slightest threat to the military power of the day? 
4.191.  As stated by Cuba's Minister for Foreign Affa irs on 28 October last before the UN General 
Assembly, and I quote: "Despite the longstanding tensions and the attempts by violent extremists and terrorist groups to provoke it, there has been  no war and neither have young Americans died 
in Cuba. Although falsely accused, Cuba has never been a threat to the national security of the 
United States. There is no hostility between our peoples", end quote. 
4.192.  Cuba must again denounce the policy of economic, commercial and financial blockade 
which for more than half a century has been applied, in an unfair and discriminatory fashion, to 
an original Member of the GATT and the WTO. The blockade of Cuba must cease. It is the most 
unjust, severe and prolonged system of sanctions that has ever been applied against any country 
and violates international law, the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter and the 
rules of free trade. The United States must, without further delay, heed the demand of the 
international community which, in the United Nations General Assembly, has roundly rejected this policy and called for its abolition 
ARGENTINA 
4.193.  We are grateful for the reports prepared by the United States and by the Secretariat, 
which have enabled us to update our knowledge of the trade policies and practices of this important Member, as well as for the United States' answers to our questions in writing, which will 
be carefully examined by my authorities. We also wish to congratulate Ambassador John Adank for 
the important contributions and reflections contained in his statement as discussant, which will provide us with a valuable stimulus in carrying out our work. 
4.194.  The United States is one of our main trading partners and the largest foreign investor 
in Argentina. As such, and given its importance for the global economy, we welcome the fact that the country is recovering from the recession it has undergone, having achieved positive rates 
of growth during the last three years, a trend wh ich, according to the reports under consideration, 
is expected to continue in the years to come. 
4.195.  In the last decade, the United States benefited substantially from Argentina's growth. 
An analysis of the last ten years of bilateral trade reveals that whereas Argentine exports to the 
United States increased by somewhat less than 50%, our imports from the United States increased 
by 260%. This imbalance means that, in the last five years alone, the United States will have accumulated a bilateral surplus of more than 15 billion US dollars. In fact, the annual rate 
of growth of 17% in its exports to Argentina was twice that achieved in its sales to the rest of the 
world. What is more, 87% of the verified increase in bilateral trade between 2003 and 2013 can be attributed to the increase in Argentine purchases from the United States. 
4.196.  Unlike Argentina, whose average import tariff is only 11.8% and which, as a member 
country of Mercosur, has adopted 35% as the maxi mum common external tariff, the United States 
continues to apply prohibitive tariff peaks to primary products directly related with the development of regional economies of great import ance for our country, as in the case of tobacco, 
peanuts, cheese and sugar, imports of which are subject to tariffs of 350%, 132%, 50% and 49%, 
respectively. These products, together with others such as dairy products and cotton, are also adversely affected by the United States' applic ation of a total of 44 tariff quotas covering 
171 tariff lines. 
4.197.  In addition, the complex network of sanitary and phytosanitary measures and the high and 
non-transparent standards of application that im pede the access of Argentine products to the 
United States market, many of which deviate from the relevant international norms and appear 
not to be based on scientific supporting arguments, are subjecting the exporting country to excessive and unjustified delays, with years and sometimes decades being needed to obtain a permit to enter the market, as happened to us in the case of Argentine meat and lemons from 
north-west Argentina. WT/TPR/M/307 • United States 
 
- 33 - 
 
  4.198.  To repeat what we said during the 2012 Review: where sanitary and phytosanitary 
measures are concerned, the rules must be applie d only with the proper scientific and technical 
justification and in conformity with the provisions of the WTO Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures, and turned into a means of introducing protectionist 
practices. Otherwise, the generation of judicial proceedings and disputes to secure market access, 
which necessarily requires proof on a case-by-case basis, will be very wearing, particularly for developing countries, while weakening the multilateral trading system as a whole. 
4.199.  However, we note the support of the United States for technological innovation, 
particularly in biotechnology, and the elimination of trade barriers, which is essential to ensure increased agricultural production and productivity in the face of the increasing demand for food. 
4.200.  At the same time, the arsenal of trade-distorting measures that the United States employs 
to support its agricultural sector is a cause for great concern. Prominent among these is the old 
question of subsidies, as a central component of the Doha Round for the liberalization of agricultural trade. This question is still unsettl ed after more than six decades of existence of the 
multilateral trading system and thus constitutes a serious threat in the light of the abrupt fall 
in international prices. We recall the refusal by the United States at the 9
th Ministerial Conference 
in Bali to eliminate all forms of export subsidies with, at least, a substantial reduction 
in agricultural subsidies and binding results in the area of export competition. 
4.201.  The new Farm Bill sets out a path clearly contrary to the Round's agricultural mandate. 
Nevertheless, we are pleased to see that the United States says in its report that it is "firmly committed" to the WTO and to the implementation of "all Bali decisions", as agreed 
in December 2013, a stance of crucial importance for development. 
4.202.  It is to be hoped that an early agreement in the agricultural multilateral negotiations will 
lead to a substantial improvement in market access for this sector, to the elimination of all forms 
of export subsidies and to substantial reduct ions in trade-distorting domestic support, 
in conformity with the successive commitments undertaken within the framework of the Doha Round negotiations. 
4.203.  We hope that, as agreed at the 9
th Ministerial Conference and in the Decision 
of 27 November 2014, the United States will priori tize the areas in which it has not been possible 
to achieve binding commitments, namely, the elimination of all forms of export subsidies, in conformity with Section III of the Draft Modali ties for Agriculture of 2008. This includes the 
amendment of the Agreement on Agriculture to inco rporate the additional and specific disciplines 
concerning governmental support for export financing and international food aid. Together with the fulfilment of the negotiating mandate regarding domestic support for cotton, this should be given 
special priority over the other issues that make up the negotiations on agriculture. 
4.204.  However, the subsidies that need to be addr essed are not exclusively agricultural; there 
are also subsidies for fishing. As a member of "Friends of Fish" the United States has made a 
positive contribution to making this question a significant topic of the Doha Round. In view of this 
genuine act of recognition, we are surprised that the United States is considering granting subsidies to increase fishing capacity, contrary to the "standstill" that it signed up to in Bali in the Friends of Fish Declaration. 
4.205.  As the issue of fisheries subsidies is of special relevance for trade and the environment and 
for food security, this aspect of the Doha Round mandate should also be given special priority and should not be part of the rules negotiations concerned only with trade issues. The question 
of fisheries subsidies is much more important from the environmental perspective than the 
environmental goods negotiations. 
4.206.  We have high expectations with regard to the position that the United States will adopt 
in the negotiation of the post-Bali work programme. We hope that the United States will not betray 
the trust that the Members of the WTO have placed  in it in approving, as an "early harvest", 
the Protocol of Amendment of the Trade Facilitation Agreement and that it will implement, fully and without additional conditions, the mandates of the Round concerning agricultural subsidies and 
fisheries subsidies. WT/TPR/M/307 • United States 
 
- 34 - 
 
  4.207.  To conclude, while again expressing our apprecia tion of this fresh opportunity to exchange 
information and reflections on the trade policies and practices of the United States, may we again draw attention to the importance of this exercise in transparency, in all its aspects, and wish the 
United States authorities a successful conclusion to this their 12
th Trade Policy Review. 
TURKEY 
4.208.  The United States is the world's largest single economy, biggest importer, second biggest 
exporter and one of the most leading manufactu rers. Therefore, each and every development 
related to the U.S. economy and any trade measure taken by the U.S. is a source of attention for 
the rest of the world. In this sense, the U.S. is under surveillance much more than any other country in the WTO and also has a very important responsibility concerning smooth functioning of the multilateral trading system. We witnessed th e leadership of the United States during the 
recent crisis within the WTO. Its agreement with India concerning stockholding for food security 
purposes have opened the way to overcome the difficulties before the TFA and its agreement with China resulted by resuming the ITA expansion negotiations. Unfortunately the conclusion of this 
very important agreement is delayed for some time. 
4.209.  Turkey welcomes the fact that the U.S. economy has largely recovered from recession and 
has eradicated most of the negative outcomes of the global crisis. This is very important for all 
countries and I wish the same rapid recovery for the EU, our first trading partner. I would like to 
note that while the U.S. policy-mix has played a leading role to combat the economic crisis by taking immediately courageous decisions and applied right measures without delay, the shale gas revolution has certainly helped the economic recovery. As rightly indicated in the Secretariat 
report, "the recent shale oil and gas development and low energy prices have [….] contributed to 
lowering production costs in the manufacturing sector" and this has brought the U.S. current account deficit to a four-year low level. The increased oil and gas production also pushed up the 
share of energy products in the U.S. exports fr om 6.7% in 2010 to 9.4% in 2013, while the U.S. 
exports grew to an all-time high level. 
4.210.  The U.S. continues to be one of the most liberal countries in terms of both its trade and 
investment regimes. It has a simple, stable an d transparent trade regime with a low average 
overall tariff rates.  
4.211.  We also appreciate the continued commitment of the U.S. to help LDCs and developing 
countries in their efforts to be further integrated into global value chains and we believe that 
autonomous preferences accorded by the U.S. to those countries have very positive outcomes for 
this purpose.   
4.212.  Having said that, I also deem necessary to point out some issues which have actual and 
potential impacts not only on the trade of the U.S. but also on the entire world trade system. 
4.213.  First, the recent rapid increase in anti-dumping and countervailing duty investigations by 
the U.S., raise some concerns among the WTO Members. I would also like to note that 
approximately 90% of reviews on anti-dumping and countervailing measures resulted in the 
continuation of the remedies in question in 2013-2014. We believe that this recent increase of trade remedy investigations, as well as high level of continuation of the measures in place, need special attention and explanation. 
4.214.  Second, I would like to express our concern with  regard to the duration of SPS inspections 
of APHIS. While we fully understand and support ef forts to ensure food products safety, measures 
to this effect should be carried out in a quick and timely manner. In this perspective, I would like 
to express our expectation of more efforts from th e US to facilitate and shorten APHIS inspections. 
4.215.  Third, I would like to note that the U.S. made a considerable change in its agricultural 
subsidies system as a result of the Farm Bill wh ich was enacted in February 2014. We welcome the 
elimination of the market price support and export subsidies for dairy products, as well as the 
direct payments for crop production by the new Farm Bill. However, we are concerned that the shift from decoupled direct payments to deficiency-payments linked to current prices may create more production and trade distortions. WT/TPR/M/307 • United States 
 
- 35 - 
 
  4.216.  The U.S. is an important trade partner for Turkey. Our bilateral trade volume, mostly in 
favour of the U.S. amounted more than US$18 billion in 2013, constitutes nearly 4.5 % of our total foreign trade. On the other hand, the sum of the U.S. originating FDIs in Turkey in the last 
ten years exceeded US$9 billion. 
4.217.  Our bilateral economic and commercial relations are getting extended to new areas thanks 
to friendly relations between two countries and to the strong ties between business circles of the two countries in particular. However, we believe that there is still room and potential to further 
improve our economic and commercial relations.  
4.218.  Finally, I would like to underline that Turkey, which has a customs union with the European 
Union, is closely following the TTIP negotiations between the U.S. and the EU and looks forward to 
intensify its cooperation with both parties in order to correctly address the special situation of the 
Customs Union within the TTIP. 
MEXICO 4.219.  During its last trade policy review in 2012 we acknowledged the efforts which, since 2009, 
the United States Government had been making to stabilize its financial market and stimulate 
economic growth. We can now say that those efforts have borne fruit. 
4.220.  GDP has grown steadily during the last three years, driven by the increase in private 
consumption, private domestic investment and ex ports. In 2014, these stood at unprecedented 
levels. The macroeconomic policies implemented have doubtless boosted the growth of the United States economy. Fiscal policy and non-co nventional instruments, such as quantitative 
easing, continue to be used to stimulate economic activity in order to reduce unemployment. 
However, further action is required since the unemployment rate still exceeds pre-crisis levels 
(5.8% in November 2014). 
4.221.  We have no doubt that the United States economy will continue along the path of growth 
and achieve a rate of increase in GDP which, during the period 2013-2017, could range between 
2.6% and 3.3%. However, the question arises as to whether, with inflation at below 2%, a shrinking fiscal deficit and a substantial reduction in the deficit on current account, it might not 
be appropriate to expand public expenditure furthe r in order to achieve a higher rate of economic 
growth and a lower level of unemployment. 
4.222.  Given the major contribution made by exports to my country's economic growth, it is 
of fundamental importance for Mexico that our main trading partner, the United States, should 
maintain a healthy economy and steady growth. A high degree of commercial integration between 
the United States and Mexican economies has existed since the two countries became independent. The majority of our exports have been destined for the United States market, 
although our foreign sales have become increasingly diversified. Mexico continues to be the third 
largest export market for United States goods, after Canada and the EU, and its fourth largest supplier, after China, the EU and Canada. Where commercial services are concerned, we are also 
its fourth largest export market and its seventh- ranking supplier. Likewise, 45.8% of the foreign 
investment received by Mexico between 2000 and 2014 came from the United States. 
4.223.  With the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the United States and Mexico 
liberalized all their trade and it has proved a far-reaching and highly successful integration 
agreement. However, there are areas that can be negotiated only in the WTO, such as domestic 
support for agriculture. Although we recognize that the agricultural policy of the United States has 
changed since the Uruguay Round negotiations, and that it has even made savings in government 
expenditure due to the high prices of the basic products, we still have concerns about various 
provisions of the Farm Bill, albeit without failing to acknowledge positive aspects such as the elimination of export subsidies for dairy products. 
4.224.  However, the prices of agricultural products have recently begun to drop, in some cases 
very precipitously. For example, the prices of ma ize and cotton have fallen by more than 10% and 
20%, respectively, in the last six months, which is leading to a compensatory increase in disbursements under the Farm Bill. The subsidies for production in the United States are having 
a negative effect on the Mexican producers of these products. This demonstrates the urgency WT/TPR/M/307 • United States 
 
- 36 - 
 
  of a successful conclusion to the negotiations on agriculture. We welcome the declaration by 
Ambassador Punke that the United States will be pushing actively for the conclusion of the Round. 
4.225.  In relation to the measures applied to facilitate trade, and considering that the Trade 
Facilitation Agreement encourages the establishment and operation of a single window, we are 
pleased with the progress made by the United States in this area. We are encouraged at the 
prospect of the establishment of the Automate d Commercial Environment being completed by the 
end of 2016, as envisaged by the United States authorities, since when fully operational it will 
undoubtedly provide a boost for international trade. 
4.226.  Also noteworthy are the efforts to modify  the health services market. However, 
the limitations on the portability of medical insurance are still being maintained within the framework of the GATS.
1 Eliminating these restrictions would expand the opportunities for 
cross-border trade in health services, which would undoubtedly help to improve the conditions 
of access and reduce the costs related with medical services for the people of the United States. Mexico offers excellent medical and dental services. 
4.227.  We consider it important for the United States to begin making efforts to liberalize those 
services that are still subject to major restrictions on international competition, such as broadcasting and air services. 
4.228.  Finally, we are grateful to the United States for its replies to my delegation's questions and 
at the same time would like to wish the officials who came from Washington the best of success with the present Review and a good journey home. 
PERU 
4.229.  Overcoming the effects of the global economic crisis that began in 2008 has been 
a challenge for the entire world and we therefore salute the efforts made by the Government of the United States, which have enabled the country to recover from the great recession 
of 2007-2009. The information in the Secretariat's report concerning the recovery in private 
consumption, the improvement in the labour market, the increase in personal disposable income and the rise in household wealth in the United States is good news for all. 
4.230.  In view of the global impact of the US econom y and the significance of its services sector, 
we welcome the reforms implemented by the Government to improve the supervision and 
regulation of the financial institutions. 
4.231.  Peru considers that the promotion and facilitation of trade are areas on which we should 
concentrate in order to ensure the continued re covery of the global economy, and in this 
connection we would single out the progressive esta blishment of a single window for foreign trade, 
the expansion of the simplified entry programmes and other facilitation measures adopted by the 
Government of the United States. 
4.232.  We also welcome the changes in the US agricultural legislation, inasmuch as they are 
helping to promote agricultural trade within the framework of the spirit and the rules of the 
multilateral trading system. 
4.233.  We should also mention the initiatives taken by the Government of the United States 
to improve compliance with trade laws and combat wildlife trafficking and fraudulent activities in the fisheries sector, while stressing that the scope of any trade measure should be consistent 
with the legal framework of the multilateral tradin g system and with the object and purpose that 
unite us in this Organization. 
4.234.  The relationship between Peru and the United States is based on a commonality 
of interests, which include the promotion of trade and investment, economic growth with social 
inclusion and a vast agenda that is being ex tended to the areas of education and science 
                                               
1 The Federal or State Governments only reimburse establishments that have obtained a licence or 
certificate in the United States. WT/TPR/M/307 • United States 
 
- 37 - 
 
  and technology, with a view to strengthening the foundations for a strategic partnership for the 
21st century, as defined by the Presidents of the tw o countries at a bilateral meeting in June 2013. 
4.235.  After five years of implementation of the Trade Promotion Agreement concluded between 
Peru and the United States we can report that this legal and commercial framework has brought 
major benefits for both countries and forms an important basis for our work on strengthening and 
expanding our economic and commercial ties. Since the signing of the Trade Promotion 
Agreement, trade has steadily increased, to reach almost US$16 billion in 2013. 
4.236.  However, we need to work even harder to continue promoting access to the United States 
market for Peruvian products. The willing cooperation of the United States will be crucial if this objective is to be achieved. 
4.237.  I would like to take this opportunity to reiterate my country's gratitude to the 
United States for joining the consensus on inviting Peru to participate in the Country Programme 
of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in May 2014. I am pleased to say that after a period of intensive work, on 8 December Peru and the OECD 
signed the agreements formalizing the commitments under the Country Programme, which is 
aimed at promoting accession to OECD instruments and advancing Peru's agenda for reform in various areas of public policy, such as sustainabl e economic growth with social inclusion, a more 
competitive and diversified economy, more efficient public institutions and better environmental 
outcomes. 
4.238.  Peru appreciates the background and information provided by the United States within the 
context of this review and we wish it the utmost success with the outcome of this exercise. 
4.239.  I would also like to thank the United States delegation for the answers to my country's 
questions, which will be passed on to our compet ent authorities for assessment and follow-up, 
as well as for giving due consideration to our written comments. 
CANADA 
4.240.  Let me begin by applauding the United States' continued support for a strong global trade 
regime, as evidenced through its sustained engageme nt here at the WTO, as well as through other 
plurilateral, regional and bilateral trade initiatives. Notably, we welcome the U.S.' recent leadership 
in helping WTO Members overcome the impasse related to the Agreement on Trade Facilitation, and we look forward to working with the U.S. to conclude negotiations on the Information 
Technology Agreement and the Environmental Goods Agreement. 
4.241.  Canada and the United States share one of the most comprehensive commercial trading 
relationships in the world, which is reinforced through the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). We are each other's largest customers on a single nation basis. Each day, approximately 
US$2 billion of goods and services cross our sh ared border, and in 2013, Canada and the U.S. 
traded approximately US$735 billion in goods and services. Investment from Canada also plays a key role in supporting U.S. employment, R&D, and exports. In 2013, the stock of Canadian FDI in 
the United States reached nearly US$238 billion, making Canada the fourth largest investor in the 
U.S. These strong investment linkages reflect that our economies are bound together by a variety of cross-border processes that include R&D, inno vation, product design, manufacturing processes, 
distribution channels, financing, marketing, and after-sales support.  
4.242.  As a result of the deeply integrated nature of  Canada's trade relationship with the U.S., it 
is not surprising that certain legislative and policy actions affect trade between our countries. I would like to highlight three areas that undermine the efficiency and competitiveness of businesses 
on both sides of the border and that are of part icular concern to Canada: U.S Country of Origin 
Labelling, Buy America, and intellectual property rights.  
4.243.  First, with respect to U.S. Country of Origin Labelling legislation, Canada fully expects the 
United States to live up to its international trade obligations. Multiple WTO rulings have confirmed 
Canada's long-standing view that the U.S. COOL me asure is protectionist and prevents both of our 
countries from enjoying the benefits of freer and more open trade in the livestock sector. We are WT/TPR/M/307 • United States 
 
