United States Code (Last Updated: May 24, 2014) |
Title 19. CUSTOMS DUTIES |
Chapter 17. NEGOTIATION AND IMPLEMENTATION OF TRADE AGREEMENTS |
§ 2901. Overall and principal trade negotiating objectives of the United States
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(a) Overall trade negotiating objectives The overall trade negotiating objectives of the United States are to obtain— (1) more open, equitable, and reciprocal market access; (2) the reduction or elimination of barriers and other trade-distorting policies and practices; and (3) a more effective system of international trading disciplines and procedures. (b) Principal trade negotiating objectives (1) Dispute settlement The principal negotiating objectives of the United States with respect to dispute settlement are— (A) to provide for more effective and expeditious dispute settlement mechanisms and procedures; and (B) to ensure that such mechanisms within the GATT and GATT agreements provide for more effective and expeditious resolution of disputes and enable better enforcement of United States rights. (2) Improvement of the GATT and multilateral trade negotiation agreements The principal negotiating objectives of the United States regarding the improvement of GATT and multilateral trade negotiation agreements are— (A) to enhance the status of the GATT; (B) to improve the operation and extend the coverage of the GATT and such agreements and arrangements to products, sectors, and conditions of trade not adequately covered; and (C) to expand country participation in particular agreements or arrangements, where appropriate. (3) Transparency The principal negotiating objective of the United States regarding transparency is to obtain broader application of the principle of transparency and clarification of the costs and benefits of trade policy actions through the observance of open and equitable procedures in trade matters by Contracting Parties to the GATT.
(4) Developing countries The principal negotiating objectives of the United States regarding developing countries are— (A) to ensure that developing countries promote economic development by assuming the fullest possible measure of responsibility for achieving and maintaining an open international trading system by providing reciprocal benefits and assuming equivalent obligations with respect to their import and export practices; and (B) to establish procedures for reducing nonreciprocal trade benefits for the more advanced developing countries. (5) Current account surpluses The principal negotiating objective of the United States regarding current account surpluses is to develop rules to address large and persistent global current account imbalances of countries, including imbalances which threaten the stability of the international trading system, by imposing greater responsibility on such countries to undertake policy changes aimed at restoring current account equilibrium, including expedited implementation of trade agreements where feasible and appropriate.
(6) Trade and monetary coordination The principal negotiating objective of the United States regarding trade and monetary coordination is to develop mechanisms to assure greater coordination, consistency, and cooperation between international trade and monetary systems and institutions.
(7) Agriculture The principal negotiating objectives of the United States with respect to agriculture are to achieve, on an expedited basis to the maximum extent feasible, more open and fair conditions of trade in agricultural commodities by— (A) developing, strengthening, and clarifying rules for agricultural trade, including disciplines on restrictive or trade-distorting import and export practices; (B) increasing United States agricultural exports by eliminating barriers to trade (including transparent and nontransparent barriers) and reducing or eliminating the subsidization of agricultural production consistent with the United States policy of agricultural stabilization in cyclical and unpredictable markets; (C) creating a free and more open world agricultural trading system by resolving questions pertaining to export and other trade-distorting subsidies, market pricing and market access and eliminating and reducing substantially other specific constraints to fair trade and more open market access, such as tariffs, quotas, and other nontariff practices, including unjustified phytosanitary and sanitary restrictions; and (D) seeking agreements by which the major agricultural exporting nations agree to pursue policies to reduce excessive production of agricultural commodities during periods of oversupply, with due regard for the fact that the United States already undertakes such policies, and without recourse to arbitrary schemes to divide market shares among major exporting countries. (8) Unfair trade practices The principal negotiating objectives of the United States with respect to unfair trade practices are— (A) to improve the provisions of the GATT and nontariff measure agreements in order to define, deter, discourage the persistent use of, and otherwise discipline unfair trade practices having adverse trade effects, including