The U.S. Department of Commerce today released the 2005 National Export Strategy. The Strategy focuses U.S. government trade promotion program efforts to help American small businesses take advantage of market openings with our new free trade agreement (FTA) partners. It also identifies areas of future growth for U.S. exports, highlighting seven key geographic markets and identifying industry sectors within them that are likely to experience export growth over the coming years.

“The 2005 National Export Strategy focuses on ensuring that American small business exporters are able to take advantage of trade opening agreements,” said U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez. “With passage of CAFTA, the door will further be open to prosperity, a higher standard of living and greater opportunities for working families.”

The report highlights plans for addressing standards and intellectual property rights, two critical issues for U.S. exporters. According to the report, thirty percent of U.S. small and medium-sized businesses that do not export would export if they had more information about markets, potential customers and procedures.

In markets that hold the greatest promise for U.S. companies, such as Brazil, China, European Union, India, Japan, Russia, and South Korea, commercial strategies have been developed to make it easier for U.S. companies to export. Highlights include the new China Business Information Center; the new American Trading Centers in China; and focusing on key growth sectors in India, among others.

The National Export Strategy is developed under the auspices of the Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee (TPCC) -- an interagency group chaired by the Secretary of Commerce. The TPCC is charged with providing a unifying framework to coordinate federal export promotion and financing activities of the U.S. Government. The Export Enhancement Act of 1992 established the TPCC to harmonize the export promotion and financing programs of the U.S. government, as well as to develop a comprehensive plan for implementing such programs.

To view the 2005 National Export Strategy, please visit http://ita.doc.gov/media/Publications/blurbs/nes2005blurb.html

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