- 38 - 
 
  therefore disappointed that the United States has decided to appeal again the latest ruling, which 
will only further delay the inevitable resolution of this dispute. 
4.244.  Second, existing and proposed expansion of Buy America policies continues to be a 
significant issue for Canada. United States Buy America restrictions on transportation 
infrastructure have been around for some time. Furthermore, Buy America protectionism has 
expanded this year to include the water sector. In addition to the substantial market access barriers attributable to these existing Buy America restrictions, Canada is deeply concerned with 
the recent and numerous attempts to expand these trade restrictive policies at the federal and 
State levels. Such measures violate the spirit of open, fair trade and create unnecessary barriers impeding legitimate trade. Moreover, these types of forced localization policies run contrary to the United States Government's own attempts to limit such practices in other countries.  
4.245.  Third, in general, Canada and the U.S. work constructively in the area of intellectual 
property to address bilateral irritants. One area, however, where Canada has concerns pertains to the U.S. legal framework which intentionally limits the awarding of costs and attorney fees to 
prevailing parties in patent infringement cases. This has led to increases in the number of frivolous 
patent cases launched by patent assertion entities, or 'patent trolls', against legitimate business on the basis of weak patents, with the purpose of extracting settlements or licensing agreements. 
While some countries, including Canada, dis-incentivize low-chance or unreasonable lawsuits by 
patent trolls by allowing a successful defendant to recover legal costs resulting from litigation in a practice known as 'fee-shifting', U.S. legislation allows this legal fee shifting only in exceptional cases. While recent Supreme Court decisions have allowed more discretion to award costs and 
attorney fees to prevailing parties, such discretio n is still limited to exceptional cases. This issue 
affects Canadian businesses, primarily small and medium enterprises, whose ability to establish a presence in the U.S. market is put at risk by the threat of frivolous lawsuits. Canada considers that 
this situation would be improved by making the aw arding of costs and attorney fees to prevailing 
parties the norm in all patent cases which would ultimately deter such patent trolling practices. 
4.246.  Notwithstanding these concerns, Canada commends the United States for its engagement 
in expanding regulatory cooperation between our two countries, and for its efforts in the ongoing 
work to improve the Canada-U.S. trade relationship. Along with ten other countries, Canada and the U.S. are deepening their trade relations and commercial opportunities through the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) free trade negoti ations currently underway. Efforts are also 
underway through the Regulatory Cooperation Council Joint Action Plan between Canada and the 
U.S. announced on 4 February 2011, which aims to  increase regulatory cooperation in 29 areas 
including agriculture and food, transportation, health and personal care products, workplace 
chemicals, the environment and nanotechnology. In conjunction with the U.S., Canada announced 
the Joint Forward Plan on 20 August 2014 to further deepen and broaden the Canada-U.S. 
regulatory cooperation partnership moving fo rward. Additionally, in celebrating the 20th 
Anniversary of the NAFTA, Canada, the United States and Mexico have pledged to renew efforts to 
enhance trade and deepen our economic relationship. 
4.247.  While these instances of cooperation are encouraging, we must nevertheless remain 
vigilant against protectionist pressures that period i c a l l y  a r i s e .  W e  u r g e  t h e  U . S .  t o  c o n t i n u e  t o  
examine how it can ensure that it remains open to global trade. With this said, the extensive trade 
relationship that the U.S. has built with Canada ce rtainly reaffirms that the U.S. is Canada's most 
important international market. The reports being considered today continue to confirm the U.S.' 
role as an economic powerhouse on a global scale, and demonstrate that the United States 
remains engaged in promoting opportunities for enhanced trade and investment to support growth.  
4.248.  Canada has submitted written questions and awaits with great interest the responses 
provided by the United States. We look forward to a fruitful discussion covering all aspects of the United States' trade policy. 
BRAZIL 
4.249.  I am pleased to note the assessment by the Secretariat's report that the United States 
economy is back on a steady and strong growth  path, having largely recovered from the worst 
effects of the global crisis and the recession of  2007-2009. This is of great systemic importance WT/TPR/M/307 • United States 
 
- 39 - 
 
  given the very size of the U.S. economy and its share in trade in goods and services worldwide, as 
well as in global investment flows. 
4.250.  As the discussant reminded us, U.S. monetary policy, and that of other major economies, 
is another issue with global systemic implications. The unconventional monetary measures 
adopted since 2009, and which are now being unwound  by the FED, are particularly relevant in 
this context. There is a clear correlation be tween those policies and U.S. exchange rate 
movements.  
4.251.  Emerging market economies with flexible ex change rates, Brazil prominently among them, 
were strongly affected by surges in global liquidity produced by such policies.   
4.252.  Now, with the reversal of those expansionary measures, impacts – including adverse ones 
– tend to be in the opposite direction. Concerted multilateral solutions for the currency issue 
should deliver better results in terms of economic stability and trade than uncoordinated policy 
responses. Brazil will continue to work with th e U.S. and other Members both here in the WTO and 
in other relevant fora to find ways to better de al with this issue and its unwanted side effects. 
4.253.  U.S. current account deficit has been narrowing steadily, and reached a four-year low in 
2013. This development can be attributed to a range of factors, including increases in competitiveness, a significant reduction of the oi l-account on the wings of the shale boom, and a 
favourable exchange rate. Goods exports reached an  all-time high in 2013, while services exports 
remained buoyant. 
4.254.  The U.S. is Brazil's second largest trade pa rtner. Two-way trade in goods amounted to 
approximately US$60.6 billion in 2013. When services are factored in, trade with Brazil is 
responsible for one of the US's largest surpluses, if not, at over US$36 billion, the very largest. 
4.255.  Despite a low average tariff level, the U.S. has a considerable number of tariff peaks for 
goods exported by developing countries, such as  textiles, apparel and, especially, from the 
Brazilian perspective, agricultural products. The U.S. resorts to a relevant set of trade-restrictive 
and/or distorting measures in agriculture that affect Brazil – including TRQs for sugar, tariff peaks, significant domestic support entitlements, insurance schemes, export subsidies, and non-tariff 
barriers such as  SPS measures. Brazil believes that the US and world trade in agriculture – as well 
as our bilateral trade – could certainly benefit from further liberalizing efforts in all those areas.  
4.256.  As pointed out by the Secretariat's report, the enactment of the new Farm Bill is one of the 
most significant developments in the United States trade policy in the period under review. Brazil 
will continue to follow with special attention its impacts on Brazilian agricultural interests. 
4.257.  Last October, Brazil and the United States took a meaningful step in their bilateral trading 
relation, by signing a Memorandum of Understanding and putting an end to the Cotton Dispute. 
This will also benefit third parties, especially African and Latin American cotton-producing 
countries, through new parameters for export cred its and credit guarantees, as well as through 
capacity-building actions. 
4.258.  Brazil, also a founding Member of the GATT, appr eciates the role the U.S. has played in our 
collective endeavour in building and shaping the world trading system. We expect the U.S. to 
continue fully engaged in the Doha Development Agenda, particularly in the elaboration of a Post-Bali Work Programme with agriculture and development at its core.  
4.259.  I thank the U.S. delegation for the replies provided to our questions which cover a wide 
range of issues such as agriculture, TBT, antidu mping, subsidies, among others. These replies will 
be carefully read in Brasília. In conclusion, I wish the U.S. delegation a very successful Trade 
Policy Review. 
LAO
 PDR 
4.260.  Lao PDR associates itself with the statement delivered by Myanmar this morning on behalf 
of ASEAN. WT/TPR/M/307 • United States 
 
- 40 - 
 
  4.261.  Lao PDR considers the United States to be an important trading and investment partner 
with full potential cooperation yet to be realized . In 2013, the total trade in goods amounted to 
approximately US$57 million, of which imports to  Lao PDR accounted for US$24.7 million, while 
exports to the U.S. market amounted to US$32.4 million. 
4.262.  In the period from 2008 to 2013, 51 investment establishments from the U.S. were 
registered in the Lao PDR with to tal value of about US$73 million. 
4.263.  Currently, our bilateral trade relations are ta king place within the framework of the 2005 
Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA), under which the Un ited States extended "normal trade relations" 
status to products from Lao PDR.  
4.264.  We thank the U.S. for the response to the Lao PDR's question regarding DFQF 
implementation. We, however, remain to have concern regarding the manner of implementing 
DFQF Decision and would appreciate further clarification from the U.S. on this. In particular, does 
the U.S. intend, through its efforts to re-aut horize the GSP programme, to meet the best 
endeavour clause of the DFQF Bali Decision to provide DFQF market access for at least 97% of 
products originating from LDCs? Furthermore, avai lable studies show that with 3% of exclusion 
from the DFQF treatment, virtually all products of relevance for the LDCs can be excluded from such market access. Will the U.S. take into  consideration the products of economic and 
development interest for LDCs when re-introducing the GSP programme? And lastly, we 
understand that the U.S. considers its AGOA pr ogramme, which benefits some LDCs and non-LDC 
members, as part of its DFQF commitment implementation. Therefore, we would appreciate it if the U.S. could clarify how AGOA programme corresponds to its Bali commitments on DFQF which 
should benefit all LDCs. 
4.265.  On a multilateral track, Lao PDR would like to  acknowledge the efforts the U.S. is making 
towards successful conclusion of the DDA negoti ations. Lao PDR shares this goal and commitment 
to finding compromised solutions within the multilateral trading system for issues of concern to all 
WTO Members. We hope that the U.S. will continue to have active and leadership role in further negotiations aimed at reaching a balanced outcome of the DDA. 
EUROPEAN
 UNION 
4.266.  The United States is recovering very successfu lly from the severe recession caused by the 
financial crisis of 2008. The combination of a highly trained and motivated workforce, abundant and relatively cheap energy and natural resource s, and a strong culture of innovation have 
enabled the U.S. economy to continue to play its full role in our globalising world.  
4.267.  The United States is the EU's first partner in an economic relationship characterised by 
balance and mutual benefit over many decades. Our bilateral investment relationship is the 
deepest in the world, reflecting a strong degree of mutual trust in our respective democratic 
institutions and judicial systems. Together with other trading partners, the EU and U.S. have supported and promoted economic openness as a normative standard in international relations and 
in this Organisation. 
4.268.  The EU and the U.S. are currently engaged in a further iteration of this process, through 
the ongoing Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership talks. While this is a bilateral effort, I wish to emphasize that third countries will stand to benefit from a TTIP agreement once it is 
concluded. TTIP is also an opportunity to make progress in rule making and in addressing complex 
and so far untouched areas in trade agreements. The TTIP allows us to experiment new rules 
beyond the WTO acquis, which is unique. We hope this will over time profit this Organization too.  
4.269.  I also wish to convey the EU's appreciation for the constructive role played by the U.S. 
recently in putting the WTO back on the negotiation track. The EU trusts the U.S. will continue exerting its positive influence in this Organization and welcomes its renewed commitment to the 
multilateral trading system expressed in its report.  
4.270.  I would be amiss if I did not mention that America's impressive overall level of openness is 
qualified by a limited number of persistent trade or investment restrictions in some sectors and policy areas. In most cases, these restrictions have been in place for so long that they have faded WT/TPR/M/307 • United States 
 
- 41 - 
 
  in people's memories and become like immovable objects: you would like to get rid of them but 
nobody knows how to bring that about. The TPR process is an appropriate forum to consider the significant drag remaining restrictions can exert on productivity, growth, and on other sectors of the economy. This leads me to the questions the EU raised in advance of this meeting on the 
following subjects: 
• Public Procurement: our concerns on Buy America provisions are well known. 
• SPS: In the field of sanitary and phytosanitary measures, the EU remains concerned that 
U.S. procedures are costly, extremely time co nsuming and unpredictable. The problems we 
have been struggling with as regards BSE-rela ted import conditions are a clear example of 
that. In particular, the U.S. is still unable to recognize that all EU establishments follow the same rules which are enforced by the EU Commission. The EU is a single entity for trading 
purposes.  
• Shipping and air transport: these sectors remain closed to foreign activity for domestic 
traffic. The U.S. economy could reap signific ant benefits from measured liberalization. 
• The new Farm Bill: the EU notes that under the new Farm Bill some subsidies provided to 
the agricultural sector depend on the evolution of world prices. While we acknowledge that its implementation is still under way, we ar e already examining the relevant pieces of 
legislation with interest and are following de velopments to better understand how this Bill 
fits with the process of the reform of trade in agriculture to which we have all committed. 
• Custom procedures: the EU would like to reiterate its call for maintaining an adequate 
balance between security concerns and legitimate trade. 
• Regulatory cooperation: today's globalized economy inevitably calls for a significant increase 
in cooperation between national regulators. This is a trend that our Governments should support as pro-actively as possible; 
4.271.  I would like to conclude by saying that, by tr adition, the U.S. TPR takes place just before 
Christmas and is the last one of the year. This time, we made a real effort and limited the number of our questions to less than 50 questions. We trust th at the meeting will be useful to all of us here 
and will contribute to future policy deliberations in  Washington. I wish the U.S. a very fruitful TPR. 
NORWAY 4.272.  Let me start with a few remarks on the bilateral trade relationship between Norway and 
the United States. The U.S. is Norway's second largest export market after the European Union. 
Our trade deficit with the U.S. was US$1.3 billion.   
4.273.  Norway appreciates the fruitful dialogue that exists between Norway and the U.S. on trade 
policy issues. The annual Informal Commercial Exchange talks between the Norwegian Ministry of 
Trade, Industry and Fisheries and the U.S. Departme nt of Commerce is particularly useful. We also 
appreciate the dialogue meetings that take plac e between the EFTA States and the USTR on trade 
issues. We also highly appreciate the constructive U.S. efforts in the multilateral WTO 
negotiations, and we recognize that U.S. leadership has played an important role in solving the 
impasse on the Trade Facilitation Agreement and in the Information Technology Agreement. A 
strong U.S. presence helps secure the central position of multilateral negotiations in trade policy, which is important to Norway. We look forward to continued U.S. leadership in 2015 which will be 
an important year for the Multilateral Trading System. 
4.274.  Needless to say, the size of the U.S. econ omy is such that the trading relationship 
Members have with the United States is of great significance to each Member as well as to the 
world economy as a whole. We have therefore studied the reports with great interest, and we have 
submitted several written questions related to them. I would also like to take the opportunity to raise a few points of particular interest to us. 
4.275.  The Buy American Act of 1933 favours U.S. producers by requiring U.S. produced 
components to exceed 50% in all manufactured go ods in U.S. federal contracts. In recent years WT/TPR/M/307 • United States 
 
- 42 - 
 
  there has been an expansion of Buy American policies at the State level, with at least 64 Buy 
American bills introduced in 24 States over the past two years. It is therefore unclear to us how the U.S. Federal Government will ensure complia nce to its commitments to public procurement 
agreements if separate Buy American policies proliferate at the state level. 
4.276.  We acknowledge that the Jones Act is considered a key element to promote the U.S. 
maritime industry and the U.S. flag. Norway is also working to promote the Norwegian maritime 
industry and the Norwegian flag, but we have taken a different approach. I would like to underline 
that we remain committed to working with the U.S. to further develop our respective maritime 
industries and flags, and to promote e fficient maritime transport services.  
4.277.  In this context, we would limit ourselves to hear if there are any movement in one 
direction or the other. This is interesting as the topic is allegedly being discussed with the EU in 
the ongoing Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership negotiations. It is also interesting in 
light of the maritime strategy that I under stand MARAD will be launching shortly.   
4.278.  With increasing shale gas production, the U.S. is on track to become a significant exporter 
of LNG. We are aware of voices in the U.S. Cong ress for new bills that would provide preference to 
LNG exports on U.S. flagged vessels. We are quite concerned about this approach to international maritime transport, and underline the need for any such policy to be in line with U.S. 
commitments in the WTO - in particular the standstill commitment contained in Decision on 
Maritime Transport Services adopted by the Council for Trade in Services in 1996 (S/L/24). 
4.279.  A word on the classing of public vessels. We are pleased to note that the Arctic 
Preparedness Act, which was introduced recently in the U.S. Senate, allows for competition in the 
classification of the USCG polar icebreakers. We would encourage the U.S. side to consider 
granting access to classification societies other than ABS to class government owned vessels. 
4.280.  The U.S. has played a vital role in the international campaign against harmful fisheries 
subsidies for over a decade. As members of the "F riends of Fish" group, Norway, the U.S. and a 
number of other WTO countries have worked collectively towards improving disciplines on fisheries subsidies. This includes the prohibition of certain forms of fisheries subsidies that contribute to 
overcapacity and overfishing. We  look forward to cooperating with the U.S. in pursuing this 
important agenda. 
4.281.  Norway welcomes the U.S. emphasis on trad e agreements as part of the solution to 
pressing environmental challenges and pursuing tr ade policies to open markets, promote trade in 
environmental goods and maintaining high levels of environmental protection at the same time. In 
this context, we are looking forward to continuing our cooperation on the Environmental Goods Agreement. 
4.282.  It is important that the new generations of trade agreements currently under way, 
covering large shares of the world's trade and economic input and influencing both directly and indirectly other WTO Member States like Norway, promote trade beneficial to the climate and the 
environment, environmental protection commitm ents and high standards of protection.  
4.283.  Finally, the ongoing TTIP and TPP negotiations are obviously of great interest to us. We 
welcome and encourage efforts at opening markets and increasing economic cooperation across the Atlantic and Pacific, particularly when such efforts are compatible with the open rules based 
trading system. As we have noted in other contex ts, we are at the same time concerned that the 
TTIP negotiations will undoubtedly have direct effects on Norway through The Agreement on the European Economic Area.    
GUATEMALA 
4.284.  We would first like to draw attention to the WTO Secretariat's solid work of investigation 
and analysis, as reflected in the report on the tr ade policies of the United States under discussion 
today. The data contained in that report, when viewed as a whole, give us a very complete and 
detailed picture of the macroeconomic situation an d of the trade policies being implemented by the 
United States. WT/TPR/M/307 • United States 
 
