| ||||
| Trade Weekly Columns |
 |
5/02/2004 | WTO: Ag Subsidies Illegal
The World Trade Organization (WTO) issued a nearly 400 page preliminary decision on April 26 against U.S. farm subsidies. The decision, which is still subject to revision, will be released to the public in June. In my meeting with U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Robert Zoellick and Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman April 30, they outlined the substance of the preliminary decision and the next steps for American agriculture. I followed up with Chief USTR Agricultural Negotiator Allen Johnson, and Brazilian Embassy�s First Secretary Marcia Donner. |
|
1/11/2004 | China in 2004
I write this column from Beijing, China, where I am a member of a congressional delegation participating in an interparliamentary exchange. Where China goes over the next couple decades will have a huge influence on U.S. and world security. |
|
1/04/2004 | China's Economic Prospects
There are numerous obstacles to better U.S. relations with China. Some are political, some are economic, and the question is: are we smart enough to find solutions that will not be disadvantageous to the United States? It depends on where China is really headed: does it intend to become a full partner in an open world economy, or to gain power behind a wall of government subsidies and protectionism? Does it hope to incorporate its people in a just, representative political order, or to enforce the power of the current political elite? Will China cooperate in combating terrorism and the proliferation of weapons, or will it make decisions simply based on their economic and power advantage? |
|
12/14/2003 | The Economic Challenge from China
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao visited Washington and met with President Bush and other officials on December 9. He came to smooth U.S.-China relations. There are significant disagreements about Taiwan, the war on terrorism, North Korea's nuclear program, human rights, proliferation of dangerous weapons, and China's military buildup. To try to work out some of these problems, I will be joining a group of my colleagues in January as part of a congressional delegation traveling to Beijing. |
|
09/14/2003 | What is Fair Trade?
I write this column in a Mexican hotel room after a long day at the World Trade Organization (WTO) talks. We met today with European, Brazilian, and Australian trade representatives and had a briefing with our Secretary of Agriculture as well as the lead U.S. Trade Representative, Ambassador Robert Zoellick. Trade ministers from 146 countries are here to work on agreements to remove barriers to global trade. Prospects for success are dim as American proposals for significant change have been dismissed and even the American-European agreement has been criticized. |
|
06/01/2003 | The New Era of Biotechnology
Biotechnology is one of the most promising sectors of the economy. It�s revolutionizing medicine, with at least 95 biotech drugs already approved in the U.S. and 371 more under development including medications for cancer, heart disease, diabetes and many other conditions. It will produce higher quality foods that can provide both nourishment and immunization for billions of hungry people around the world. Unfortunately, biotechnology has come under attack from some in the European Union and elsewhere who hope to avoid competition in this area. The Speaker of the House, USAID Administrator, and leading scientists will testify at a Congressional hearing June 12th on the safety and potential of plant biotechnology. |
|
04/20/2003 | Manufacturing and Our Economy
I�ve been meeting with workers and employers in our area. They and I are troubled about the continuing decline in manufacturing in Michigan and the whole country. Products from China and other countries are taking away our business. The manufacturing sector accounted for 41 percent of non-farm employment in 1946, 28 percent in 1980, 18 percent in 1990, and just 12 percent in 2002. This means that millions of people are being pushed out of manufacturing jobs into service sector jobs that often pay less. With other sectors of the economy weakening - we lost 560,000 high tech jobs in 2001 and 2002 alone - we need those manufacturing jobs now more than ever. |
|
01/26/2003 | Food and Fear
An increasingly acrimonious debate between the U.S. and Europe over biotechnology is now distorting trade worldwide. I issued a report as Chairman of the Research Subcommittee -- "Seeds of Opportunity"  - about the safety and potential of agricultural biotechnology, and am following this debate that is affecting the WTO negotiations going on now. This "white paper" report, which has now been translated into five foreign languages, explains the safety and promise of this new technology.
|
|
09/22/2002 | A Counterproductive Tariff
In our Seventh Congressional District, there are a lot of manufacturers who buy steel and form it into products -- cars, appliances, and furniture, for instance. I've met with several companies that have problems with dramatically higher prices and reduced availability for steel. President Bush approved the new tariffs on steel imports earlier this year with the intention of helping the steel industry and our American steelworkers compete in the long term. However, the high tariff imposed on steel imports has turned out to be a mistake that will likely lose more jobs than it saves. |
|
04/22/2002 | Rethinking the Cuban Embargo
Last year, Congress debated the embargo that the United States has imposed on Cuba under communist dictator Fidel Castro, resulting in a partial lifting of the ban on food and medicine. Some say it has done little to dislodge Castro and the communists from power while denying economic opportunities to Americans and American companies. Further, the embargo gives the communist party an excuse for the miserable performance of the Cuban economy. As Chairman of the Research Subcommittee, the American Association for the Advancement of Science invited me and a Democrat on the committee to Cuba on April 21 and 22 to help open a dialog in the areas of medicine and research. The embargo came up, however, on several occasions. |
|
04/15/2001 | What China Has to Lose
During the recent controversy over China's detention of our 24 American servicemen and women on Hainan Island, many people lost sight of one the most important aspects of the U.S.-China relationship -- trade. After our International Relations Committee briefing April 3 and 4 on the "hostage" situation and the Bush Administration's strategy, several of us predicted it would be resolved quickly because China has so much to lose in its relations with the United States. |
|
02/25/2001 | Why We Trade
Recently, the U.S. Trade Deficit Review Commission issued its report. Congress established the Commission in 1998 amid concerns about our trade deficit, which has grown significantly every year since the early 1990s. The Commission was comprised of twelve members. Although they shared some common ground, they mostly came to different conclusions about the causes of and remedies for the deficit. |
|
05/28/2000 | PNTR For China
On May 24, I voted in support of normal trade relations for China. It was one of the toughest votes I have faced in Congress. |
| |||
| More Columns By Category |
| Economy | Budget and Debt | Environment | International Relations | Health Care |
| Firefighting | Science and Technology | Social Security | Education | Taxes |
| National Defense | Trade | Energy | Agriculture | Campaign Reform |
| Home |