[CTC] Biden set to discuss APEP with Costa Rica’s president next week

Thu Aug 24 08:29:21 PDT 2023

Biden set to discuss APEP with Costa Rica’s president next week 
Inside US Trade, 8/23/23

President Biden next week will host Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves Robles to discuss sustainable development efforts, including the Americas Partnership for Economic Prosperity, the White House announced on Wednesday.

Chaves will meet with Biden on Aug. 29, according to a statement <https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/08/23/statement-from-press-secretary-karine-jean-pierre-on-the-bilateral-meeting-between-president-joe-biden-and-president-rodrigo-chaves-robles-of-costa-rica/> issued by White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.

“The two leaders will discuss how our two countries can build out inclusive and sustainable economies, including through the Americas Partnership for Economic Prosperity, advance democratic values in the region, promote safe and orderly migration in line with the principles of the Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection, and address regional security challenges,” the statement reads.

The Biden administration has not released much information on APEP since it launched the effort in January <https://insidetrade.com/node/176047> along with 11 other countries in the Western Hemisphere -- including Costa Rica. In June, Ecuador’s trade minister cited talks with U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai in saying said APEP countries were expected to convene “in the next weeks <https://insidetrade.com/node/177185>,” but no meetings have been announced.

Some in Congress have lamented what they view as a lack of progress on APEP and insufficient engagement with allies in Latin America and South America. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA), chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Western Hemisphere subcommittee, said last month that the administration had told his office it was taking a “new, revamped <https://insidetrade.com/node/177462>” approach to APEP, which he said was lagging behind other similar initiatives.

Asked about Kaine’s remarks at the time, though, the State Department and USTR, which oversee APEP, said they did not have any news to share.

Costa Rica has sought closer ties with the U.S., focusing on opportunities to cooperate on supply chain resilience through APEP and other fora.

The State Department last month launched a semiconductor initiative <https://insidetrade.com/node/177423> with Costa Rica to expand its manufacturing capability. State also announced a similar initiative with Panama, another APEP member.

Resilience is one of APEP’s focus areas, as are regional competitiveness, shared prosperity and “inclusive and sustainable investment,” according to a White House fact sheet <https://insidetrade.com/sites/insidetrade.com/files/documents/2023/jan/wto2023_0076a.pdf> issued in January.

President Chaves also has sought to boost U.S.-Costa Rica trade ties, even recommending the country join the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement <https://insidetrade.com/node/175725>.

Costa Rican Vice Foreign Minister Indiana Trejos in June said the country’s ascension to the USMCA was the “natural way forward <https://insidetrade.com/node/177121>” for the U.S.-Costa Rica trade relationship. She contended that expanded cooperation under the agreement could help the country “secure a better position as a trusted and secure supplier of key products for the United States.”

A path to USMCA expansion is a key piece of Senate Finance Committee member Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar’s (R-FL) forthcoming “Americas Act.” The pair in January released a discussion draft <https://insidetrade.com/node/175910> of the legislation, which they say would establish an overarching foreign and economic policy toward the Western Hemisphere. Finance Committee member Michael Bennet (D-CO) in May came out in support of the bill <https://insidetrade.com/node/176809>.

Costa Rican Foreign Trade Minister Manuel Tovar in June praised the senators <https://insidetrade.com/node/177232> for the legislation, calling its USMCA expansion provision a “great step” toward deeper ties between the U.S. and Costa Rica and saying the bill would help “strengthen the safety of the U.S. supply chain.”

“Consolidating our trade relationship will provide the best environment for widening Costa Rica's participation in the supply chains in key sectors such as semiconductors and medical devices, in which our country has vibrant industries,” Tovar said. “Thus, securing the U.S. supply chain and diminishing the vulnerabilities and risk associated with a highly dependent supply chain of distant markets.” -- Jason Asenso (jasenso at iwpnews.com <mailto:jasenso at iwpnews.com>)

Arthur Stamoulis
Citizens Trade Campaign
(202) 494-8826

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