- 43 - 
 
  4.285.  We also wish to extend our sincerest thanks to the New Zealand Ambassador, 
Mr John Adank, for the highly objective and detaile d presentation and analysis he has been good 
enough to share with us today. 
4.286.  May I take this opportunity to stress the great importance for Guatemala of its trade 
relations with the United States, a country which has historically been our main trading partner. 
Traditionally, around 40% of Guatemala's trade ha s been with the United States, and its exports 
have included a variety of products, including ar ticles of clothing, coffee, bananas, and a wide 
range of fruits and vegetables, as well as precious and semi-precious metals. Guatemalan imports 
consist mainly of manufactured goods, such as  petroleum products, machinery and mechanical 
appliances, and vehicles and transport equipment, together with plastic products, transmitters and receivers. 
4.287.  Our trade relations with the United States are based on close ties that were strengthened 
in the 1980s thanks to the implementation of the Caribbean Basin Initiative and subsequently consolidated through the Central America-United States-Dominican Republic Free Trade 
Agreement (CAFTA-DR). In Guatemala's case, the CAFTA-DR entered into force on 1 July 2006 and 
since then the flow of trade with the United Stat es has increased significantly. In 2006, our annual 
trade flows totalled US$6,613 million, as compared with a total of US$9,725 million in 2013 
(equivalent to an increase of approximately 47% over a period of seven years). 
4.288.  In addition to the important process of liberalization of trade in goods and services 
generated by the CAFTA-DR (it should mentioned that eight years after the entry into force of the Agreement 83% of the total number of tariff lines are in free trade and the remaining 17% form 
part of a tariff reduction programme spread out over 10, 15 and 20 years), the Agreement has 
also helped to promote investment between our countries, strengthen production linkages, reduce transaction costs and expand the range of products available to consumers. 
4.289.  In relation to the trade policy report, we are pleased to note the recovery of the 
US economy from the recession of 2007-2009, as well as the appreciable reduction in the current account deficit, the establishment of programmes to  simplify the entry of imported goods and the 
implementation or extension of the trusted trader programmes. 
4.290.  Guatemala has formulated and duly submitted a series of questions relating to matters 
such as measures implemented by the United States that could affect imports, trade facilitation and the general approach to trade policy. We ar e extremely grateful for the consideration given 
to these concerns and the answers which have been kindly provided. 
4.291.  We recognize the efforts made by United States and the major successes it has achieved 
during the review period and hope to go on steadily strengthening our important trade links. 
We wish the delegation representing the United States a successful conclusion to its Trade Policy 
Review. 
INDONESIA 
4.292.  We are pleased to be here today to participate in the Trade Policy Review of one of the key 
players in the WTO. We appreciate the U.S.' cont ribution in the WTO forum. We believe that the 
United States is strongly committed to ensure a successful Post-Bali and the conclusion of the Doha Development Agenda. Furthermore, we note that the U.S. has indeed performed well with its 
open trade regime. 
4.293.  Although our trade balance has been decreasing  in the last two years, the United States 
remains a major trading partner of Indonesia. Trade balance between Indonesia and the U.S. was 
around US$24.7 billion in 2013, which is 6.5% lower than in 2012. Indonesia's export to the U.S. 
was around US$15.7 billion in 2013, or up by 5.1% compared to 2012. This is offset with a decrease of import from the United States from around US$11.6 billion in 2012 to US$9 billion in 
2013. However, despite our decreasing trade balance, I have every confidence that our countries' 
economic partnership will grow once more. WT/TPR/M/307 • United States 
 
- 44 - 
 
  4.294.  Indonesia would nevertheless like to note with concerns some of the U.S.' trade policies 
that undermine the legitimate interest of Indonesia's exports to the United States. In this regard, Indonesia submitted a number of specific questions, including the following: 
• First, on the Sustainable Palm Oil. Indonesia would like to seek clarification regarding the 
 EPA's policy on the Notice of Data Availability, which in effect prohibits Indonesia's palm oil 
 export to the United States as it is allegedly failing to meet the lifecycle greenhouse gas  requirements. 
• Second is the Agriculture Act of 2014. This Ac t provides export credit guarantees for the 
 private-sector and finances commercial exports of  U.S. agricultural products to, in particular, 
 developing countries. How is this policy consistent with the commitment from developed  country to reduce and eliminate export subsidies? 
• And third is with regard to the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), which expired on 
 31 July 2013. Since the suspension of the GSP programme, a number of countries continue  to be reviewed due to its policies on worker rights, child labour, IPR, and others. In this 
 regard, we would like to be updated on our status in the GSP programme, taking into 
 account the progress we have made bilaterally in other issues. 
4.295.  It is our hope that at this twelfth trade policy review, the United States delegates will take 
the opportunity to address our concerns. Our Government is confident that the U.S. Government, 
as one of the most developed countries in the WTO, will ensure that its trade-related policies are in line with WTO laws. We also believe that the U.S. Government will always be a role model to all WTO Members by not implementing any unnecessary trade barriers, in both tariff and non-tariff 
forms, to disguise protectionist measures.  
4.296.  Finally, I would like to conclude my remarks by  expressing my profound appreciation to the 
U.S. delegation for its hard work, and wish th e U.S. every success at its twelfth trade policy 
review. 
THE
 RUSSIAN  FEDERATION 
4.297.  Today we are focused on the United States. The U.S. is Russia's tenth largest trading 
partner. We cannot underestimate the influence of the U.S. on global markets. However, they are 
also liable for such position and they should not abuse it. We have a number of questions and serious concerns with regards to U.S. trade and investment policies. They were presented to the U.S. delegation in due time, and I would like to voice some of them today.  
4.298.  First, we see prompt and honest implementati on of the rulings of the Dispute Settlement 
Body as one of the main elements that provides stability and predictability of the multilateral 
trading system. In this respect, we would like to  express our disappointment with the failure of the 
U.S. to comply with the DSB's rulings and extens ive delays in their implementation. According to 
claimants, the U.S. did not follow the recommendatio ns of a panel in more than 25 cases, and this 
is a systemic issue. Let me stress that such prac tice by one Member has the same negative impact 
as non-compliance by all the Members. It seriously undermines an effective rules-based system. In 
this respect, we would like to ask the United States to address the issue.  
4.299.  Second, let me point out the discriminatory practice of decision-making in trade by the 
U . S .  A d m i n i s t r a t i o n .  I n  p a r t i c u l a r ,  s u c h  a p p r o a c h  is  u s e d  f o r  I P R  p r o te c t i o n  i n  U k r a i n e .  D e s p i t e  
multiple affirmations of IPR infringements in Ukraine and significant prejudice for American 
copyright holders, the USTR has decided to refrain from action. We observe a similar situation with respect to access of tubes producers to the U.S.  domestic market. The investigation concerning 
the Ukrainian tubes producer "Interpipe" was suspended. We would like to remind the United 
States of the importance of ensuring open, non-discriminatory and unbiased trade policy. 
4.300.  Third, the Russian Federation would like to renew its concerns as regards the 
non-conformity with the WTO Agreements of the measures which were introduced pursuant to the 
Executive orders of the U.S. President in March and April, as well as legal acts adopted in implementation thereof. These measures are designed, in particular, to block assets of certain Russian persons, both natural and legal, to restrict payments, transfers and exports of certain WT/TPR/M/307 • United States 
 
- 45 - 
 
  goods to the Russian Federation. Such actions are not justified by the WTO Agreement and violate 
basic principles contained in the GATT and GATS  – MFN treatment, specific commitments of the 
U.S., domestic regulation disciplines, prohibition of QRs, etc. Contrary to the generally accepted principles of trade policy, the U.S. indirectly pushes national companies into phasedown of their 
projects in Russia, freezing of bilateral economic dialogue, coercion of third countries to the same 
actions. This is not in conformity neither with WTO rules nor with the objectives declared by Washington in the area of trade and investment. The Russian Federation reiterates the request to 
the U.S. to bring its measures in line with its obligations under the WTO Agreements.    
4.301.  Fourth, I would also like to highlight another significant trade restrictive measure taken by 
the U.S. In 2002, the United States acknowledg ed a "market economy" status of the Russian 
Federation. But despite this fact, the United States are currently applying six long-lasting 
prohibitive anti-dumping measures on imports from the Russian Federation, which were calculated 
using a "non-market economy" methodology. Consequently, current import prices are by no means accurately reflected. The U.S. legislation provides for extension of such measures without 
recalculation of the dumping margin during the sunset review. The regretful and unfair result is 
that the anti-dumping measures which were intr oduced before 2002 and which are going soon to 
celebrate their twentieth or even thirtieth anniversaries are still in place and are repetitively 
extended following the sunset reviews. Administra tive reviews give little chance to make these 
prohibitive anti-dumping measures less restrictive and more adequate to the current conditions, because these extremely burdensome proceedings sh ould be carried out on a yearly basis. Given 
all that, we suppose that the U.S. anti-dumping legislation and practice are primarily aimed at 
endless continuation of the measures that were once imposed and do not reflect anymore the real 
economic conditions. We encourage the U.S. to apply its legislation in the area of trade remedies fairly, accurately, in a non-discriminatory way and in WTO consistent manner. 
4.302.  Finally, in the area of agriculture, we have concerns about the impact of some green box 
programmes, given the fact that the U.S. is the biggest producer and exporter of agricultural products. The amount of budgetary outlays on nutrition programme is so substantial that from our 
perspective it is doubtful that it has no trade distortion impact. We also have concerns about the 
potential distortive effect of certain new measures listed in the 2014 Farm Bill, especially The Price Loss Coverage and the Agriculture Risk Coverage, as presented in the Secretariat Report. 
4.303.  We appreciate that the impasse on the impl ementation of the Bali Package was broken, 
and we call on the U.S. to maintain constructive  approach in developing of the Post-Bali working 
programme which would reflect the interests of all the WTO Members. 
4.304.  We look forward to reviewing the responses to our comments. 
INDIA 
4.305.  The international economic situation continues to be fragile with global growth recovering, 
though hesitatingly. While the growth outlook for advanced economies as a whole remains 
vulnerable to significant downward risks, the forecast for the U.S. economy is positive with an 
expected annual growth rate of over 3% in 2015 and 2016, which is underpinned by accommodative monetary policy, lower fiscal drag and improved financial conditions. With the nominal GDP estimated at about US$16.8 trillion in 2013, and with merchandise trade in goods 
and services of over US$5 trillion, the United Stat es remains a key economic driver of the global 
economy. It is, therefore, evident that trade and economic policy developments in the U.S. – 
whether its fiscal or monetary policies, enactment of a new Farm Bill, or mega-regional trading 
blocs such as the TPP and the T-TIP, affect the global economy directly, and assume importance 
for all of us.   
4.306.  At the bilateral level, trade and commerce constitute a central pillar of the rapidly 
expanding and multi-faceted relations between India and the U.S. U.S. is India's second largest 
trading partner. Our bilateral trade has witnessed im pressive strides in recent years, with bilateral 
goods and services trade crossing the US$100 billion mark.  
4.307.  While we continue to work closely at the level of government and businesses, we would 
like to underline systemic concerns on some U.S. trade laws and policies. Certain provisions in the 
U.S. legislations such as the Buy America Act, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the WT/TPR/M/307 • United States 
 
- 46 - 
 
  FDA Food Safety Modernization Act or under State regulations such as in renewable energy 
programmes impose requirements including domestic content requirements, affecting trade or considerably raising regulatory costs for exporters.   
4.308.  The applied tariff rate profile of the U.S. remains quite diverse and complex. While the 
simple average rate remains almost unchanged at 4.8% in 2014, there are significant tariff peaks, 
particularly in areas such as textiles, leather and agriculture where developing members like India have export interest. Similarly, in the area of trade remedy actions, the long duration of 
anti-dumping and countervailing duty measures rema ins a cause of systemic concern. As noted in 
the Secretariat report, there has been a significant trend with fewer orders being revoked after reviews. In 2013-14, about 90% of reviews resu lted in the continuation of the measures.  
4.309.  Also, as noted in the Secretariat Report, the U.S. Administration issued a strategy on 
Mitigating the Theft of U.S. Trade Secrets in 2013. The strategy, among others, proposed the use 
of trade policy tools, including using Special 301 process to identify weaknesses in trade secret protection as well as seeking new provisions in trade negotiations that would make available 
remedies similar to those under the U.S. laws. We believe, such processes, including seeking 
TRIPS plus obligations, go counter to the TRIPS Agreement and undermine the multilateral trading system.  
4.310.  We thank the U.S. delegation for replies to some of the questions we had posed to them. 
These would be reviewed by my authorities. However, let me underscore some specific concerns, which particularly affect India's exports to the U.S. In the agriculture sector, Indian exports of items such as mangoes, and rice continue to fa ce significant market entry barriers owing to SPS 
requirements, conformity assessment procedures an d lack of MRLs based on scientific studies for 
pesticide residues. We request the U.S. to review these requirements to make them simpler, and reducing regulatory barriers to trade, consistent with international standards and guidelines.    
4.311.  The Indian services industry remains concerne d over the movement of Indian professionals 
to the United States. Certain provisions in the proposed immigration reform bill, which is under consideration in the U.S. Congress, will affect a ccess of Indian service providers to the U.S., and 
would even require changes in the business model of Indian IT companies operating in the U.S. 
Some of the requirements with discriminatory effects include: numerical limitation on visas based on work force ratio, non-displacement attestation,  higher visa fee, linkage between usage of visas 
and wage levels, among others. Such measures with clearly protectionist intent go counter to the 
p o s i t i o n  o f  U . S .  a s  a  v o t a r y  o f  f r e e  t r a d e .  W e  v e r y  m u c h  h o p e  t h a t  t h e  U . S .  s e r v i c e s  s e c t o r ,  
particularly the movement of professionals, would remain open for trade. Similarly, Indian pharmaceutical exports continue to face market entry barriers through, stringent audit 
requirements, and introduction of user fee under the Generic Drug User Fee Act. These lead to 
inordinate delays and increased costs for introducing generics and pharmaceutical products in the U.S. market.  
4.312.  Before I conclude, I would like to underscore the role and leadership of the United States 
at the WTO and in the ongoing DDA negotiations, which remains crucial. We look forward to working with Ambassador Punke and his team as well  as other partners in ensuring positive and 
development oriented outcomes in the ongoing negotiations to help conclude the Doha Round.  
DOMINICAN
 REPUBLIC 
4.313.  The United States is the Dominican Republic's most important trading partner and, 
moreover, we are parties to the CAFTA-DR free tr ade agreement, which also includes the Central 
American countries. In 2013, the trade flow between the two countries amounted 
to US$11,420.1 million, a value equal to more than 40% of the total trade flow. Where direct investment is concerned, the flow amounted to US$2,900 million over the last four years. 
Real GDP has continued to grow, driven by buoyant personal consumption expenditures. 
Private domestic investment and exports have also contributed to the recent performance 
4.314.  In this 12
th Trade Policy Review, we would like to congratulate the Government of the 
United States since, as indicated in the WTO Secretariat's report, its economy has largely 
recovered from the recession of 2007-2009, with GDP having grown by 2.4% in the third quarter 
of 2014 as compared with same quarter in 2013. During the review period, real GDP continued to WT/TPR/M/307 • United States 
 
- 47 - 
 
  grow, driven by buoyant personal consumptio n expenditures, which represented over 60% 
of national expenditures. It is explained that private consumption continued to expand steadily as the labour market improved, personal dispos able income grew, and household wealth was 
invigorated as a consequence of rising stock and home prices. Private domestic investments 
and exports also performed well and dete rmined the overall positive growth. 
4.315.  At the same time, we note with interest that, according to the Secretariat report, 
US exports to Latin America increased by 2.6 percentage points between 2008 and 2013 to reach 
one quarter of total exports, which shows that the implementation of the free trade agreements 
with the countries of the region have benefited its economy. 
4.316.  However, we think that the authorities should be cautious since on the labour market the 
unemployment rate, despite continuing to improve during the review period, having fallen from 
7.9% in January 2013 to 6.2% in July 2014, remains at  an historically high level. They should try 
to take measures that facilitate hiring by industry, in order to reduce these high rates and provide a solid foundation for economic growth. 
4.317.  The Secretariat report also explains that the recent boom in shale oil and gas production 
in the United States has positively affected various aspects of the economy. It has lowered energy prices and has contributed to lowering production costs in the manufacturing sector, which has 
become an important job provider. The current account deficit improved to a four-year low in 2013 
as a consequence of an important reduction in the oil trade deficit, which accounts for nearly half of the total deficit in trade in goods and servic es. While merchandise trade continued to expand 
during the review period, and exports grew to an all-time high in 2013, imports decreased for the 
first time in five years. The United States remains the world's leading services exporter, and its 
positive trade balance rose during the review period. 
4.318.  It is also pointed out that macroeconomic policies continued to actively support the 
US economy with a view to boosting economic growth and reducing unemployment. Steps were 
taken to correct the large fiscal deficit caused by expansionary policies that prevailed during the recession; and although unconventional monetary policies continued to be implemented, the Fed 
announced in December 2013 that it would start scaling down its quantitative easing measures. 
4.319.  It appears that since the last review trade policy instruments have changed little. However, 
where trade policy objectives are concerned, the WTO Secretariat report indicates that the United States has identified a number of priority areas with respect to WTO work or initiatives, 
including concluding the expanded product coverage negotiations under the ITA, launching 
negotiations on an environmental goods agreem ent, supporting implementation of the Trade 
Facilitation Agreement (TFA), and supporting accession negotiations, in particular Kazakhstan. 
In this connection, there is one thing that gives us cause for concern since the US priorities do not 
appear to include the successful conclusion of the Doha Round, whose Development Agenda is a matter of great importance for the developi ng Members of this Organization. We therefore 
urge the United States to do everything possible to bring the Doha Development Agenda to 
a successful conclusion. 
4.320.  With regard to the application of trade re medies, we are concerned by the fact that, 
according to the report, during 2013 there was a si gnificant increase, so that by the end of that 
year the United States had 294 antidumping and countervailing measures in place, an increase 
of 18% as compared with 2010. We therefore invite the Government of the United States to exercise moderation in the use of measures of this kind, particularly considering that trade 
restrictions do nothing to improve the situation of economic crisis in which the global economy still 
finds itself. 
4.321.  With respect to the US agricultural sector, we are concerned about the enactment of the 
2014 Farm Bill, which comprises programmes worth an estimated US$489 billion. As so large 
an amount of support is likely to have major repercussions in world markets, we urge the United States to be prudent in implementing its agricultural policies and take into account their possible effects on developing countries. In particular, we have concerns regarding the Price Loss 
Coverage (PLC) programme, whose purpose is to help stabilize farm incomes by providing 
deficiency payments when commodity prices fall below certain levels, as well as the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) programme, which guarantees a portion of a producer's revenue loss relative WT/TPR/M/307 • United States 
 
