- Korea-access barriers in the pharmaceuticals and autos market;
- Mexico-minimum price regime for certain imported products; and
- Intellectual Property Protection in almost 60 countries, which are highlighted in the "Special 301" report.
BACKGROUND
Today's announcement of the Clinton Administration's trade expansion priorities and new WTO actions takes place in the context of the simultaneous release of three annual reports to Congress: Super 301, Special 301, and Title VII. These three reports build on the 2000 Trade Policy Agenda (released on March 2, 2000, see USTR News Release 00-16) and the 2000 National Trade Estimate (NTE) Report on Foreign Trade Barriers (released on March 31, 2000, see USTR News Release 00-23) and represent key provisions of U.S. trade law designed to promote compliance with trade agreements. These reports are prepared in close consultation with other U.S. government agencies and rely on information submitted by the public and U.S. embassies abroad.
These three reports are complemented by another key domestic trade law tool: Section 1377 of the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988. Last month, the USTR completed its annual review of foreign countries' compliance with telecommunications trade agreements pursuant to Section 1377. This year's Section 1377 review focused on Japan's compliance with its WTO commitments on interconnection rates and alleged telecommunications trade barriers in Canada, Germany, Israel, Mexico, Peru, South Africa, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom (see USTR News Release 00-22, March 30, 2000, and USTR News Release 00-25, April 4, 2000).
"SUPER 301" REPORT ON TRADE EXPANSION PRIORITIES
- Super 301 – re-instituted by President Clinton on March 31, 1999 by Executive Order 13116 – provides a mechanism for the USTR annually to review U.S. trade expansion priorities and focus U.S. resources on eliminating significant unfair trade practices facing U.S. exports.
- This year's Super 301 report reviews U.S. trade expansion priorities, highlights the progress made in securing implementation of WTO commitments, initiates WTO dispute settlement in cases where countries are failing to meet their obligations, and focuses attention on other significant unfair trade practices facing U.S. exports.
- The Super 301 report identifies top trade expansion priorities: (1) complete China's accession to the WTO; (2) secure enactment of legislation promoting trade with certain regions; (3) advance negotiations for the Free Trade Area of the Americas; (4) pursue
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