Although talks are scheduled to begin again in three months for agriculture and services, sentiment isn't high that there will be any agreement for how to go forward in these two areas until after the Presidential election next year. Most of the meetings I participated in at the Seattle meeting were not tied to whether an outline for negotiation was completed or not. They focused on cementing relationships with countries to which Wyoming currently exports or would like to export products in the future, including beef and trona. China was one of the primary countries we are interested in from an agricultural and soda ash standpoint. They are going forward with the bilateral agreement as a sign of good faith and commitment to full membership and the expected responsibilities and benefits accorded a WTO member country.
Trade is no exception.
Knowing this, we should provide responsible leadership on trade issues. Just as we expect foreign countries to allow U.S. products and services to gain fair access to their markets, foreign countries expect to gain fair market access to the U.S. market. Putting these principles of fairness for both our businesses and foreign businesses into action, along with our continued efforts to expand market access for U.S. goods and services abroad, will help encourage a better worldwide trading system.