- 48 - 
 
  to a target (benchmark) revenue from covered commodities. There are also subsidized insurance 
programmes that could create distortions in the agricultural market, both in the United States and internationally. 
4.322.  At the same time, the Secretariat report indicates that the United States is imposing 
a number of tariffs on imports that vary with their origin, value and mode of arrival; these include 
COBRA fees, harbour maintenance tax, agriculture fees, agricultural fees, and excise tax. All these charges mean that, despite the tariffs being relatively low, exporting to the United States is not so 
easy. 
4.323.  We also note the continued existence of nota ble tariff peaks in some sectors, such as 
footwear, leather, textiles, and garments, as well as in agricultural products, which are also subject to a considerable number of non- ad valorem  tariffs. 
4.324.  At the same time, we wish to acknowledge the efforts made by the United States in the 
area of trade facilitation, including, among othe r things, the establishment of a single window 
for 2016. 
4.325.  With respect to sanitary and phytosanitary measures, we have concerns about the new 
FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, since the Secretariat report indicates that it authorizes the FDA to levy fees on certain domestic and foreign facilities and importer re-inspections. The costs 
of these activities were previously borne by the FD A. These fees could well make it more difficult 
and more expensive for developing countries to comply with the sanitary regulations and export to the US market. 
4.326.  The Dominican Republic has put a number of questions to the United States in relation to 
various aspects of its trade regime and we are grateful for the answers received, which we will 
examine carefully. In conclusion, we urge the United States to continue with its efforts to surmount the financial and economic crisis, after which it only remains for us to wish it much 
success with this Trade Policy Review and in the future. 
ECUADOR 4.327.  Ecuador is participating with interest in this Trade Policy Review, on the one hand, because 
it recognizes the efforts made by the Government of the United States in adopting macroeconomic 
policies that, in some degree, have enabled it to recover from the recessions of the years 2007 to 2009, as indicated in the Secretariat report, but, on the other hand, with some concern because, as noted in the same report, there have  been no major changes in its main trade policy 
framework, which has been detrimental to its relations with other countries, making it impossible 
to progress with trade negotiations in, among others, multilateral forums, as in the case of this Organization. 
4.328.  My delegation welcomes the fact that, during the review period, merchandise trade 
expanded, as reflected in the increase in exports in 2013, at the same time as imports decreased, resulting in a positive US trade balance. 
4.329.  It should also be noted that the United States continues to be the chief recipient of global 
foreign direct investment, although in recent years there has been a decline in inflows under this heading. 
4.330.  Likewise, Ecuador attaches the utmost importance to the fact that the US Government 
is undertaking various initiatives designed to improve compliance with trade laws and combat 
wildlife trafficking. 
4.331.  The concern to which we made reference above is reflected in the few changes introduced 
into US trade policy, which is why, with respect to the unilateral trade preferences granted by the 
United States and, specifically, the Generalized  System of Preferences (GSP) in force up to 
July 2013, Ecuador has addressed an inquiry to the US Government to find out whether it intends 
to resume the discussions on renewing these prefer ential schemes considering their importance in 
relation to market access and market diversification for products of special interest to developing countries such as agricultural goods. WT/TPR/M/307 • United States 
 
- 49 - 
 
  4.332.  Another concern that arises from the reading and analysis of the Secretariat document 
relates to trade policies and practices directly affecting imports, the purpose of which, according to the Secretariat report, is to ensure their security. The US Government initiative to which my Delegation refers is called the Secure Freight Initiative and requires the scanning 
of 100% of containers prior to lading on vessels bound for the United States. 
4.333.  Although this initiative has been delayed several times and only this year was again 
delayed until July 2016, due to the magnitude of the undertaking, Ecuador considers that 
the procedures followed in several of these initiatives could prove excessively problematic 
and burdensome for developing countries, which co uld give rise to a reduction in trade with the 
United States for those countries that were unable to comply with the scanning requirements. Accordingly, considering the high costs to which this kind of initiative would lead, my country has 
addressed a question to the United States with a view to sounding out the possibility of granting 
special treatment for developing countries. 
4.334.  Finally, another of Ecuador's concerns relates to the anti-dumping measures and 
countervailing duties often used by the United States. In this connection, the US Department 
of Commerce has maintained a policy of treating export restrictions as subsidies subject to countervailing measures. As this policy is regularly being applied in countervailing duty 
investigations of imports from various countries, Ecuador is interested in knowing the grounds on 
which it is based. 
4.335.  To conclude, we would like to thank the delegation of the United States in advance for its 
answers to the questions concerning certain aspects of its trade policy we have forwarded to the 
Secretariat, which will provide important inputs for strengthening bilateral relations in the area 
of foreign trade. 
PAKISTAN 
4.336.  The United States is the world's largest economy. It continued to expand by 3.9% at an 
annual rate in the third quarter of 2014, outper forming most economies in the developed world. 
Its strengths include a highly developed economic and physical infrastructure, highly diversified 
and innovation driven economy, high factor productivity, and a vibrant private sector. After 
experiencing a period of acute economic distress starting in 2008, its recovery is supported by a resurgent consumer spending (representing over 60 % of national expenditures), private domestic 
investments, increasing exports, strong job reco very, low interest rates and lowering levels of 
household debt. Figures for retail sales climbed in  November with a further surge in domestic 
demand, to an eight month high. Economic perf ormance is also backed by lower oil prices 
stimulating higher consumer spending. Household wealth invigorated also as a consequence of 
rising stock and home prices. 
4.337.  Exports grew to an all-time high in 2013, and imports decreased for the first time in five 
years. The boom in shale oil and gas production has driven down energy prices and hence 
production costs in the manufacturing sector that has become an important player in U.S. 
economic recovery. This has resulted in reduction in oil and overall trade deficit. The current account deficit is at the four years lowest now. 
4.338.  The United States remains the world's top services exporter which is 80% of the GDP. Its 
positive trade balance increased during the review period. Commercial services are the main 
contributor to its output, with an estimated contribution of 65% of GDP. 
4.339.  Although the United States remains the world's largest single recipient of foreign direct 
investment, inflows declined over the last two years. In order to promote foreign investment, 
programmes like the 2011 SelectUSA and the 2012 "Make it in America" are designed to promote 
insourcing. 
4.340.  One of the most significant trade policy deve lopments during the review period was the 
enactment of the new Farm Bill on 7 February 2014. It has expanded crop insurance for farmers by US$7 billion over a decade and created new subs idies for rice and peanut growers that would 
kick in when prices drop. WT/TPR/M/307 • United States 
 
- 50 - 
 
  4.341.  Although consumer confidence has rebounded to a new post-crisis peak, growth in private 
consumption expenditure is still below its pre-crisis levels, due to such factors as continued deleveraging. Also, recent reports show a revival of consumer debt as from third quarter 2013. 
4.342.  The labour market situation has improved an d the unemployment rate has dropped, yet it 
remains historically high. The CIA factbook points out that: the onrush of technology largely 
explains the gradual development of a "two-tier labour market" in which those at the bottom lack the education and the professional/technical skills of  those at the top and, more and more, fail to 
get comparable pay raises, health insurance coverage, and other benefits. 
4.343.  Approximately 22% of imports enter through FTA or unilateral preferential regimes. 
However, GSP, as well as the ATPA/ATPDE A, have not been renewed after expiry.  
4.344.  The legal and regulatory frameworks for tariffs, rules of origin, import licensing, customs 
valuation, and other charges on imports rema ined unchanged during the review period. 
4.345.  Anti-dumping and countervailing duty investigations were on the upswing, with a 
significant rise in 2013. 
4.346.  The salient problems in respect of the U.S. trade policy include tariff peaks, low TRQ fill 
rate, non-renewal of GSP and uncertainty about TPA, state level subsidies – and several regional and bilateral initiatives having a potential to crowd out trade with MFN partners. 
4.347.  The U.S. is the leading world leader in the WTO, and we justifiably expect a high level of 
leadership for preparation of the post-Bali work program as well. 
4.348.  Our bilateral relations are at a sub-optimal level. In the six years perspective, trade 
between the two countries has been on a flat traj ectory. On average, Pakistan's exports to the 
U.S. face an average tariff of 9.7%. Pakistan and the U.S. are engaged in cooperation through 
sectoral working groups. Both countries are working towards investment promotion, cooperation in energy, and education sectors and regional econom ic integration. Pakistan is concerned at the 
non-renewal of the GSP that already has a very low coverage of items of export interest to 
Pakistan - as well as a lack of meaningful market access to the U.S. markets and a modest scale of investment in Pakistan. 
KINGDOM
 OF SAUDI  ARABIA 
4.349.  The Trade Policy Review reports prepared by th e United States and by the Secretariat both 
highlight the significant recovery of the U.S. econ omy following the global economic crisis and its 
strengthening during the period of review. Over the last two years, the real gross domestic 
product ("GDP") of the United States increased by over two percent yearly. The U.S. economic 
recovery has been fuelled in part by the manufacturing sector that has also greatly contributed to the significant reduction in unemployment over the review period. 
4.350.  The United States is to be commended for the monetary and fiscal policies it implemented 
to promote economic growth and employment just  after the global economic crisis. Over the 
period of review, economic growth has allowed the United States to significantly decrease its 
deficit.   
4.351.  The financial sector has also largely recovered from the recent financial crisis, as indicated 
in the Secretariat's report, it has evidenced the "need to implement regulatory reforms to address 
critical gaps and weaknesses" in the system. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia wonders if there is any 
explicit action for "Too-Big-To-Fail" banks that can help avoid a systemic risk to the global financial 
system?   
4.352.  During the period of review, the United States was the largest trading partner of the 
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In 2013, bilateral trade in goods totalled US$79 billion. Over recent 
years, trade in services between the United St ates and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia also has 
grown significantly. In 2012, exports of U.S. private commercial services, which mostly consisted 
of business, professional and technical services , to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia amounted to 
US$6.6 billion – a 343% increase in ten years. The stock of U.S. foreign direct investment in the WT/TPR/M/307 • United States 
 
- 51 - 
 
  Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was US$9.7 billion in 2012, a 17.5% increase from the previous year. 
This evidences the close corporate links between U.S. and Saudi investors.   
4.353.  The Trade and Investment Framework Agreemen t that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and 
the United States signed in July 2003 has provided a forum for both partners to explore means to 
enhance their economic and trade relations. And, as indicated by the United States in its Trade 
Policy Review Report, in 2013, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the other Member States of the Gulf Cooperation Council negotiated a Framework Agreement for Trade, Economic, Investment and 
Technical Cooperation.   
4.354.  The importance of trade to the United States is reflected in its commitment to the WTO 
and the multilateral trading system. It has played a central role in the establishment of the system 
and is a strong supporter of its reinforcement through the successful conclusion of the Doha 
Development Agenda.   
THAILAND 4.355.  We fully associate ourselves with the ASEAN statement previously delivered by 
Ambassador Maung Wai of Myanmar. Thailand a ppreciates the ASEAN-U.S. Dialogue process and 
its contribution to the growing relations through its summits, the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA), and the new Expanded Economic Engagement (E3) Initiative. 
Economic cooperation between ASEAN and the United States encompasses different areas, such as 
trade facilitation, intellectual property rights, public-private sector engagement, and small and medium-sized enterprises. The United States has also been ASEAN's primary partner in moving forward the ASEAN Single Window initiative, with very much appreciated technical assistance from 
the United States. 
4.356.  In bilateral trade relations, the United States continues to be Thailand's third largest 
trading partner after China and Japan, with the total trade value in 2013 standing at 
US$37.5 billion, increasing by 6.45% from 2012. In 2013, the Un ited States was Thailand's second 
largest export destination and ranked fourth in total value of imports to Thailand. We hope that bilateral trade with the United States will continue to thrive and our economic and trading 
relationship continues to strongly develop.   
4.357.  Furthermore, we are grateful for the United States' active role, flexibility, and strong 
commitment within this Organization and the multilateral trading system. We look forward to intensive and constructive work under the WTO's negotiation pillar in 2015 and to the continued 
strong contribution of the United States as a major economy. All of these will help Members 
complete the planned work program by July 2015 and help also to achieve outcomes in MC10 
towards concluding the DDA negotiations. 
4.358.  The TPR Reports indicate a promising sign of the United States' steady economic recovery 
from the 2007-2009 recession with different positive indicators. For instance, real GDP continued to grow from the contribution of expanded private domestic consumption; merchandise trade 
continued to expand; and cautious steps in macroeconomic policies were taken to reduce the large 
fiscal deficit. Thailand congratulates the United St ates on its strong and stable implementation of 
its overall economic and trade policies. 
4.359.  We also take a keen interest in several developments in the trade policies and measures of 
the United States, such as the enactment of the new Farm Bill early this year; the SelectUSA and 
"Make it in America" programmes; the changes relating to targeted dumping regulations and their implementations; the requirements and incentives for foreign direct investment; and the 
modifications and reforms in intellectual property  protections. Thailand has also made progress 
and undertaken reforms in IP protections in the past years. We are particularly interested therefore in following the developments with regard  to intellectual property regime in the United 
States. We look forward to further cooperation in this area.  
4.360.  In this review, Thailand submitted several questions to the United States covering the 
policies and measures of interest and concern. We thank the United States for its responses, which we will carefully study with great interest. WT/TPR/M/307 • United States 
 
- 52 - 
 
  4.361.  In conclusion, Thailand would like to express its appreciation to the United States 
delegation for today's presentation and responses to  our questions. The Thai Mission is thankful for 
the continuing close and strong cooperation of the Geneva-based delegation led by Ambassador Punke. We wish the United States every success in this twelfth trade policy review. 
NIGERIA 
4.362.  Nigeria notes that the United States Trade Policy is very important to the entire 
Membership of the WTO, being the biggest tr ading partner of many of the WTO Members, 
including Nigeria. As a major economic player, the trade policies and practices of United States 
have direct impacts on the economies of most of the WTO Members. It is therefore not surprising 
that about 1,500 questions were submitted by me mbers on the .U.S Trade Policy. Nigeria also 
notes the macroeconomic policies that actively supported the U.S. economy in stimulating 
economic growth and employment as well as th e proactive steps taken by the Government to 
correct the large fiscal deficit caused by expansionary policies that prevailed during the recession. It is interesting to note that the economy is in the path of sustainable growth with increase in the 
real Gross Domestic Product by 2.3% in 2012, 2.3% in 2013 and a forecast of 2.4% in 2014. The 
leading contributors to this growth have been  consumer spending, exports and business fixed 
investment. We highly commend the U.S. for its commitment towards the preservation and 
strengthening of the role of the WTO as the critical forum for liberalising multilateral rules-based 
trading system and enforcing global trade rules as well as serve as an important bulwark against protectionism. Nigeria strongly believes that increased openness by the United States would reaffirm its leadership role, which is very crucial in advancing the objectives of the multilateral 
trading system, while greater commitment towards an early conclusion of the Doha Round would 
also enhance market access security for the US and other exporters.  
4.363.  We note the technical regulations and conformity assessment procedure which are quite 
complex as set out in a number of laws, regulations and guidelines. In this regard, we encourage 
the US to recognise and implement international standards which would help to reduce technical barriers to trade especially, for the export products from the Sub-Sahara African countries. Given 
the benefits of Trade Facilitation and the prominent role US played in the negotiation and adoption 
of the TFA Protocol, we welcome the signal by the United States to submit its instrument of ratification of the TFA to the WTO Secretariat as soon as possible and the commitment to support the LDCs and developing countries that have notified their TFA Category A commitments to the 
WTO. 
4.364.  We note from the reports that services sector continues to contribute substantially to the 
U.S. economy, accounting for about 80% of GD P and employment. U.S. remains the world's 
leading services market, in terms of both imports and exports. We note also that services exports 
continue to outpace services imports, with a positive contribution to the current account balance. However, while the U.S. is a net exporter in the major services categories, its balance continues to 
be negative in transport, communication, and computer and information services. It would, 
therefore, be interesting to hear from the U.S.  delegation the Government's plans to further 
liberalise its services sector, particularly, to accommodate the export interests of developing countries in the DDA negotiations.  
4.365.  United States is among the leading providers of Aid for Trade. In this context, Nigeria 
welcomes the strategy that would help countries benefit from ambitious reforms in trade rules that are being negotiated in the WTO and in other trade agreements. We commend the effort of the 
U.S. in promoting trade and economic growth in developing countries through a wide range of 
technical assistance and trade capacity building activities. In particular, we are grateful to the United States for its support to Nigeria in conducting our national Needs Assessment exercise in 
2008, 2013 1nd 2014 preparatory to the implemen tation of the Trade Facilitation Agreement 
whenever it enters into force. 
4.366.  Nigeria and United States at bilateral level, have over the years experienced very strong 
economic, cultural and political ties, via a number of economic and investment cooperation 
arrangements, notably, Trade Investment Framewor k Agreement (TIFA) and Nigeria-United States 
Bi- National Commission. The U.S. is the largest foreign investor in Nigeria, even though the investments are largely in the upstream sector of the Oil and Gas. The U.S. Foreign Direct 
Investment (FDI) flow into Nigeria has increased from US$5.2 billion in 2010 to US$8 billion in 
2012. Nigeria's bilateral trade with the U.S. totalled US$18.2 billion in 2013 as against WT/TPR/M/307 • United States 
 
