[CTC] Chilean official: U.S. has confirmed plans to attend March trade summit

[Arthur Stamoulis]

INSIDE US TRADE
 
Chilean official: U.S. has confirmed plans to attend March trade summit
March 2, 2017
The U.S. has confirmed it will send a representative to a trade summit in Chile on March 14-15, according to a spokeswoman from the Chilean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, though the U.S. has yet to say who it will be.

Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore and China also plan to send representatives from their foreign ministries to the summit, called by Chile to discuss Asia-Pacific trade issues in the wake of the U.S. withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Brunei and Vietnam had not responded to their invitations as of Feb. 21.

A source told Inside U.S. Trade that the U.S. attendee is likely to be acting U.S. Trade Representative Maria Pagan.

However, other sources have suggested other names <https://insidetrade.com/node/157669> as possible attendees.

The office of the USTR, the White House and the Commerce Department did not respond to requests for comment on who would represent the U.S. in Chile.

Some sources suggested Secretary of State Rex Tillerson or Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross could attend. They have also said a lower-level USTR official like Barbara Weisel or John Melle, the assistant USTRs for Southeast Asia and the Pacific and the Western Hemisphere, could be viable options. Both would likely be observers only and not offer official administration positions.

But one source cautioned against sending either a mid-level or cabinet official to Chile, warning that whoever is sent will be pressed for details on the Trump administration's regional position as well as its policy plans for other countries in attendance, and the administration is likely not ready to answer those questions. Sending a representative who cannot deliver consistent and in-depth U.S. positions on a variety of trade issues could be more damaging to U.S. credibility in the region than not sending anyone at all, that source said.

Sources predicted divergent outcomes for the “High-level Dialogue in Integration Initiatives in the Asia-Pacific Region: Challenges and Opportunities.” Most sources see the meeting as a way to discuss next steps for trade in the Asia-Pacific. -- Isabelle Hoagland (isabelle.hoagland at iwpnews.com <mailto:isabelle.hoagland at iwpnews.com>) andJack Caporal (jcaporal at iwpnews.com <mailto:jcaporal at iwpnews.com>)


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