Creating New Opportunities in the New YearA message from Under Secretary
of Commerce for International Trade Francisco Sánchez. Follow him on Twitter @UnderSecSanchez. Happy New Year!
Here at the International Trade Administration, we are celebrating
all that we accomplished in 2012, as well as looking ahead with bold plans to
achieve even more in 2013. In 2012 we continued
to make great progress towards achieving the goal of President Obama’s National
Export Initiative: to double U.S. exports by the end of 2014.
As you may recall, 2011 was a record-breaking year with U.S.
exports reaching an all-time high of $2.1 trillion in total value. Remarkably, according to the latest data, we
are on track to achieve another record by exceeding last year’s total. In fact, exports during the first nine months of 2012 are up 43
percent compared to the first nine months of 2009.
Clearly, great progress is being made, and that’s a tribute
to American businesses and my colleagues at the Department of Commerce. We’ve worked together to expand and seize
opportunities by linking American businesses with global buyers. Case in point: the great work we did in
December to close out the year strong. As you’ll read in this addition of International Trade Update, successes
included:
Looking ahead at the New Year, I continue to be focused on
my five priorities:
- encouraging investment in the United States with the SelectUSA initiative;
- enacting market-sector
strategies that utilize research we’ve done to identify areas where U.S.
businesses have a competitive advantage;
- enhancing technology, including significant improvements to the Export.gov website (look for a preview later this month);
- ensuring the rigorous enforcement of trade laws and agreements,
led by our Trade Compliance Center;
and
- expanding partnerships
to increase our reach so that we can better serve the American
people.
In conjunction with our partners across the Federal
Government , through the Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee, we’ve released
the latest National Export Strategy. It, among other efforts, will help guide
us over the next twelve months.
Yes, there will be challenges, namely the economic
uncertainty in many international markets.
Yet, despite these challenges, government and the business community can
still do big things when we are determined, creative and firmly committed to working
in partnership. That’s why ITA looks
forward to working with you — America’s entrepreneurs — to generate new
opportunities and new successes in the New Year.
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