- 53 - 
 
  US$35 billion a couple of years back. The sharp dec line in the trade volume is as a result of a 
boom in shale oil/gas production and the attendant reduction in the demand for crude oil. Nigeria urges the U.S. Government to encourage further investment in the downstream sector of the Oil and Gas as well as other strategic sectors of the Nigerian economy where great opportunities 
abound. This is with a view to scaling up the volume of trade between the two countries.  
4.367.  W e  a g r e e  w i t h  t h e  U n i t e d  S t a t e s  t h a t  f o r  t h e  p a s t  1 4  y e a r s ,  A G O A  h a d  b e e n  t h e  
cornerstone of the US-African engagement on trade and investment. In this regard, Nigeria 
appreciates the contribution of AGOA to Africa's development, particularly, in promoting export of 
several products including textiles and apparels, leather products, agro-processing products from the Sub-Saharan Africa to the United States etc. AGOA has no doubt, contributed significantly to 
job creation and flow of investments in many Sub-Saharan African Countries. However, it should 
be noted that despite the positive contribution  of AGOA to African countries, there are some 
challenges that hinder the realization of its full  benefits. These challenges include but not limited 
to: SPS requirements, restrictive Rules of origin, lack of regional value chains, and uncertainty 
about the future of AGOA. Although SPS is import ant for ensuring food quality, plant and animal 
health, we observe that these challenges have imposed additional demands for Nigerian exports. This is a major limitation to the export of ou r agricultural products to the U.S. under AGOA. 
4.368.  Overall, AGOA has achieved modest results. Since AGOA will expire on 30 August 2015, we 
urge for a seamless reauthorisation of AGOA by the U.S. Government to avoid trade disruption. 
We continue to look forward to an enduring part nership between the United States and Nigeria as 
w e l l  a s  o t h e r  E C O W A S  c o u n t r i e s  w i t h  a  v i e w  t o  deepening the regional economic integration 
initiatives and successfully address the development challenges facing our sub-region.  
4.369.  In conclusion, Nigeria would like to once agai n acknowledge the vital role played by the 
U.S. and other members in resolving the impasse on the implementation of the Bali Package. It is 
our expectation that the U.S. would continue to provide the necessary leadership along with other 
major players towards the successful conclusion of a DDA Round with a balanced outcome.   
BENIN 
4.370.  The delegation of Benin is pleased to be participating in the work on the 12
th Trade Policy 
Review of the United States, a country with which Benin maintains excellent relations of friendship and cooperation and one of the strategic partne rs that are supporting the endeavours of the 
people and its authorities in their struggle to  reduce poverty and their efforts to promote 
sustainable socio-economic development. 
4.371.  The delegation of Benin would like to ackn owledge the important role played by the 
United States within the context of the multilateral trading system. 
4.372.  It appreciates the contribution that the United States is making to the AGOA beneficiary 
countries, including Benin. It very much hopes that the AGOA review process will end in the renewal of the preferential regime, in September 2015, thus enabling its beneficiaries 
to consolidate the gains already made and comple te the projects in process of implementation. 
4.373.  The Benin delegation would like to be able to count on the same commitment on the part 
of all, with a view to ensuring an appropriate response to the concerns of developing countries in general and particularly the LDCs, concerns  among which the cotton question occupies 
a prominent place. 
4.374.  Among the numerous trade policies implemented by  the United States and reflected in the 
two reports under review, the delegation of Benin attaches special importance to the Food, 
Conservation, and Energy Act (Farm Bill), in this case in its 2014 version, under which, 
as indicated in the WTO Secretariat's report, United States producers of upland cotton will be able to benefit from a new subsidized insurance plan, Stacked Income Protection (STAX), starting in the 
2015 marketing year. 
4.375.  While noting that STAX participants will not be eligible for the Supplemental Coverage 
Option (SCO), the delegation of Benin, as und erlined by the C-4 in previous consultations, WT/TPR/M/307 • United States 
 
- 54 - 
 
  continues to examine the new provisions of the Farm  Bill with all due care and hopes that they will 
be effective in helping to curb asymmetries and distortions in the international cotton market. 
4.376.  Pending the settlement of the trade chapter of the cotton question, which remains the chief 
concern of the African cotton-producing and exporting countries, the delegation of Benin welcomes 
the contribution of the United States to building the production and export capacities of the Least 
Developed Countries, African cotton-producing and exporting countries in general and the countries that co-authored the Cotton Initiative in particular. 
4.377.  In view of the forecasts predicting an increase in world production in the 2014/15 season 
and a downward trend in prices, the delegation of  Benin wishes to take the opportunity afforded 
by the present Trade Policy Review to invite  the governments of the key cotton-producing 
countries, including that of the United States, to exercise the utmost caution in relation to any 
measures they might be led to take in the coming months. 
4.378.  It very much hopes that the policies they may adopt will not be inconsistent with the rules 
of the WTO, on the one hand, or with the variou s mandates deriving from the cotton negotiations, 
on the other. 
4.379.  Indeed, it is to be highly recommended that these policies should help to advance 
the cotton negotiations, in particular by reducing the trade-distorting effects on the sector 
with reference to the three pillars of market access, domestic support and export subsidies. 
4.380.  The delegation of Benin urges all the key participants in the cotton dossier to engage 
genuinely and effectively in constructive and fruitful negotiations and wishes the delegation of the United States every success in its Trade Policy Review. 
TOGO 
4.381.  The reports produced by the WTO Secretariat and the delegation of the United States 
indicate that the economic and trade environment of this economic power is improving and 
gradually emerging from the global recession. 
4.382.  This is evidenced by an increase in GDP since 2012, as well as by growth that increased by 
2.4% in 2014. Moreover, the outlook is good, sinc e growth is forecast to increase by 3.4% in 
2015. 
4.383.  Signs of this recovery can be observed in the labour market, since employment has 
continued to rise during the last two years, post ing a gain of more than six million jobs between 
December 2011 and July 2014. 
4.384.  Among the other signs of the virtuous cycle in which the American economy now finds 
itself, it is possible to mention the decrease in the deficit on trade in goods and services, which has fallen from US$580 billion to US$508 billion, the lowest level since 2003. 
4.385.  The budget deficit has also been cut back, having fallen from US$1,300 billion in 2011 
to US$1,100 billion in 2012 and US$680 billion in 2013. 
4.386.  I am glad that the delegation has reaffirmed its commitment to a rule-based multilateral 
trading system which, it hardly needs saying, can only improve the well-being of all our peoples. 
4.387.  This commitment finds expression in the un flagging efforts of the United States 
Government to liberalize trade. 
4.388.  In fact, as the country report makes clear, there has been a proliferation of government 
trade liberalization initiatives. 
4.389.  It would be tedious to list all these initiatives in the course of this Review. 
4.390.  However, I would like to mention the African Growth and Opportunity Act, commonly 
known as AGOA. WT/TPR/M/307 • United States 
 
- 55 - 
 
  4.391.  This welcome Act has underpinned trade relations between the African continent and the 
United States since the year 2000. It allows the products of the African beneficiaries to enter the American market duty-free. 
4.392.  This initiative has boosted trade between Africa and its American partner. In fact, in 2013, 
total AGOA imports into the United States reached US$28.8 billion, which represented 
a quadrupling since the Act came into force. 
4.393.  Thanks to institutional and financial reforms, my country has been eligible for this trade 
programme since April 2008. 
4.394.  I would like to use this platform to convey once again to the American authorities the 
thanks of the Togolese Government fo r Togo's admission to the programme. 
4.395.  To benefit from the undoubted advantages of this trading opportunity, countries must take 
up several challenges. 
4.396.  In particular, they must meet the conditions laid down by US Customs, as well as dealing 
with issues relating to the requirements of the customer, the competitiveness of the products, 
price, quantities, quality and delivery times. 
4.397.  In our case, judging from the statistics, it appears that Togo is not yet deriving any real 
benefit from AGOA. However, steps are being taken to help Togolese economic operators to export 
under the Act. 
4.398.  Thus, Togo has negotiated the establishment of an AGOA information centre called the 
Resources Centre, which was inaugurated on 20 June 2011. 
4.399.  This centre provides economic operators with information about the advantages of AGOA 
for exporters to the United States market, together with advice and assistance on how to get the 
most out of the programme. 
4.400.  Togo expects to take full advantage of the programme if it is extended for a further 
15-year period after 2015, in conformity with th e wish expressed by the African Heads of State 
at the United States-Africa summit held in Washington from 4 to 6 August 2014. 
4.401.  International trade cannot prosper without security for maritime transport, which is being 
eroded by piracy. Accordingly, my delegation we lcomes the close cooperation that exists between 
the United States and Togo in the fight against maritime piracy off the coasts of West Africa, where my country is in the vanguard. 
THE
 PHILIPPINES 
4.402.  The Philippines associates itself with the ASEAN statement delivered by Ambassador Maung 
Wai of Myanmar. 
4.403.  The Philippines and the United States have strong trade relationship and our two 
Governments are committed to building on that for mutual benefit.  
4.404.  The United States is currently the second biggest trading partner of the Philippines, and 
has traditionally been the Philippines' largest foreign investor. Two-way trade has grown over the 
decades (to over US$24 billion, comprising US$18 billion in goods and over US$7 billion in 
services); complimented with two-way stock of foreign direct investment (reaching US$8 billion).   
4.405.  Through the Philippines - United States Trade and Investment Framework Agreement 
( T I F A )  s i g n e d  i n  W a s h i n g t o n ,  D . C .  o n  9  N o v e mber 1989, trade and trade-related issues are 
bilaterally addressed and resolved with the aim of expanding trade between the two countries, and 
providing impetus for further trade cooperation in a more open, transparent and predictable 
environment for international trade and investment which has become more compelling in these 
challenging times of the global economy. WT/TPR/M/307 • United States 
 
- 56 - 
 
  4.406.  The year 2014 marked significant progress in Philippine–U.S. trade cooperation. Let me go 
through some of them:  
4.407.  The Philippines was removed from Special 301 Watch List of countries with particular 
problems related to intellectual property protection, enforcement, or market access for persons 
relying on intellectual property protection. The Philippines was first listed in 1989 but since 1994, it 
has continuously appeared either on the Watch List or Priority Watch List. The removal of the Philippines was counted as one of the positive de velopments of the year cited in the 2014 Special 
301 Report. This same Report says that "The decision [to remove the Philippines from the Special 
301 List] was based on the collective weight of a series of significant legislative reforms, a move towards more effective civil and administrative enforcement efforts, IP authorities' sustained and constructive engagement with the U.S. Government and members of the private sector, and 
commitments to continue to address remaining concerns." 
4.408.  The U.S. decided to close the so-called GSP review of worker rights issues in the 
Philippines without any change to the GSP trade benefits of the Philippines.    
4.409.  The decision to close the labour review on the Philippines came without any prejudice to 
the eligibility of the Philippines, or reduction in th e GSP benefits that it may enjoy. This meant that 
the Philippines could continue to receive full benefits from the U.S. GSP programme, as it had 
before and during the five-year pendency of th e labour review. The duty-free benefits that 
Philippines enjoys under the programme are not inconsiderable as the country is one of the top ten beneficiaries of the programme. Under the progra mme, the Philippines every year exports to the 
U.S. market over a billion dollars worth of eligible products duty-free.  
4.410.  Third, the U.S. agreed to support the Philippi nes' request for an extension of the latter's 
waiver from the WTO obligation to end the use of quantitative restriction and rely instead on tariffs for protecting domestic rice from foreign competition.  
4.411.  The significance of the waiver for the Philippine s is that, if secured, more time would be 
gained for the Philippines rice industry to make itself competitive against foreign imports, even when only tariffs may be employed  as a tool for its protection.  
4.412.  Fourth, the U.S. and the Philippines decided to expand or grant market access to each 
other for certain of their agricultural products. In the case of the U.S., the decision concerned 
expanding access for Philippine mangoes to include the continental U.S. market. Previously, only Philippine mangoes from the island of Guimaras were allowed to enter continental U.S., as 
distinguished from the non-continental parts of  the U.S., i.e. Hawaii and Guam, where even 
non-Guimaras mangoes were allowed to enter.  
4.413.  In addition to resolving the above four trade issues, it should mentioned that at about the 
same time the U.S. Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) announced that the Philippines had become 
compliant with international safety standards and that as a result its Category 1 rating was restored. Previously, the Philippines had been down -graded to a Category 2 rating in 2008, when 
the FAA determined that the Philippines was not compliant with the safety standards set by the 
International Civil Aviation Organization. 
4.414.  This issue is strictly speaking not a trade but a transportation safety issue, although it can 
have a great impact on the trade and tourism of the Philippines. 
4.415.  Previously, the Trade Facilitation and Cu stoms Cooperation Agreement between the 
Philippines and the U.S. was also signed under the auspices of TIFA.  
4.416.  Today, over four million people of the Philippi nes heritage contribute to the economic fabric 
of the United States, and more than 160,000 Filipino-owned businesses help drive the U.S. 
economy every day. 
4.417.  As we strengthen our bilateral cooperation, we are also working together at the regional 
front. WT/TPR/M/307 • United States 
 
- 57 - 
 
  4.418.  The Philippines looks forward in welcoming the delegation of the United States as we host 
the APEC meetings next year. The Philippines will also continue to work with other APEC economies to build a highly competitive, vibrant,  open, and transparent regional economy that is 
an engine for global growth. 
4.419.  With the realization of the ASEAN economic integration next year, the Philippines looks 
forward to pursuing more vigorous U.S. trade en gagement in the region which collectively is 
considered to the U.S' fourth largest trading partner.  
PANAMA 
4.420.  The United States is Panama's main trading partner and the chief destination for 
Panamanian exports. Merchandise exports consist mainly of products of the fishing industry, sugar, coffee, fruit and juices, together with scrap metal. In the services sector, among other 
things, Panama provides significant transport, tourism and telecommunications services. 
4.421.  The United States is the second largest source of foreign direct investment in Panama. 
Our countries maintain a positive and sound relationship focused on areas of strategic and priority 
interest to both. 
4.422.  On 31 October 2012 the Trade Promotion Agreement between our countries entered into 
force, liberalizing trade in goods and services and including chapters on financial services, 
intellectual property, investment, the environment and maritime trade, among others. 
This agreement will enable Panama to consolidate and expand trade in its products with one of the world's largest and most dynamic and important economies. 
4.423.  Panama will continue to consolidate and strengthen its relations with the United States 
on a basis of fairness to achieve a bilaterally advantageous increase in trade, investment, 
and economic, political and social development. 
4.424.  In today's news, we read that last autumn US manufacturing output exceeded its 
pre-recession peak, an indication of the strengthen ing of the country's economy. This is reflected 
in various observations in the Secretariat report. 
4.425.  We congratulate the United States and urge it to continue adopting initiatives that enable 
it to maintain the positive rates of growth achieved in the last three years and to stabilize 
its economy. 
4.426.  Private domestic investment, exports of goods and services and GDP have increased 
steadily as a result of measures and initiatives adopted by the United States to boost growth, 
reduce unemployment and, above all, to improve its trade policy and compliance with international 
trade rules. 
4.427.  These improvements will also benefit other trading partners of the United States. 
We urge the United States, as one of the main engines and, at the same time, beneficiaries of the 
multilateral trading system, to take careful note of today's comments and observations made by the Secretariat, the discussant and Members. 
NEPAL 
4.428.  As a largest economy and an ardent supporter of liberal trade, the role played by the 
United States in strengthening and enriching rule-based multilateral trading system has remained commendable. The United States has been the most active and decisive force not only in framing 
the rules of the multilateral trading system, but also upholding its basic values and tenets, since 
long. This constructive role of the United States  has supported to meet the fundamental objectives 
of the WTO as enshrined in the preamble of th e Marrakesh agreement. We believe that as the 
largest trading nation, U.S. has to fulfil a profound responsibility to promote multilateral trading 
system 
4.429.  Both the reports, prepared by the Government of the United States and the Secretariat for 
this review, reveal that while there occurred no major changes in the United States' main trade WT/TPR/M/307 • United States 
 
- 58 - 
 
  policy framework during the last two years, some initiatives have been put in place including in 
agriculture sector. It is worthwhile to note that due to adoption of some selected policy reforms, the U.S. economy has largely recovered from the recession of 2007-09 and the GDP growth has taken momentum in the recent years. U.S. recovery has beneficial impact on the global economy 
as a whole. U.S. trade regime has remained as one of the most liberal markets in the present 
world. 
4.430.  The report highlights that U.S. merchandise tr ade continued to expand during the review 
period. Increased production and productivity of oil and gas, coupled with manufactured and 
agriculture products in the recent years contribute d to augmentation of the U.S. export. Similarly, 
the labour market situation continued to improve during the review period, as the unemployment rate continued to drop in 2014. With this positive trend in the U.S., it is hoped that the global 
economy would revive from the remnants of the crisis and follow a smooth economic path of 
growth and prosperity. We encourage the U.S. to continue its reform process and maintain liberal 
trade regime further for ensuring positive impacts on global economy.  
4.431.  Various preferential schemes adopted by the United States have helped many developing 
and LDCs enjoy market access and enhance their export in the U.S. market. Of the many preferential schemes, Nepal used to be the beneficiary of the U.S. global GSP scheme. Despite 
various kinds of preferential schem es introduced by the U.S. Government, it has to do more in 
terms of providing DFQF facility to many Asian LDCs, and bringing it in line with Hong Kong Ministerial declaration as well as Bali Ministerial decision. Many Asian LDCs take the largest market of the United States in high esteem for realizin g their potential in the areas of export interests 
such as readymade garments, textiles and apparels. The expiry of U.S. global GSP scheme in 
July 2013 and the longer time being taken to renew the scheme has been looked upon with c u r i o s i t y .  W e  h o p e  t h a t  o n  r e n e w a l  t h e  G S P  s c h e m e  w i l l  b e  m a d e  m o r e  o p e n ,  s i m p l e  a n d  
equitable, incorporating relevant changes in the rules of origin to streamline and further simplify it 
in line with the Bali decision on preferential rules of origin.  
4.432.  The U.S. has remained a close development partner of Nepal ever since diplomatic 
relations were established in April 1947. Nepal has received technical and financial assistance from 
the United States in several important areas, ranging from infrastructure building to human resources development. With a view to promoting bilateral trade and economic cooperation further, a Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) was signed between the two 
countries in April 2011.  
4.433.  The United States is Nepal's important trading partner. Despite geographical distance, the 
trade between Nepal and the United States both in  terms of value and volume has been increasing 
over the years. The United States is the second  largest exporting country for Nepal after India, 
occupying 8.3% share in its total export. The majo r export items to the United States from Nepal 
include woollen carpet and other woollen pr oducts, readymade garments, cotton products, 
handicrafts, herbs and so on. Nepal's import from the United States include parts of aeroplane and 
helicopters, aircraft engines, bridges and bridges section of iron or steel, electric and electro medical instrument and appliances, medicines, etc.  
4.434.  Finally, we are confident that the United States would continue and further streamline its 
trade liberalization process, putting LDCs' concern and interest at the centre. Let's hope that the 
LDCs would have more flexibility in accessing the U.S. market both in trade in goods and services in the future. Besides, we believe that the United States would accord its full support to implement 
the LDC-Specific Bali outcome and make them binding, especially those relating to DFQF, 
preferential rules of origin, services waiver an d cotton. We hope the United States would soon 
authorize and resume its global GSP scheme, expanding coverage to include some of the 
traditionally established export items of Asian LDCs to U.S. market, such as pashmina and 
garments. It would be much appreciated if this comes in conjunction with more simplified, transparent and export friendly rules of origin. We are optimistic that U.S. will make best use of High Level meeting on LDCs services waiver to be held early next year by announcing some 
preferences to LDCs services and service suppliers . Further, we believe the U.S. would enhance its 
existing technical and financial assistance to all LDCs to build their trade capacity and help them better integrated into the multilateral trading system. The U.S. support to consolidate recently 
launched Trade Facilitation Agreement Facility (TFAF) under the WTO mechanism, would help LDCs 
to acquire necessary capacity to implement TF measures.   WT/TPR/M/307 • United States 
 