forms of subsidy and dumping and other practices not adequately covered such as resource input subsidies, diversionary dumping, dumped or subsidized inputs, and export targeting practices; (B) to obtain the application of similar rules to the treatment of primary and nonprimary products in the Agreement on Interpretation and Application of Articles VI, XVI, and XXIII of the GATT (relating to subsidies and countervailing measures); and (C) to obtain the enforcement of GATT rules against— (i) state trading enterprises, and (ii) the acts, practices, or policies of any foreign government which, as a practical matter, unreasonably require that— (I) substantial direct investment in the foreign country be made, (II) intellectual property be licensed to the foreign country or to any firm of the foreign country, or (III) other collateral concessions be made, as a condition for the importation of any product or service of the United States into the foreign country or as a condition for carrying on business in the foreign country. (9) Trade in services (A) The principal negotiating objectives of the United States regarding trade in services are— (i) to reduce or to eliminate barriers to, or other distortions of, international trade in services, including barriers that deny national treatment and restrictions on establishment and operation in such markets; and (ii) to develop internationally agreed rules, including dispute settlement procedures, which— (I) are consistent with the commercial policies of the United States, and (II) will reduce or eliminate such barriers or distortions, and help ensure fair, equitable opportunities for foreign markets. (B) In pursuing the negotiating objectives described in subparagraph (A), United States negotiators shall take into account legitimate United States domestic objectives including, but not limited to, the protection of legitimate health or safety, essential security, environmental, consumer or employment opportunity interests and the law and regulations related thereto. (10) Intellectual property The principal negotiating objectives of the United States regarding intellectual property are— (A) to seek the enactment and effective enforcement by foreign countries of laws which— (i) recognize and adequately protect intellectual property, including copyrights, patents, trademarks, semiconductor chip layout designs, and trade secrets, and (ii) provide protection against unfair competition, (B) to establish in the GATT obligations— (i) to implement adequate substantive standards based on— (I) the standards in existing international agreements that provide adequate protection, and (II) the standards in national laws if international agreement standards are inadequate or do not exist, (ii) to establish effective procedures to enforce, both internally and at the border, the standards implemented under clause (i), and (iii) to implement effective dispute settlement procedures that improve on existing GATT procedures; (C) to recognize that the inclusion in the GATT of— (i) adequate and effective substantive norms and standards for the protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights, and (ii) dispute settlement provisions and enforcement procedures, is without prejudice to other complementary initiatives undertaken in other international organizations; and (D) to supplement and strengthen standards for protection and enforcement in existing international intellectual property conventions administered by other international organizations, including their expansion to cover new and emerging technologies and elimination of discrimination or unreasonable exceptions or preconditions to protection. (11) Foreign direct investment (A) The principal negotiating objectives of the United States regarding foreign direct investment are— (i) to reduce or to eliminate artificial or trade-distorting barriers to foreign direct investment, to expand the principle of national treatment, and to reduce unreasonable barriers to establishment; and (ii) to develop internationally agreed rules, including dispute settlement procedures, which— (I) will help ensure a free flow of foreign direct investment, and (II) will reduce or eliminate the trade distortive effects of certain trade-related investment measures. (B) In pursuing the negotiating objectives described in subparagraph (A), United States negotiators shall take into account legitimate United States domestic objectives including, but not limited to, the protection of legitimate health or safety, essential security, environmental, consumer or employment opportunity interests and the law and regulations related thereto. (12) Safeguards The principal negotiating objectives of the United States regarding safeguards are— (A) to improve and expand rules and procedures covering safeguard measures; (B) to ensure that safeguard measures are— (i) transparent, (ii) temporary, (iii) degressive, and (iv) subject to review and termination when no longer necessary to remedy injury and to facilitate adjustment; and (C) to require notification of, and to monitor the use by, GATT Contracting Parties of import relief actions for their domestic