Washington, D.C., August 3,
2005 –
U.S. and Philippine officials last week concluded
meetings under the United States-Philippines Trade and Investment Framework
Agreement (TIFA), during which they discussed the full range of bilateral issues
and coordinated on the WTO Doha Development Agenda negotiations. The meeting was led by Assistant U.S.
Trade Representative for Southeast Asia and Pacific Affairs
Barbara
Weisel and Thomas
Aquino, Undersecretary for the Philippines Department of Trade and
Industry.
The
United
States welcomed the
Philippines’ announcement that it would lift its ban on
the importation of U.S. beef that had been imposed in response to
prior concerns related to bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). Agriculture Secretary Domingo F.
Panganiban signed a memorandum order lifting the precautionary measures imposed
in June 2005 on the importation of live cattle, beef and related products from
the United
States.
The United
States has been working with the
Philippines to provide it the information and
certification language it needed to lift the ban on beef imports. The
Philippines determined that
U.S. control measures assure the safety of
U.S. beef.
The
Philippines also announced that it would not subject
in-quota imports of poultry to safeguard duties. This move ensures continued
U.S. access to the Philippine poultry market, the
second largest in Southeast Asia.
The two sides reviewed key bilateral economic
issues, including a joint action plan to improve intellectual property
protection in the Philippines.
The Philippines committed to continuing to intensify its
efforts to strengthen its intellectual property enforcement and prosecution of
criminal cases against suspected intellectual property pirates. The two sides also discussed market
access issues related to agricultural products, telecommunications, and
autos. In addition, they exchanged
views on specific steps that the Philippines could take to improve its investment climate
and trade capacity building projects that could help further build our trade
relationship.
The
United
States and the
Philippines also coordinated on regional issues and on key
issues related to the WTO Doha Development Agenda negotiations. The two sides reaffirmed their
commitment to an ambitious result in the Doha round.
The
Philippines is currently the
United
States’ 26th largest goods trading partner
with $16.2 billion in total two-way goods trade during 2004. The
Philippines is party to the ten-member Association of
Southeast Asian Nations, which collectively is the fourth largest export market
of the United
States.
With continued strong economic growth anticipated in ASEAN countries and
a regional population of about 500 million, the
United
States anticipates significant trade and investment
opportunities for U.S. companies in this region. The
U.S. - Philippines Trade and Investment Framework
Agreement (TIFA) was signed in 1989.