- 59 - 
 
  URUGUAY 
4.435.  Uruguay welcomes the delegation of the United States to this important forum for the 
multilateral trading system which serves to make the trade policies of its members more transparent. 
4.436.  Our country maintains friendly and constructive relations with the United States in various 
fields: both at the political and economic level and in the generation of areas of commercial, 
technological, social and cultural cooperation. During the review period, concrete progress has 
been made with the bilateral agenda thanks to a good level of dialogue and coordination on the 
regional and international planes. 
4.437.  Where trade relations are concerned, since the last review they have been strengthened 
even further and flows have increased: in particular, Uruguayan citrus fruit and mutton have 
qualified for access to the United States market, a development which again portrays our country 
to the world as a producer of food characte rized by safety, reliability, traceability and 
environmental value added, with a long tradition of exporting to the most demanding markets. 
4.438.  These advances are also the result of negoti ations within the context of the Trade and 
Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) with  the United States, which has opened up 
opportunities for exchange and cooperation on phytosanitary systems, thereby strengthening the 
trade flows between the two countries. 
4.439.  The United States is a country of considerable importance for Uruguay as a trading 
partner, inasmuch as last year it ranked seventh as a destination for Uruguayan exports. During the review period, exports increased by about 50%. In 2012, Uruguay was one of the main 
suppliers of frozen bovine meat to the United States which, in 2013, was the primary destination 
for various of our export products (canned meat and meat preparations, honey, hides, petroleum 
oils, casein, sawn wood, maize and blueberries). 
4.440.  In recent years, the trade balance between Uruguay and the United States has moved 
increasingly into deficit. Goods coming from the United States have greater value added than Uruguayan exports, being products with a high technological content such as wind generators, 
chemicals, etc. 
4.441.  With reference to the services sector, it should be pointed out that the United States 
market is one of the principal destinations for the Uruguayan information technology and communications (ITC) industry, which has grown steadily during the last ten years, while 
maintaining its export profile and positioning itself at international level as a model software 
industry. Uruguay is currently the foremost ITC exporter per capita in Latin America and the 
third largest in absolute terms. 
4.442.  Where investment is concerned, in 2013 the United States was the fourth largest source 
of investment in Uruguay, evidence of the im portance of US investment for Uruguay and the 
interest being shown by North American business. 
4.443.  With respect to the "Commodities" chapter of  the new Farm Bill, the price and income 
support mechanisms are being maintained through the creation of new programmes. We are concerned about the impact this could have on various agricultural products of interest to Uruguay, since through these programmes profit marg ins are being ensured, so that it is possible 
to foresee an increase in production and, ultimately, an increase in the international supply with 
a consequent fall in international prices. We would also like the delegation of the United States to explain how the increases in the various reference prices are determined, since the changes 
vary depending on the product. 
4.444.  Finally, we would like to stress that the United States has a fundamental role to play in the 
revival of the global economy and international trade through multilateral negotiations, 
which leads us to reaffirm our country's interest in the successful conclusion of the 
Doha Development Round, as a means of strengthening the multilateral trading system. WT/TPR/M/307 • United States 
 
- 60 - 
 
  TRINIDAD  AND  TOBAGO 
4.445.  Many in this room would be familiar with the old saying "When America sneezes, the world 
catches a cold." This saying underscores the importance of the United States for the global economy. We saw this importance during the re cession that plagued the U.S. economy in the 
2007-2009 period, which had a negative impact on the entire global economic system.  
4.446.  Given the United States' significant contribution to the world economy, Trinidad and 
Tobago is indeed encouraged by the U.S. recovery  from the recession and takes positive note that 
its economy is expanding at a healthy pace, as outlined in both reports prepared for this Review.    
4.447.  In this context, we recognize the range of macro-economic policies employed to stimulate 
economic growth and job creation; growth that will no doubt allow the United States to continue to be an engine for global economic growth and development.   
4.448.  However, we do join other delegations in expressing concerns over some policies and 
measures that could be somewhat protectionist in nature and could have implications for free and fair international trade. 
4.449.  Trinidad and Tobago commends the United States for its range of trade-related technical 
cooperation programmes aimed at enhancing the trade capacity of developing countries and LDCs, to facilitate their integration into the global trading system. On this note, my delegation looks 
forward to the United States continuing to play a major role in efforts to ensure that developing 
countries receive the much-needed technical assistance to implement the Trade Facilitation Agreement. 
4.450.  Turning now to the multilateral context, the Unit ed States is one of the key players in the 
multilateral trading system. My delegation theref ore took careful note of the US' commitment to 
playing a leadership role within the WTO, as underlined in its Government statement. In this regard, as the membership works to formulate a post-Bali work programme for the conclusion of 
the DDA negotiations, we urge the United States to remain sensitive to the vulnerabilities and 
needs of small economies such as Trinidad and Tobago, and to demonstrate this sensitivity by supporting the required flexibilities within the system that would contribute significantly to the 
realization of our economic and sustainable development goals. 
4.451.  We also noted with interest the U.S. statement in its report emphasizing the importance of 
this Organization's Dispute Settlement Mechanism. I quote from the U.S. report, "for nearly two 
decades, the WTO dispute settlement system has proven valuable to Members as a unique venue 
for the discussion and adjudication of disputes with trading partners". In this context, Trinidad and 
Tobago wishes to reiterate the statements that it has made within the DSB calling for the U.S. to continue to engage with our CARICOM neighbour An tigua and Barbuda to arrive at a satisfactory 
resolution to their dispute in the near future. 
4.452.  Trinidad and Tobago and the United States enjoy a strong and longstanding diplomatic 
relationship buttressed by collaboration in areas such as trade, investment, energy, security and 
education. With regard to our trade and investment relationship, the United States is Trinidad and 
Tobago's largest trading partner. In 2013, Trinidad and Tobago maintained a positive trade balance that amounted to US$3.5 billion. The United  States is also our largest source of Foreign 
Direct Investment. It goes without saying that Trinidad and Tobago looks forward to strengthening 
this relationship in the coming years. 
4.453.  My delegation has taken the opportunity of this Review to pose questions on a number of 
issues including the U.S. Generalized System of Preferences, Intellectual Property, the 
Trans-Pacific Partnership and the U.S. participation in the WTO. We look forward to the responses. 
MAURITIUS 4.454.  We wish to commend the high degree of cooperation and engagement with the United 
States and this is more pronounced in our AGOA and TIFA interactions .We look forward to 
deepening this cooperation through high level engagement. WT/TPR/M/307 • United States 
 
- 61 - 
 
  4.455.  We are encouraged by signs of recovery in the U.S. which augurs well for all of us.  
4.456.  The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) legislation has always enjoyed bipartisan 
support in Congress and our wish is for all members of Congress to lend their strong and unwavering support for its reauthorisation. 
4.457.  Delay is our worst enemy. Experience has ta ught that delay in renewing AGOA causes 
uncertainty and results in job losses in both Africa and the U.S.     
4.458.  We recommend that AGOA should be renewed for not less than 15 years to provide the 
stability and certainty investors require and, thereby, to broaden the scope of economic 
development fuelled by AGOA. 
4.459.  In addition, the AGOA third-country fabric rule of origin, which allows less-developed AGOA 
beneficiaries to use yarns and fabrics from any origin, accounts for more than 90% of AGOA 
apparel trade. It is absolutely essential to the survival of the AGOA apparel industry that the 
third-country fabric provision should  be extended for the full term by which AGOA is extended, i.e., 
not less than 15 years. On this count, we are following closely negotiations in particular rules of 
origin requirements for apparel in the TPP negotiations. Flexible rules of origin there would impact 
negatively on other preference recipient countries. 
4.460.  We welcome the pledge made by the U.S. Ad ministration for the seamless renewal of 
AGOA including the offer of TA and Capacity bu ilding for diversification of exports by the SSA 
including integration of SSA into the GVCs. Our aspiration is to move to a high income country and integrating our MSMEs in the GVC forms part of our intended strategy. 
4.461.  Mauritius has shown its unwavering commitment to Trade Facilitation and has been the 
first African country to have notified its category A Commitment. We believe in the regional 
dimension of TF and have offered to use Mauritius as a platform for sensitisation of TF through the RMCE, and other Centres of Excellence in Mauritius. We have developed our National 
Implementation Plan and have been advocating for enhanced focus on both the soft and hard 
infrastructure needs of TF.  
4.462.  Mauritius is committed to deepened regional integration through the SADC FTA, Tripartite 
Initiative and COMESA including enhanced trad e and investment between the Indian Ocean 
Commission and IORA countries. We have initiated an Accelerated Programme of Economic Integration with countries in the region aimed at improving the doing business climate and removing bureaucratic hurdles and other barriers to trade for increased trade and investment in 
our region. In this light, we look forward to enhanced assistance provided by relevant U.S. 
agencies including the USAID Trade and Development hub based in Gaborone. 
4.463.  We intend to seek the assistance of competent authorities in the field of Intellectual 
Property and Innovation as well as the development of our ICT Sector and the Ocean Economy. 
4.464.  Good Governance, rule of law, solidity of our institutions is an important pillar towards 
predictable and dynamic trade and investment and we look forward to meaningful cooperation with 
the US. 
OMAN 4.465.  The United States remains the largest single economy in the world and the biggest trading 
power. It successfully came out of the Great Recess ion and in the past couple of years its growth 
rate was enviable, with 3.9% GDP growth in th e third quarter of 2014. Along with GDP growth, 
unemployment rate has been substantially reduced and inflation remains low. This is matched by healthy performance in foreign trade. The U.S. exports grew to an all-time high in 2013. Its 
imports declined by 0.2% because of slow growth in  other parts of the world, but this was the first 
decline in the last five years. 
4.466.  The U.S. deserves praise for its economic and trade policies in a difficult international 
environment. WT/TPR/M/307 • United States 
 
- 62 - 
 
  4.467.  My delegation would like to compliment the United States for its strong support for the 
multilateral trading system. It is heartening to no te that the U.S. appreciates the role of the WTO 
in further liberalization of global trade, strengthening the rules-based trading system and in particular acting as a bulwark against protectionism. We take note of the U.S. commitment to 
promote and strengthen the WTO's existing core functions. 
4.468.  In paragraph 2.1 of the U.S. report, it is stated that the U.S. is committed to opening 
foreign markets through negotiating trade agreements, whether multilateral, regional, bilateral or 
plurilateral. We would be grateful if the U.S. delegation could shed some light on the role 
envisaged for plurilateral agreements  in the framework of WTO rules. 
4.469.  As I said in the beginning, the U.S. report for its TPR is quite detailed. We noticed, 
however, the absence of the Doha Development Agenda. Does this mean that there is a lack of 
interest in the Doha Round negotiations?  
DOMINICA
 ON BEHALF  OF THE MEMBER  STATES  OF THE OECS 
4.470.  As the WTO and Government reports show, the United States continues to be the world's 
largest economy and the world's biggest trader both for exports and imports. In that regard, it 
continues to be the one of the biggest if not the biggest trading partner for many countries and regions. The United States economy is also very deeply integrated into the global economy. Hence 
its domestic economic and trade policies have effects and implications well beyond its borders. Its 
role and influence and thus its required leadership in the global economy and for our purposes here the multilateral trading system is therefore undeniable. 
4.471.  Given our shared maritime and geographic space, it is not surprising that the United States 
is one of the biggest and most important trading partners for the Member States of the OECS. As a 
small island developing States, trade and investment play a significant role in the growth and development of the OECS member States. With our limited political and economic size and 
influence, we place a heavy reliance on the WTO and its rules based multilateral trading system. 
We need it to be well functioning, fair and equi table and to address the needs of the smallest and 
weakest. 
4.472.  In that regard, it is indeed welcome and commendable to note that the U.S. remains 
committed to trade and investment and the role they can play in economic growth and development for both its domestic economy and the global economy at large. It is also welcome and commendable that the WTO and the multilateral trading system remain important aspects of 
the U.S. trade and investment policy and that it is committed to promoting and strengthening its 
core functions. We take note and express apprec iation to the U.S. for its continued regional 
initiatives including specifically the Caribbean Basin initiative from which the OECS members 
benefit. We also commend the U.S. for its varied trade related capacity building initiatives in 
developing countries and LDCs, which our member States have benefitted from over the years. 
4.473.  T h e r e  i s ,  h o w e v e r ,  o n e  a r e a  t h a t  w e  h a v e  a  r e a s o n  t o  b e  d i s c o n t e n t .  W e  n o t e  t h e  
importance and value that the U.S. places on trade enforcement and on the WTO Dispute 
Settlement System. The non-compliance of the United States with the rulings and recommendations of the DSB in the case brought by Antigua and Barbuda concerning the cross border supply of gaming and betting services, howe ver is an issue of very deep concern to the 
OECS member States. This is a situation, which we believe has visited considerable damage on the 
fairness and credibility of this Body, not only within the CARICOM Region, but further afield.   
4.474.  Therefore, as we have done in the past, we continue to call upon the United States to 
engage with Antigua and Barbuda bring an end to this long running case. 
4.475.  In closing, allow me to wish the delegation of  the United States led by Ambassador Michael 
Punke on a successful completion of their twelfth trade policy review at the WTO. 
ICELAND 
4.476.  I welcome your "abiding commitment" to the multilateral trading system and would like to 
use this opportunity to thank the U.S. and you personally, Michael, for your instrumental and WT/TPR/M/307 • United States 
 
- 63 - 
 
  massive contribution to the steps we have managed to take in the WTO context in recent months. 
I am sure your instrumental efforts will contribute to put the DDA back on track and Iceland certainly looks forward to working closely with you to achieve that aim. 
4.477.  The United States is our most important trading partner outside Europe. The numbers say 
it all. Trade in merchandise goods accounts for almost 10% of imports and 4.5% exports, which 
makes the U.S. our second and fifth most important trading partner respectively. The U.S. is also one of the largest foreign investors in Iceland, primarily in the aluminium sector and also 
increasingly in the tourism sector, where we now welcome more than 100,000 U.S. visitors 
annually and that number has doubled in only three years and makes up 10% of the foreign tourists visiting Iceland.  
4.478.  This is now the 12th U.S. Trade Policy Review, underlining the significance of the United 
States economy for global trade and growth. The interest shown by the Members of this 
Organization in its TPR comes as no surprise. The best example of this interest is probably the number of questions that the United States has received in this process.  
4.479.  But when calculating the questions and putting them into statistical context, Ambassador 
Punke made some bold claims of a new record. Well , Michael, I'm afraid that I have to take issue 
with that claim. If we take a per capita measure of the number of questions Iceland received at its 
last TPR, the U.S. would have had to receive 100.000 questions to equal that. And I'm afraid that 
you are still quite far off that target. But in order to get you slightly closer, let me add four more questions to the U.S., which all relate to issues where Iceland has concerns in its bilateral trade with the U.S.  
4.480.  The first is the U.S. import prohibition on eider down. Icelanders have traditionally 
harvested shed feathers of the Eider duck in a sustainable fashion. While this is not a major industry, it still provides an important additional source of income for many rural communities in 
Iceland. Unfortunately, the U.S. still maintains an important ban on this product. Iceland maintains 
that there is no scientific evidence to support th is ban, nor can it be justified by environmental 
concerns. We would again like to urge the U.S. to reconsider its position. 
4.481.  The second question is the so-called E-visa programme, under which some WTO Members 
– but not all - enjoy preferential visa procedures by the U.S. for their investors and business people. This means that investors and traders from countries like ours are at an automatic disadvantage. I would therefore like to ask the U.S. about its plans to extend the E-visa 
programme? 
4.482.  The third issue I would like to take up is the strict import restriction of foreign built fishing 
vessels into the U.S. While these restrictions ma y not be in breach of the letter of the United 
States WTO commitments, they are not within the spirit of the principles upon with the WTO was 
founded. Let me therefore ask whether the U.S. ha s any plans to reconsider these restrictions? 
4.483.  Ambassador Punke mentioned in his statement that the U.S. imports commodities to the 
tune of US$87.000 per second. Well I am only a humble lawyer and not good at numbers. But I 
think I still managed to calculate that during the entire number of seconds that have lapsed since the last TPR two years ago, neither a single feather of Icelandic eider down nor one tiny little fishing boat has been imported to the U.S. 
4.484.  And since I was referring to fishing vessels, I would also like to raise our concerns with the 
recently proposed changes to the U.S. fisheries subsidies programme. We are afraid that it could open the door to financial support for the construction or refurbishment of fishing vessels. Iceland 
and the United States have worked hand in hand in  fighting harmful fisheries subsidies here in the 
WTO and jointly in Bali, amongst others venues, to press for the prohibition of harmful subsidies to the fishing sector that contribute to overfishing. I am sure the U.S. will continue to honour this 
important commitment.  
4.485.  Finally I would like to thank the Chair and the discussant for their contributions here today. 
And speaking of the Discussant, Ambassador John Adank, he referred to  a record of U.S. 
inventions registered in the Encyclopedia Brittanica. I will have to mention one Icelandic discovery. 
Many States claim to have a special relationship with the United States, and Iceland sees itself WT/TPR/M/307 • United States 
 