industries. (13) Specific barriers The principal negotiating objective of the United States regarding specific barriers is to obtain competitive opportunities for United States exports in foreign markets substantially equivalent to the competitive opportunities afforded foreign exports to United States markets, including the reduction or elimination of specific tariff and nontariff trade barriers, particularly— (A) measures identified in the annual report prepared under section 2241 of this title; and (B) foreign tariffs and nontariff barriers on competitive United States exports when like or similar products enter the United States at low rates of duty or are duty-free, and other tariff disparities that impede access to particular export markets. (14) Worker rights The principal negotiating objectives of the United States regarding worker rights are— (A) to promote respect for worker rights; (B) to secure a review of the relationship of worker rights to GATT articles, objectives, and related instruments with a view to ensuring that the benefits of the trading system are available to all workers; and (C) to adopt, as a principle of the GATT, that the denial of worker rights should not be a means for a country or its industries to gain competitive advantage in international trade. (15) Access to high technology (A) The principal negotiating objective of the United States regarding access to high technology is to obtain the elimination or reduction of foreign barriers to, and acts, policies, or practices by foreign governments which limit, equitable access by United States persons to foreign-developed technology, including barriers, acts, policies, or practices which have the effect of— (i) restricting the participation of United States persons in government-supported research and development projects; (ii) denying equitable access by United States persons to government-held patents; (iii) requiring the approval or agreement of government entities, or imposing other forms of government interventions, as a condition for the granting of licenses to United States persons by foreign persons (except for approval or agreement which may be necessary for national security purposes to control the export of critical military technology); and (iv) otherwise denying equitable access by United States persons to foreign-developed technology or contributing to the inequitable flow of technology between the United States and its trading partners. (B) In pursuing the negotiating objective described in subparagraph (A), the United States negotiators shall take into account United States Government policies in licensing or otherwise making available to foreign persons technology and other information developed by United States laboratories. (16) Border taxes The principal negotiating objective of the United States regarding border taxes is to obtain a revision of the GATT with respect to the treatment of border adjustments for internal taxes to redress the disadvantage to countries relying primarily for revenue on direct taxes rather than indirect taxes.
Short Title
Pub. L. 100–418, § 1(a),
Miscellaneous
Pub. L. 100–418, title I, § 1001,
Executive Order
Ex. Ord. No. 12661,
By virtue of the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and laws of the United States of America, including the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988 (P.L. 100–418, 102 Stat. 1107) (“Omnibus Trade Act”) [see Short Title note above], the Tariff Act of 1930 (Chapter 497, 46 Stat. 590,
Miscellaneous
Section 1–101. Accession of State Trading Regimes to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. The functions vested in the President by sections 1106(a), (b) and (d) of the Omnibus Trade Act [19 U.S.C. 2905(a), (b), (d)], regarding the accession of state trading regimes to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, are delegated to the United States Trade Representative.
Sec. 1–201. Wine Barriers. The functions vested in the President by section 1125 of the Omnibus Trade Act [19 U.S.C. 2804 note], regarding the updated report on barriers to wine trade, are delegated to the United States Trade Representative.
Sec. 1–301. Steel Imports. The functions vested in the President by section 805(d)(1) and (2) of the Trade and Tariff Act of 1984 (19 U.S.C. 2253, note), as amended by section 1322 of the Omnibus Trade Act, are delegated to the United States Trade Representative.
Sec. 1–401. Telecommunications Trade. The functions vested in the President by sections 1375 and 1376(e) of the Omnibus Trade Act [19 U.S.C. 3104, 3105(e)], regarding certain telecommunications negotiations as may be ordered by the President and reports thereon to Congressional Committees, are delegated to the United States Trade Representative.
Sec. 1–501. Uniform Fee on Imports. The functions vested in the President by section 1428 of the Omnibus Trade Act [19 U.S.C. 2397, 19 U.S.C. 2397 note], regarding negotiations to obtain authority under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade to impose a small uniform fee on imports, are delegated to the United States Trade Representative.
Sec. 2–101. Countertrade and Barter.
