<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div style="margin: 0px; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" class=""><b class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class="">State Department official: APEP countries eyeing ‘declaration’ in December<u class=""></u><u class=""></u></span></b></div><div style="margin: 0px; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" class=""></div><div style="margin: 0px; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;" class="">Inside US Trade, 11/1/22<u class=""></u><u class=""></u></span></div><div style="margin: 0px; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;" class=""><u class=""></u> <u class=""></u></span></div><div style="margin: 0px; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;" class="">The Biden administration hopes Americas Partnership for Economic Prosperity countries can issue a “declaration” in December that will allow them to work “quickly” toward a deal next year, Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment Jose Fernandez said on Tuesday. <u class=""></u><u class=""></u></span></div><div style="margin: 0px; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;" class=""> <u class=""></u><u class=""></u></span></div><div style="margin: 0px; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;" class="">Fernandez spoke at the U.S. Chamber’s Association of American Chambers of Commerce in Latin America and the Caribbean about how the U.S. is trying to promote inclusive, sustainable economic growth in Latin America through initiatives like APEP.<u class=""></u><u class=""></u></span></div><div style="margin: 0px; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;" class=""><u class=""></u> <u class=""></u></span></div><div style="margin: 0px; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;" class=""><a href="https://insidetrade.com/node/174216" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://insidetrade.com/node/174216&source=gmail&ust=1667590280316000&usg=AOvVaw1BFQchQMz5RP9hxWkta8aL" style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204);" class="">President Biden announced the partnership in June</a> during a speech at the Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles. Since then, though, the administration has yet to release more details on the initiative, including which countries will participate.<u class=""></u><u class=""></u></span></div><div style="margin: 0px; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;" class=""><u class=""></u> <u class=""></u></span></div><div style="margin: 0px; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;" class="">Fernandez on Tuesday offered a hint of a timeline and suggested initial partner countries could be named soon.<u class=""></u><u class=""></u></span></div><div style="margin: 0px; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;" class=""><u class=""></u> <u class=""></u></span></div><div style="margin: 0px; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;" class="">“Our goal will be to sometime in December, to have … a declaration with the initial countries in the effort to work in 2023 as quickly as we can,” he said, “so we can finalize an agreement that will bring this to fruition.”<u class=""></u><u class=""></u></span></div><div style="margin: 0px; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;" class=""><u class=""></u> <u class=""></u></span></div><div style="margin: 0px; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;" class="">The initiative involves five pillars, on investment, supply chain resilience, “updating the basic bargain,” decarbonization and sustainable and inclusive trade, according to a <a href="https://insidetrade.com/sites/insidetrade.com/files/documents/2022/jun/wto2022_0382a.pdf" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://insidetrade.com/sites/insidetrade.com/files/documents/2022/jun/wto2022_0382a.pdf&source=gmail&ust=1667590280316000&usg=AOvVaw2YXhEAQuEYt8yufdy5yPzB" style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204);" class="">White House fact sheet</a> released in June.<u class=""></u><u class=""></u></span></div><div style="margin: 0px; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;" class=""><u class=""></u> <u class=""></u></span></div><div style="margin: 0px; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;" class="">Fernandez said the trade pillar would be “inclusive” and involve benefits for “not just the traditional elites” but also for marginalized groups and small businesses.<u class=""></u><u class=""></u></span></div><div style="margin: 0px; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;" class=""><u class=""></u> <u class=""></u></span></div><div style="margin: 0px; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;" class="">“What we are trying to do here is to create a forward-looking, innovative and ambitious framework for real cooperation to promote inclusive economic growth,” he said. “Growth that tackles economic inequality that leads to integration in the region, to jobs, and ultimately restores ... faith in democracy by delivering for all people.” <u class=""></u><u class=""></u></span></div><div style="margin: 0px; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;" class=""><u class=""></u> <u class=""></u></span></div><div style="margin: 0px; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;" class="">A <a href="https://insidetrade.com/sites/insidetrade.com/files/documents/2022/jun/wto2022_0382b.pdf" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://insidetrade.com/sites/insidetrade.com/files/documents/2022/jun/wto2022_0382b.pdf&source=gmail&ust=1667590280316000&usg=AOvVaw0SPCgsILLYBGX73gWSSjUo" style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204);" class="">senior administration official told reporters</a> in June that the “overall objective” behind APEP was to “build our economies from the bottom up and the middle out by building on the foundation established by our free trade agreements with the region to better address inequality and lack of economic opportunity and equity.”<u class=""></u><u class=""></u></span></div><div style="margin: 0px; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;" class=""><u class=""></u> <u class=""></u></span></div><div style="margin: 0px; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;" class="">Secretary of State Antony Blinken last month said APEP could “<a href="https://insidetrade.com/node/175151" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://insidetrade.com/node/175151&source=gmail&ust=1667590280316000&usg=AOvVaw0Eb5h69_kiYttK7E-pMepe" style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204);" class="">significantly increase</a>” trade among partners in the region. -- <i class="">Maydeen Merino</i> (<a href="mailto:mmerino@iwpnews.com" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204);" class="">mmerino@iwpnews.com</a>)</span></div><div class=""><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><div class="">
Arthur Stamoulis<br class="">Citizens Trade Campaign<br class="">(202) 494-8826<br class=""><br class=""><br class=""><br class="">
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