- 64 - 
 
  falling into that category. I am not going into any details but I would just like to recall that 
1000 years back the Icelander Leif Erikson discovered North America nearly 500 years before Christopher Columbus. Somehow we managed to lose it. But Iceland and the U.S. found one 
another again in 1944 when the United States became the first country to recognize Iceland's 
independence on a rainy day in June 1944. Ever since, Iceland has been grateful to count the 
United States as a key ally and a close friend.   
TANZANIA 
4.486.  The United Republic of Tanzania wishes to commend the Secretariat and the United States 
for the tough reports, especially in the area focused on the support to the developing countries and the African countries in particular. 
4.487.  Tanzania appreciates the support to its economy, particularly the Millennium Challenge 
Account of which the U.S. provided US$8 millio n for five years starting in 2006 to implement 
various programmes and projects. So far, a number of rural road infrastructure, airports and other infrastructures have been built to allow road transport to link the rural sector to trade. 
4.488.  We witness that in all rural areas where the road infrastructure has been built, farmers 
have been able to access markets within their neighbourhood and beyond, which implication is a good opportunity to fight poverty in the rural area s. The rural road infrastructure supported by the 
Millennium Challenge Account has enable farmers to do business in rural areas and supply their 
agricultural products to the market. 
4.489.  Tanzania is also a beneficiary of Power Africa. Tanzania is beneficiary of US$1.2 billion to 
access energy for local investment and rural electrification. Currently in Tanzania, consultations on 
Power Africa are in progress and so far US$9.78 million have been approved. 
4.490.  We thank the United States for this support and wish to see a continuous support to the 
infrastructure in Tanzania and in Africa in general in order to increase our capacity to effectively 
participate in the international trade, as well as the implementation of trade facilitation agreement. 
After all, the infrastructure in Africa and in my country is the most important issue that will make our economies to be promoted soon and not later. 
HAITI 
4.491.  The Haitian delegation thanks the United States for its support for the Haitian economy via 
preference systems such as the programmes known as the Caribbean Basin Initiative and, in particular, the HOPE I, HOPE II and HELP Acts. Since they entered into force, these preferences 
have enabled Haiti considerably to increase its ex ports of textile products to the American market. 
Textile products account for more than 90% of Haiti's global exports. In 2013, under the HOPE II Act, Haiti's exports to the United States amounted to about US$300 million. 
4.492.  The importance of US investment in Haiti deserves to be stressed. For example, the 
Caracol industrial park in the north of the country has benefited from US$15 million in cofinancing from the United States Government. The programme is expected progressively to create nearly 
65,000 direct jobs. 
4.493.  Considering the close links between the United States and Haitian economies, the Haitian 
delegation welcomes the fact that the US econom y has started growing again following the serious 
crisis of 2008. 
4.494.  The Haitian delegation appreciates the fact that the US Government's 2014 Farm Bill 
envisages the abandonment of certain agricultural subsidy programmes which have had a negative impact on some branches of the Haitian economy. The Haitian delegation would therefore 
encourage the United States to continue along this path. 
4.495.  The Haitian delegation commends the leadership of the United States within the WTO and 
congratulates it, in particular, on the understanding reached with India, which has enabled the 
WTO to break the deadlock. WT/TPR/M/307 • United States 
 
- 65 - 
 
  4.496.  The Haitian delegation would strongly encourage the United States to continue playing its 
leadership role in the context of the DDA an d the implementation of the Bali Package. 
KENYA 4.497.  Kenya would like to acknowledge the U.S. as a key partner in trade and investment. 
4.498.  AGOA is the cornerstone of America's trade and investment policy with sub-Saharan Africa. 
It offers substantial trade preferences that, along with those under the U.S. Generalized System of Preferences tariff treatment, allow duty-free-quot a-free treatment for almost all goods produced in 
AGOA-eligible countries – approximately 6,800 products – to enter the U.S. market duty free. 
Kenya is one of the key beneficiaries from duty  free and quota free access to U.S. market under 
the AGOA. The AGOA's period should be extended  to support local investors. The U.S. imports 
from Kenya include apparel, coffee, and tea. U.S.  business investment is primarily in commerce, 
light manufacturing, and the tourism industry. The United States has also signed trade and 
investment framework agreements with the East African Community and with the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa. Kenya is a member of both regional organizations. 
4.499.  The U.S. has been a strategic partner in su pporting the implementation of the Agreement 
on Technical Barriers to Trade in Kenya and the East Africa Community through the Standards Alliance programme. This has enhanced the understanding of the WTO TBT principles, 
transparency and engagement with private sector  in standards development and use. The Kenya 
National Bureau of Standards has established a TBT Information Management Information System through the support of the United States. 
4.500.  We look forward to receiving support from the United States in the implementation of the 
Trade Facilitation Agreement, by funding the Trade Facilitation Agreement Facility, so that Kenya, 
other developing countries and LDCs can benefit through the strengthening of hard and soft infrastructure. This will help to integrate our economies with the Global economy. 
4.501.  Kenya looks forward to close partnership with the United States in the promotion of 
increased trade, development and investment. WT/TPR/M/307 • United States 
 
- 66 - 
 
  5  REPLIES BY THE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE UNITED STATES AND ADDITIONAL 
COMMENTS 
5.1.  Thank you for joining us again today for the continuation of this 12th Trade Policy Review of 
the United States. And many thanks to all of you fo r your very active participation during the first 
day of this review on Tuesday. 
5.2.  As mentioned in our opening statement on Tuesday, the United States regards this review as 
a valuable opportunity to listen to, and to learn from other Members, and to take on board various 
perspectives on our nation's trade policies. Our experience on Tuesday confirmed the usefulness of 
that process of listening. We appreciate the observations offered by over 50 Members, and the mostly constructive spirit in which they were articulated. 
5.3.  As is the case with all Members experiencing this process, we, of course, fully expect criticism 
to be part of the picture of our TPR. And while we are not always able to respond as immediately 
or as fully as some of our partners would like , and while sometimes we disagree strongly with 
certain assertions or premises, hearing from all of you makes a difference in the way we think 
about formulating our trade policies. We are also appreciative for the acknowledgment from so 
many of the fact that the United States maintains one of the most open economies in the world. 
5.4.  We hope that the massive effort we devoted to responding in writing to your many written 
questions will prove useful. This morning I would like to respond briefly to a few of the more 
c o n s i s t e n t  t h e m e s  w e  t o o k  o n  b o a r d  o n  T u e s d a y .  W h a t  f o l l o w s  w i l l  n o t  b e  a  c o m p r e h e n s i v e  response to every intervention or question, but I hope to provide some elaboration on our written responses to questions posed by Members. 
5.5.  Let me note at the outset how gratified the United States is that we heard such consistent 
acknowledgments and expressions of appreciation for the commitment of the U.S. to the WTO, and 
for our leadership within it. This recognition means a great deal to Ambassador Froman and to all 
of us who work on trade policy within the WTO.   
5.6.  Of course, we work to advance constructive leadership in the WTO not because we seek 
praise – although that is certainly welcome – but because we recognize how deeply the success of 
our economy and of our broad trade policy mission is tied to the viability and health of the WTO 
and the multilateral trading system that it supports. We are committed to partnering with all of you to keep this institution vibrant because, first and foremost, it is in our national self-interest to do so. 
5.7.  As a brief aside, we note that one Member seemed confused by the use of the term "global 
trading system" rather than "multilateral trading system" in our Government's report.  We are not 
sure we really understand this concern, but let me provide a blanket reassurance – we do not see 
a meaningful distinction between "global" and "multilateral", and that is probably why we hear 
these terms used interchangeably in this institution. 
5.8.  Let me now turn briefly to a few themes raised on Tuesday. 
5.9.  Ambassador Adank's presentation made considerable note of the 2014 Farm Bill as 
representing an important development during the period under review, and many Members understandably expressed an interest in this le gislation and how it will be implemented. The 
questions and observations generally acknowledged th at the process of implementing the Farm Bill 
is still underway. While there was some suggestion that the new policy has the potential to be 
trade distorting, we would note that nearly all potential payments under the 2014 Farm Bill are made on historical production, without refere nce to current production, thus removing the 
incentives that lead to surplus production.   
5.10.  Nevertheless, we understand fully that the U.S. Farm Bill represents an important "fact on 
the ground" in discussions on agriculture here at the WTO, and we are committed to keeping 
Members informed, through required notifications and through discussions in the relevant 
committees and negotiating groups, as the implementation process advances. As to the bill's relevance to ongoing negotiations on agriculture in the context of the DDA, of course it is just as relevant as the agricultural programmes of any other Member. It represents a current, important WT/TPR/M/307 • United States 
 
- 67 - 
 
  reality. As such, it is one of many current, important realities that must be a part of any 
meaningful discussion of agriculture. But we certainly do not view our Farm Bill as affecting our ability to engage towards finding results across the scope of the DDA that are appropriately balanced and trade-liberalizing. The United States previously proposed further liberalization of our 
agricultural policies as part of a broader reform in the DDA. If and when all key WTO Members are 
prepared to negotiate seriously about meaningful reforms, in particular market access opening 
that has proven so difficult, the United States will be prepared to do its part. 
5.11.  A number of Members raised concerns about increased usage of U.S. trade remedy 
procedures during the period under review.   
5.12.  We should all be concerned about injurious dumping and subsidization and the effects the 
increasing prevalence of these practices has on the trading system. We would remind Members 
that investigating and remedying these trade-distorting practices is specifically provided for under 
WTO rules. The practices of many major WTO player s reflect recognition of this fact. Indeed, we 
note the increase in AD and CVD cases by many  WTO Members, including, in some cases, the 
specific addition of attorneys to prosecute anti-d umping and countervailing duty cases. Under U.S. 
law, anti-dumping and countervailing duty investigations are initiated in response to a petition filed by the domestic industry. The decision then to impose a measure is based on a factual 
determination of whether injurious dumping or countervailable subsidization exists. These are not 
policy decisions on behalf of the U.S. Government . Rather, the determinations made are based on 
the gathered evidence, and in nearly half of the anti-dumping investigations initiated in 2013, the evidence resulted in a determination not to impose a measure either because of no dumping or no 
material injury. It is also important to put the recent increases in context. Anti-dumping initiations 
and imposition of measures by all WTO Members have seen a nearly one-third increase in 2013. The United States is particularly alert to this increase as we are now the third most-named country 
in anti-dumping duty investigations, a status that has been obtained only during this most recent 
TPR period. 
5.13.  At the same time, imposition of global safeguard measures by WTO Members has increased 
significantly in recent years, while the United States has not imposed such a measure in more than 
a decade. In sum, concern about what the overall trends tell us is warranted, but concerns United States trade policy decisions are somehow at fault are not.   
5.14.  With regard to observations that sunset re views of U.S. anti-dumping orders may often 
result in an extension of those orders, I woul d remind Members that, under U.S. law, these 
reviews are administrative processes that depend importantly on the participation of respondents. We have observed numerous instances in which respondents in U.S. anti-dumping proceedings 
simply fail to participate in sunset reviews. This naturally reduces prospects for the termination of 
orders. Members may wish to look for ways to remi nd interested stakeholders of the importance of 
active participation in the review process. 
5.15.  A number of Members raised concerns regarding the existence of tariff peaks within the U.S. 
tariff schedule. We take note of these concerns, but consider it important to clarify that the United 
States is hardly an outlier in maintaining higher tariffs on products that are sensitive. In addition, the tariff profile of the United States compares extremely favourably in this regard to that of other 
large Members. According to the WTO, 2.7% of the United States' MFN tariff schedule at the 
6-digit level is bound at duty rates above 15%, while 45.2% of U.S. 6-digit lines are bound at zero. For purposes of comparison, the percentage of lines bound above 15% is 4.4% for the EU, 
16.4% for China, and 71.5% for India. For those same partners, the percentage of lines bound at 
zero are 28.9% for the EU, 6.6% for China, and 2.3% for India.     
5.16.  Permit me now to respond briefly to concerns raised in this review regarding U.S. 
compliance with proceedings under the WTO's dispute settlement procedures. A review of the 
record - that is, based on facts and not rhetoric - demonstrates that the United States has come into compliance, fully and promptly, in the vast majority of disputes in which the DSB has issued recommendations with respect to a U.S. measure.  As for the remaining few instances where U.S. 
efforts have not yet been successful, including some mentioned during the course of this review, 
we have been working actively towards resolving such matters. For example, it is useful to recall that in recent months, the United States success fully resolved both the Upland Cotton and Clove 
Cigarette disputes. And Members looking at the record objectively will recall that over 2012 and 
2013, the United States resolved numerous disputes and proceedings involving the use of WT/TPR/M/307 • United States 
 
- 68 - 
 
  "zeroing" in certain anti-dumping duty comparison methodologies, despite the strong 
disagreement of the United States with appellate reports on that issue. Therefore, the United 
States has a strong record of support for the WTO dispute settlement system, including through implementation actions and working with other Members to resolve disputes, and we will continue 
to demonstrate this commitment through our actions, despite any misguided and unsupported 
assertions to the contrary. 
5.17.  We took careful note of interventions and questions from a number of Members regarding 
the Buy America provisions under U.S. law. For context, it is significant to note that hundreds of 
billions of dollars of U.S. government procurement contracts are open to foreign competition under the combination of our GPA and FTA commitments, and those opportunities were increased in 2011 as part of the WTO plurilateral work to expand the GPA agreement. Like every other GPA 
Member, the United States excludes certain procurements from its covered commitments. The 
United States is committed to ensuring its covered government procurement, at all levels of Government, is conducted consistent with its obligations under the WTO Agreement on 
Government Procurement and relevant U.S. FTAs. We will remain open to discussing specific 
procurement concerns with our GPA and other trading partners. 
5.18.  A few Members spoke about so-called "homecoming of manufacturing" or "insourcing" 
policies of the United States. The United States considers it to be a normal practice for any country 
to promote a strong and attractive investment and innovation environment, based notably on strong rule of law, and founded on non-discriminatory policies that do not distort trade. Certainly the United States intends to compete vigorously in the competitive global environment. While it 
may be the case that developments in the U.S. energy market have increased the attractiveness of 
manufacturing investment in the United States, we do not see how this constitutes any sort of concern under the framework governing relations among WTO Members. 
5.19.  I would like to especially acknowledge the numerous statements of interest from developing 
country Members concerning the status of reauth orization of the U.S. GSP and AGOA programmes. 
As those Members will see reflected in our written answers, renewal of these programmes 
constitutes an important priority for the United States Administration, and one on which we 
continue to work actively with the Congress. These trade preferences continue to constitute a critical element of U.S. trade and development policies, and we will continue to update Members about progress in this area. 
5.20.  We also heard a great deal of understandable interest in the pursuit by the U.S. of large, 
complex free trade agreements in the context of the TPP, TTIP, and TiSA negotiations. These initiatives are, it is true, very high priorities for the United States, representing as they do 
important commercial opportunities as well as the ability to explore with our partners ways in 
which we can adapt trade agreements usefully to the conditions prevailing in today's trading world. We must note, of course, that all major players within the WTO, both developed and developing, 
are actively pursuing bilateral and regional agreements of their own. The statements we heard 
from many Members on Tuesday reassure us that most WTO Members understand that the United States' pursuit of these important initiatives in no way detracts from the attachment of the United States to the unique role of the WTO and the multilateral trading system in fostering stable trading 
relations on a global scale. We remain committed, including through the relevant GATT and GATS 
provisions governing regional trade agreements, to conducting our bilateral, plurilateral and regional negotiations in a way that complements the value of the multilateral system. Of course, 
the WTO is one of many fora for promoting international trade. The best way to assure its vibrancy 
is for Members to make WTO negotiations constructive and relevant. We have an opportunity to do just that in the coming year. 
5.21.  I have tried in this statement to touch on some of the themes that were most consistent in 
the written questions and verbal interventions made during this review. I recognize that I have not 
b e e n  a b l e  t o  t o u c h  o n  t h e  m a n y  d o z e n s  o f  i s s u e s  r a i s e d  b y  M e m b e r s .  I ' d  l i k e  t o  r e a s s u r e  t h e  Membership that the United States has taken careful note of every single question and issue raised 
during this TPR, including, to name just a few,  implementation of the Food Safety Modernization 
Act, consideration of potential new rules relating to fish subsidies, and a range of issues related to the regulation of telecommunications, health, and other services sectors. 
5.22.  Several Members mentioned the DDA and the development of a post-Bali work programme. 
As we stated in the most recent meeting of the General Council, we look forward to engaging with WT/TPR/M/307 • United States 
 
- 69 - 
 
  other Members in coming months to draw some conclusions about the most sensible ways of 
moving forward with the DDA. On Tuesday, we a ppreciated very much that a number of Members, 
in acknowledging U.S. leadership in this institution, made reference to the flexibility we have shown. Clearly, flexibility on the part of all Member s will be essential if we are to conclude the DDA 
successfully. We are committed to being part of that give-and-take. 
5.23.  Finally, before closing, I want to mention briefly the exciting and historic announcement 
made yesterday by President Obama with regard to relations between the United States and Cuba. 
I am sure that many Members will have questions about this decision. The United States will look 
forward to working together to answer these questions in the weeks and months ahead.  
5.24.  The United States approaches the end of this review with a certain measure of relief, which 
is a sentiment I'm sure all Members can appreciate. The TPR is a rigorous, demanding, and at 
times maddening process. It is an enormous amount of work for big and small Members alike. It is 
also immeasurably worthwhile, and represents one of the most valuable innovations of this now-20-year-old World Trade Organization.   
5.25.  I'd like to close by extending the warm thanks of all of our team – including the hundreds of 
colleagues across the scope of our Government in Washington – who participated in responding to your questions. We deeply appreciate the serious engagement of all of you, and we are grateful for 
the role of the Secretariat, the Chair, and our ex cellent discussant in shepherding us through this 
process. 
DISCUSSANT 5.26.  Just a disclaimer to avoid any misunderstanding, the comments I made on Tuesday and 
those I make today are in my personal not in my country or Chair capacity.   
5.27.  I thank Ambassador Punke and his team for the detailed responses to the questions and 
issues that Members have posed during this Review. The large number of delegations that took the 
floor on Tuesday is yet further the confirmation of the importance Members attach to U.S. trade 
policy and this review process. 
5.28.  A number of key themes emerged from this discussion. The fact that the U.S. was the top 
export partner for 67 WTO members, and a very sign ificant export partner for many others, served 
to underline just how important the United States recovery from the Great Recession is for WTO Members as a whole. This was an extremely positive message particularly in light of the less propitious economic conditions that confronted th e United States and Members at the time of their 
11th review at the end of 2012. 
5.29.  The United States was widely commended for maintaining a generally open, transparent and 
facilitative trading environment. In addition to th is, there seemed to be a broad recognition of the 
U.S. ongoing role in resisting and advocating against protectionist measures.   
5.30.  As in the past, Members took the opportunity to raise a number of specific trade concerns 
that they see as exceptions to this generally posi tive characterisation of U.S. trade policy. I have 
already mentioned some of the areas of concern in my opening statement and am sure the Chair 
will comment further on these in her concluding remarks. I think one of the messages from Members was that the U.S. capacity to advocate for reforms from other Members or the WTO Membership as a whole could be undermined by some of the specific policies maintained or 
introduced in certain areas. This therefore called for some reflection on whether the U.S. could 
improve even further on its recognized generally open regime. We will have another opportunity in two years to check-in on any developments here. 
5.31.  As I said in my opening comments, the basic fundamentals of U.S. trade policy have not 
changed during the period of review. The Farm  Bill stood out nevertheless as a significant 
development and it was interesting to hear the comments and questions that Members have 
posed, along with the statements and U.S. respon ses to them. I think this is the beginning of a 
dialogue that will inevitably be played out more broadly in other fora within the WTO. Likewise we have seen some important developments in the services area, including in relation to health reform which were of considerab le interest to Members.    WT/TPR/M/307 • United States 
 