(1) Establishment. There is established an Interagency Group on Countertrade, which shall be composed of the Secretaries of Commerce, State, Defense, Treasury, Labor, Agriculture, and Energy, the Attorney General, the Administrator of the Agency for International Development, the Director [Administrator] of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the United States Trade Representative and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, or their respective representatives. The Secretary of Commerce or his representative shall be the Chairman of the interagency group.
(2) Functions. The interagency group shall carry out the functions and duties set out in section 2205(a) of the Omnibus Trade Act [15 U.S.C. 4712(a)].
Sec. 2–201. Sanctions Against Toshiba and Kongsberg.
(1) Procurement Sanctions. Pursuant to section 2443 of the Omnibus Trade Act [50 U.S.C. App. 2410a note] and subject to the exceptions referred to in paragraph (3), departments, agencies and instrumentalities of the United States Government shall not for the three-year period beginning on the date this Order takes effect, contract with or procure products and services from Toshiba Machine Company, Kongsberg Trading Company, Toshiba Corporation or Kongsberg Vaapenfabrikk. The head of each department, agency or instrumentality is hereby directed and authorized to implement this procurement sanction in accordance with paragraph (3).
(2) Import Sanctions. Pursuant to section 2443 of the Omnibus Trade Act and subject to the exceptions referred to in paragraph (3), importation into the United States, its territories and possessions, of products produced by Toshiba Machine Company or Kongsberg Trading Company is prohibited for three years from the effective date of this Order. The Secretary of the Treasury is hereby directed and authorized to implement this import sanction in accordance with paragraph (3).
(3) Exceptions. Authority to make determinations as to exceptions to sanctions and to implement exceptions by regulation or otherwise is delegated (i) to the Secretary of Defense with respect to determinations under section 2443(c)(1) regarding the procurement of defense articles or defense services, (ii) to the Secretary of the Treasury with respect to exceptions under section 2443(c)(2) regarding importation prohibited by section 2443(a)(2), and (iii) to the head of each Federal department, agency or instrumentality with respect to exceptions under section 2443(c)(2) affecting their respective contracting and procurement. All regulations implementing these exceptions provisions shall be consistent with any guidelines provided by the Office of Federal Procurement Policy, Office of Management and Budget.
(4) Annual Report. The annual report required by section 2445 [50 U.S.C. App. 2413], concerning estimated increases in defense expenditures arising from illegal technology transfers, shall be prepared by the Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Secretaries of State and Commerce, for submission to the Congress by the President.
Sec. 3–101. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act Amendments.
The functions conferred upon the President by section 5003(d)(1) (“International Agreement”) of the Omnibus Trade Act [15 U.S.C. 78dd–1 note] are delegated to the Secretary of State, who in performing such functions shall act in consultation with the Attorney General, the United States Trade Representative, the Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of the Treasury and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget.
Sec. 3–201. Authority to Review Certain Mergers, Acquisitions, and Takeovers.
(1) Executive Order No. 11858, as amended [50 U.S.C. App. 2170 note], regarding the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (the “Committee”) is further amended as follows:
(A) By adding new Sections 7 and 8 as follows:
“Sec. 7. (1) Investigations. (a) The Committee is designated to receive notices and other information, to determine whether investigations should be undertaken, and to make investigations, pursuant to Section 721(a) of the Defense Production Act. (b) If the Committee determines that an investigation should be undertaken, such investigation shall commence no later than 30 days after receipt by the Committee of written notification of the proposed or pending merger, acquisition, or takeover. Such investigation shall be completed no later than 45 days after such determination. (c) If one or more Committee members differ with a Committee decision not to undertake an investigation, the Chairman shall submit a report of the Committee to the President setting forth the differing views and presenting the issues for his decision within 25 days after receipt by the Committee of written notification of the proposed or pending merger, acquisition, or takeover. (d) A unanimous decision by the Committee not to undertake an investigation with regard to a notice shall conclude action under this section on such notice. The Chairman shall advise the President of said decision.