- 70 - 
 
  5.32.  The very positive role of the United States in providing much needed technical assistance 
and trade capacity building, including specific in-country initiatives aimed at facilitating trade including through the implementation of the provisions of the Trade Facilitation Agreement, were also commended. The U.S. intentions with regard to improving market access for LDCs as well as 
the extension of GSP through relevant programmes, along with addressing tariff peak issues more 
generally were also highlighted as an ongoing priority by a range of Members. 
5.33.  The crucial role of the United States within the WTO – which is basically shorthand for its 
special responsibility along with other key players within the system in making the system work – 
also stands out as a key theme.   
5.34.  Quite a large number of members seemed keen to get reassurance that the WTO would 
retain a key role within U.S. trade negotiating priorities going forward notwithstanding the 
significant role that FTA and mega-FTA initiatives now occupy within US trade policy. The 
significant FTA negotiating activity is undisputedly, a significant development and a clear change from the situation that pertained a decade ago, with the tempo of this activity also significantly 
heightened in the last two years. The U.S. is hardly unique in this regard and WTO rules – GATT 
Article XXIV and GATS Article V - continue to govern any of these initiatives undertaken by WTO Members. Nevertheless, the role of the U.S. in global trade – the fact it remains the largest world 
economy - naturally makes Members focus more attention on the balance the U.S., in particular,  
will strike between its FTA and WTO negotiating agendas going forward.  
5.35.  In this regard, many Members took the opportunity to praise the important leadership role 
the U.S. played in bringing the Bali Ministerial Conference to a successful conclusion, and more 
recently its joint efforts with India to resolve the impasse over implementation of the Bali 
outcomes, along with its leadership in initiatives like the ITA negotiations. 
5.36.  Building further on this, Members clearly wish ed to encourage further leadership by the 
United States particularly in relation to the cha llenging agenda faced in 2015 in regard to the work 
programme mandated in Bali as further elab orated recently by the General Council.   
5.37.  This highlights what some might see as a kind of contradiction that even Members that may 
have difficulties with certain aspects of U.S. trade policy or the U.S. approach to issues within the 
WTO negotiating agenda still very much want to  encourage leadership by the U.S. in the WTO 
system. This is simply recognition of the fact that without such leadership and engagement of all key players, the ability of the system to deliver more will remain constrained. I can fully appreciate 
that at times it must be frustrating for the U.S. to hear this refrain but I would hope that the 
United States will see these expressions of "love" in a positive light. Just as I would suggest that 
Members also need to reflect going forward that the perspectives of those whose leadership they 
call for within the system - the United States among others - will need to be carefully listened to if 
we are to progress our agenda and expand th rough consensus the WTO acquis of rules. 
5.38.  Finally, I think we all welcome the announcement of an important policy change announced 
in the last day mentioned by Ambassador Punke in his comments this morning. This is certainly an 
extra bonus for everyone to take away from this TPR Review. 
JAPAN 5.39.  At the outset, let me thank the U.S. delegation for providing us with informative oral 
explanations regarding our concerns. We also would like to express our appreciation for the helpful 
comments from the discussant. 
5.40.  Japan read the answers provided by the U.S. to our written questions carefully, and has 
submitted two follow-up questions in written form. Both questions refer to maritime transport, in 
particular measures to promote the use of U.S.-flag vessels. We are looking forward to receiving answers to these questions in due course.  
5.41.  Finally, Japan is willing to work closely with the U.S., together with other Members, for our 
future discussions in the WTO, sharing the common  objectives of maintaining and strengthening 
the multilateral trading system. WT/TPR/M/307 • United States 
 
- 71 - 
 
  CHINA 
5.42.  Thank you for giving me the floor and thanks again for the discussant's insightful remarks.  
5.43.  In light of the U.S. delegation's reply to our written questions and its response this morning 
to the discussions held on Tuesday, China would like to make a few comments and highlight our 
major concerns. 
5.44.  Firstly, regarding quantitative easing, the answer we get is that "The Administration does 
not comment on the Fed's conduct of monetary policy in any context". As we made it clear earlier, 
the U.S. macro-economic policy has great impact on world economy. Since to enhance 
transparency is what the TPR process is aiming at, we hope that the U.S. delegation can provide more information on this issue. 
5.45.  Secondly, on trade remedy measures, the U.S. delegation replied that "investigations are 
initiated in response to petitions filed by a U.S. industry" with decision made on a factual 
determination of relevant factors. As it is a common concern among Members, we would like the U.S. to clarify with more details. 
5.46.  Thirdly, the uniform implementation of laws, regulations and standards across the U.S. is 
fairly important for businesses to operate smoothly in  the U.S. In its answer the U.S. states that 
there is "a constitutional system that ensures that any conflicting state level laws can be 
pre-empted by federal laws", while to another question, it has replied that 25 States have enacted 
electronics waste recycling laws but there are no plans for the U.S. to enact a national law at this time. We hope to see more transparent and uniform sub-federal measures in the future. 
5.47.  Fourthly, on the Section 337 issue, our concern is how the loopholes in the Section 337 
investigations, frequently used by some Patent Trolls against the legitimate business interests of 
foreign companies in the U.S., can be closed. The current answer from the U.S. does not have enough information. 
5.48.  Fifthly, on the change of wording from "multilateral" to "global" in its policy statement, we 
are pleased to hear in its opening remarks on Tuesday and today, that the U.S. remains committed to the multilateral trading system and we sincerely hope the U.S. will continue to show 
that commitment in the days to come. 
5.49.  We also would like to echo some Members in their concerns over programmes such as the 
Buy American Act, Make It In the USA, the implicit subsidy to "too big to fall" banks, and the 2014 Farm Bill. We will review the relevant U.S. responses closely. 
5.50.  To conclude, we would like to thank the U.S. delegation for their replies so far. Yesterday, 
we submitted some additional questions based on  the latest feedback from Beijing. We look 
forward to the answer from the U.S. delegation, and would be grateful if the U.S. could provide 
some additional comments on the points we have identified today in the final version of answers, 
which will be circulated as Addendum to the minutes of this review.  
5.51.  Finally, we wish the U.S. delegation and you all a happy holiday season. 
EUROPEAN
 UNION 
5.52.  The EU would like to thank the delegation of th e United States for the replies provided to 
our advance questions as well as for the additional information provided this morning.  
5.53.  We would like to note with some regret th at the U.S. has not opted for the alternative 
timeframe for this exercise, which provides more time to Members to study the replies in advance 
of the meeting and would have given a chance for more interaction. Furthermore, the EU would have appreciated more thorough and detailed rep lies, in particular in the areas of customs 
procedures, SPS measures (notably related to listeriosis and BSE) and government procurement. 
We have limited ourselves to few follow-up questions but we very much look forward to comprehensive replies and thank the U.S. delegation in advance for them. WT/TPR/M/307 • United States 
 
- 72 - 
 
  5.54.  Finally, the EU would like to thank the delegation of the U.S. for their participation in this 
important transparency exercise. 
THE RUSSIAN  FEDERATION 
5.55.  The Russian Federation considers the TPR exer cise as an important means of dialogue 
between Members on trade policy issues. 
5.56.  We are thankful to the U.S. for the written an swers provided to our questions. However, we 
are discouraged that this TPR didn't highlight th e lack of specific actions that the U.S. was 
expected to undertake in achieving the high stan dards of transparency and non-discrimination in 
its trade policy. Despite liberalization addressed to its trading partners, as the TPR showed, the U.S. itself often resorts to protectionist measures. In particular, we are concerned by measures expressed by a number of WTO Members regarding By America Act, U.S. practices in trade 
remedies and support in agriculture. 
5.57.  We are particularly disappointed with the lack of clear explanation of the measures in 
connection with the situation in Ukraine. In our view, such U.S. actions are unacceptable as they 
go against the fundamental spirit of rule law and bring uncertainty to the legal environment and to 
what business will have to face, their negative impact on such countries and to international trade as a whole. 
5.58.  We expected more substantial feedback from our U.S. partner during this TPR and we will 
submit follow-up questions and comments in due course.  
REPUBLIC
 OF KOREA 
5.59.  First of all, I thank the U.S. delegation fo r their huge and hard work for this TPR and 
congratulate the U.S. on opening the door to di plomatic and commercial ties with Cuba which will 
have an enormous impact on global trade. 
5.60.  I believe that the two-days meeting of the TP R of the United States provided a valuable 
opportunity to review the trade policy of the Unit ed States and the interactions between Members 
and the United States, having been both informative and productive. 
5.61.  I am also very pleased to see that Members have actively engaged in this TPR of the United 
States. I heard the recognition of the continued leadership of the United States on the DDA 
negotiations including on the formulation of Post-Bali work programmes, and plurilateral initiatives such as negotiations on trade and services agre ement, expansion of the information technology 
agreement and the environmental agreement. 
5.62.  Considering the importance of the U.S. econom y and the multifaceted nature of its trade 
policies, this short period would not be sufficient to cover all the issues on investment policies. Of course, they are remaining points which were not brought up and warrant further discussions. In 
this regard, and as Ambassador Punke pointed out this morning, we need to continue to look at 
the issues for the mutual benefit of Members and the United States. 
5.63.  Finally, I would like to conclude myremarks by saying that the United States has carried out 
its work in accordance with what the French philosopher Voltaire articulated "with the great power 
comes great responsibility". So, it is not surprisi ng that so many advance written questions were 
put forward on operational details of the U.S. tr ade measures and the prospective of the United 
States looking at all this matter in light of the relevant WTO rules. 
5.64.  Once again, I would like to congratulate the success of the 12
th TPR of the United States and 
wish the U.S. delegates happy holidays that they deserve. 
ARGENTINA 
5.65.  We would also like to thank Ambassador Punke for the replies provided this morning to the 
concerns we expressed last Tuesday and the discussant for his conclusions. WT/TPR/M/307 • United States 
 
- 73 - 
 
  5.66.  We would also like to thank the United States for its written replies to our timely questions, 
which have now been examined by our authorities. This morning we submitted new follow-up questions in this respect. Please accept our thanks in advance for your answers to these new questions. Season's greetings to all. 
UNITED
 STATES 
5.67.  I have taken careful note of the comments from several Members about the importance of 
dialogue and back and forward participation as pa rt of the TPR process and we very much agree 
with that. It is a little bit difficult in this room to have a truly dialogue but we have listened very 
carefully today to the additional comments that have been made and when appropriate we will review the responses in our written questions and will provide additional information we can. 
5.68.  We are greatly appreciative for the holiday wishes, we agree that we all deserve a happy 
holiday after a busy year and on behalf of the U.S. delegation we hope that all of you will spend 
more time with your families and less time  with us over the next several weeks. WT/TPR/M/307 • United States 
 
- 74 - 
 
  6  CONCLUDING REMARKS BY THE CHAIRPERSON 
6.1.  At this twelfth Trade Policy Review of the Unit ed States, we have benefitted from the active 
participation of a large number of Members and th e delegation of the United States. Members had 
sought a better understanding of the United States' trade, economic, and investment policies, 
including their impact on the world economy and tr ade. I would like to thank the U.S. delegation 
led by H.E. Ambassador Michael Punke, Permanent Representative of the United States to the 
WTO, for their active engagement, as well as the discussant H.E. Ambassador John Adank, 
Permanent Representative of New Zealand to the WTO, in his personal capacity, for his insightful 
comments. The successful review was based on reports by the WTO Secretariat and the United States. A large number of questions were asked by many Members in advance and at the meeting, and timely responses to the questions were provid ed by the United States. We look forward to 
replies to remaining questions no later than one month after this meeting. 
6.2.  The United States was generally commended  for having one of the most open and 
transparent trade and investment regimes. It was also noted that with the exception of the Farm 
Bill, most U.S. trade policies remained broadly the same with few changes since the last review. 
For many Members this had both positive and negative aspects, as the United States had refrained from introducing protectionist measures in the period after the global financial crisis, yet 
long-standing barriers in certain sectors remained a hindrance to trade.  
6.3.  Members reaffirmed the central importance of th e United States in the world trading system, 
as one of the world's largest economies. It was recognized as the world's leading services exporter, the largest merchandise importer and the second largest merchandise exporter. In 
addition, the United States remains among the top three trading partners for over 60 WTO 
Members. While further clarifications were soug ht on the potential systemic effect of U.S. 
Quantitative Easing (QE) policy, Members praised its economic recovery and the expected spillover 
effects through increased cross border investment flows.  
6.4.  Many Members looked to the United States for leadership in the multilateral trading system, 
especially in the Doha Round and on the post-Bali agenda. Members commended the United States 
for the role it played in bringing a successful conclusion to the Trade Facilitation negotiations, and 
they looked for a continued leadership across the broader WTO agenda in the future. Within the WTO, the United States played an important role not only in the negotiations but also in the regular work of the organization, and it also was a major user of the DSB. While the United States 
maintained an overall good record of compliance with WTO rules and obligations, its lack of timely 
implementation of DSB panel outcomes was noted as being problematic. The same situation arose 
with respect to notifications, where a good tr ack record was noted, but certain improvements 
could be made. Some delegations also referred to trade tensions in other areas. 
6.5.  Many Members noted that perhaps the most significant trade-related policy change since the 
last Review of the United States is the adoption of the new Farm Bill in February 2014. Members 
welcomed the elimination of price support and export subsidies for dairy products. Some Members 
raised, however, concerns about the moving away from direct payments to farmers (i.e. Green Box support) towards new trade and production distorting programmes of domestic support. For its part, the United States expected the 2014 Farm Bill to remain within WTO commitments, and in 
any case, the Farm Bill retained a so-called "circuit breaker" provision to ensure this. Members 
enquired how some of the new programmes would be  classified and how th e new Farm Bill would 
affect the U.S. position in the agricultural negotiations of the DDA. The United States was 
affirmative that the 2014 Farm Bill does not change its position. Other agricultural issues on which 
clarification was sought include the changes in the export credit, cotton and dairy regimes, and the reasons behind low TRQ fill rates for some products. 
6.6.  It was recognized that the United States was pursuing trade liberalization on many fronts, 
including bilaterally, plurilaterally, and multilaterally. While clearly there were concrete benefits in terms of increased trade for FTA partners, the majority of U.S. trade still took place under the MFN regime. However, with the growing number of regional initiatives, TPP and T-TIP; this would likely 
alter this ratio and have a significant impact on non-participating third parties. Some Members 
recognised the complimentary nature of plurilateral initiatives that the United States was involved in—ITA expansion, TISA, and EGA, while others inquired how these fit in with the multilateral 
trading system. WT/TPR/M/307 • United States 
 
- 75 - 
 
  6.7.  While it was clear that the United States played an important role for most of the world's 
traders, it was even more so important to so me of the world's smallest and least developed 
countries. Many of these countries noted the ex piry of the GSP programme and encouraged the 
United States to re-authorise this important preference programme. Similar concerns were raised 
with respect to AGOA, where it was noted that it would expire in 2015 and was already causing 
uncertainty for traders and investors. Members encouraged the United States to renew the programme without delay and for a significant peri od of time. Least-developed countries inquired 
about the status of the Duty Free Quota Free co mmitment and how it would be implemented by 
the United States, including its relation to other preference programmes. Many were grateful for the preferences that they received, and for the bilateral aid and capacity building initiatives supported by the United States as well. 
6.8.  Thus, both at the meeting and in their advanced questions, Members highlighted the 
following new or systemic issues in which they en couraged the United States to take action; many 
of which the United States have also addre ssed in their concluding remarks, earlier. 
• On trade remedies , Members raised concerns about the significant increase in antidumping 
and countervailing measures investigations during the review period and for the significant trend in the continued renewal of duties imposed after sunset reviews, often resulting in the 
remedies being applied for decades. 
• While it was noted that tariffs  were generally low, and that the trade-weighted average was 
even lower, Members encouraged the United States to address tariff peaks, as they were often applied on products of interest to developing countries, i.e. agriculture, textiles & 
apparel, and tobacco. 
• Members recognized the importance that trade facilitating measures  had on the efficient 
and timely clearance of goods through customs and looked forward to developments on the 
single window and expansion of trusted trader  programmes. However, they noted that there 
needed to be a balance between enforcement and security, and encouraged the United States to re-examine the Secure Freight Initiative and Container Security Initiative. 
• The subject of fish and fish subsidies , including the role of the United States in the 
"Friends of Fish", was raised by many Members. The United States was encouraged to refrain from subsidizing the fishing industry, both directly and indirectly through the refurbishing of fishing vessels.  
• The services sector  was noted as an important driver of the economy, and in terms of 
trade, was relatively open. However, there were  certain sectors, such as domestic maritime 
and air transport that remained virtually closed to foreign competition, in which Members 
sought a long-standing reversal in policy. Members also raised issues with the on-going 
reforms of the financial sector, visas for foreign professionals, healthcare reform and health insurance portability, and the LNG transport regime. 
• A number of Members expressed concern about certain SPS measures  and sought 
clarification concerning the revised BSE regime and the additional requirements under the new Food Safety Modernization Act.  
• Intellectual Property  r i g h t s  c o n c e r n s  w e r e  r a i s e d  b y  a  n u m b e r  o f  M e m b e r s ,  a n d  t h e  
United States was encouraged to reform the ju dicial process for patents and examine certain 
matters as they related to patents and the Section 337 investigative process. 
• Certain government programmes, such as "Make it in America" and SelectUSA , were 
raised by several Members as they could have a trade-diverting impact. 
• Members encouraged the United States to further promote transparency in its Government 
Procurement  system. In addition, questions were posed regarding the "Buy America 
Provision" in many federal and sub-federal tendering processes. 
6.9.  This is not an exhaustive list of all the issues raised by Members for this review but 
constitutes what I consider the main points, as raised by many delegations. WT/TPR/M/307 • United States 
 
- 76 - 
 
  6.10.  In summary, the United States was applauded for its economic recovery and for maintaining 
open trade and investment regimes, although Members encouraged the United States to make further improvements and continue its leadership within the multilateral trading system. 
6.11.  This concludes our review of the United States. The substantial number of advance 
questions and the 51 interventions are testimony to  the importance the Membership attaches to 
the United States. 
6.12.  Finally, let me thank the delegation of the United States for their dedication to this exercise, 
the discussant for his comments, and Members for contributing to what has been a very successful 
Review. 
 
__________