“(2) Report to the President. Upon completion or termination of any investigation, the Committee shall report to the President and present a recommendation. Any such report shall include information relevant to subparagraphs (1) and (2) of Section 721(d) of the Defense Production Act. If the Committee is unable to reach a unanimous recommendation, the Chairman shall submit a report of the Committee to the President setting forth the differing views and presenting the issues for his decision.
“Sec. 8. The Chairman of the Committee, in consultation with other members of the Committee, is hereby delegated the authority to issue regulations to implement Section 721 of the Defense Production Act.”
(B) By deleting, from the second sentence in Section 1(a), the text beginning with “a representative” and ending with “by each of”.
(C) By deleting, from the third sentence in Section 1(a), the phrase “representative of the”.
(D) By deleting “and” at the end of subparagraph (3) of Section 1(b), by substituting “; and” for the period at the end of subparagraph (4) of that Section, and by adding a new subparagraph (5) as follows: “(5) coordinate the views of the Executive Branch and discharge the responsibilities with respect to Section 721(a) and (e) of the Defense Production Act of 1950, as amended (50 U.S.C. App. 2061 et seq.) (“Defense Production Act”).”
(E) By adding the following sentence at the end of Section 5: “Information or documentary material filed pursuant to Section 1(b)(5) or Section 7 of this Order shall be treated in accordance with paragraph (b) of Section 721 of the Defense Production Act.”
(F) By inserting in Section 1(a) the following additional Committee members: “(7) The Attorney General.” and “(8) The Director of the Office of Management and Budget.”
(G) The Interim Presidential Directive to the Secretary of the Treasury of
Sec. 3–301. Reporting Requirement on Semiconductors, Fiber Optics and Superconducting Materials.
(1) The Secretary of Commerce, in consultation with the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, the Secretary of Defense, and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, shall prepare for the President to submit to the Congress with the Fiscal Year 1990 budget a report describing policies and budget proposals regarding:
(A) Federal research in semiconductors and semiconductor manufacturing technology, including a discussion of the respective roles of the various Federal departments and agencies in such research;
(B) Federal research and acquisition policies for fiber optics and optical-electronic technologies generally;
(C) Superconducting materials, including descriptions of research priorities, the scientific and technical barriers to commercialization which such research is designed to overcome, steps taken to ensure coordination among Federal agencies conducting research on superconducting materials, and steps taken to consult with private United States industry to ensure that no unnecessary duplication of research exists and that all important scientific and technical barriers to the commercialization of superconducting materials will be addressed; and
(D) Federal research to assist United States industry to develop and apply advanced manufacturing technologies for the production of durable and nondurable goods.
(2) The Department of Defense, the Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Department of State, the United States Trade Representative, and other Federal agencies deemed appropriate by the Secretary of Commerce shall provide the information described in section 5141 of the Omnibus Trade Act [Pub. L. 100–418, title V,
(3) The Office of Management and Budget shall provide to the Secretary of Commerce, in sufficient time to permit preparation of the report, a summary of the Federal base program and Fiscal Year 1990 budget initiatives in each of the technical areas of the report.
(4) The Office of Science and Technology Policy (“OSTP”) shall provide the Secretary of Commerce with appropriate policy guidance in the technical areas of the report, including a summary of the criteria used to select research projects within an agency and among agencies, and the results of any studies conducted by OSTP, or by others if OSTP deems them to be relevant, which analyze the influence of the Federal research programs in the technical areas of the report.
Sec. 3–401. [Revoked by Ex. Ord. No. 12774, § 3(a),
Sec. 4–101. Buy American Act of 1988.
(1) The functions vested in the President by section 7002 of the Omnibus Trade Act, regarding section 4(d) of Title III of the Buy American Act of 1933, as amended (41 U.S.C. 10a–10d) [former 41 U.S.C. 10b–1], are delegated to the Secretary of Defense.
(2) The functions vested in the President by section 7003 of the Omnibus Trade Act, regarding the annual report required by subsection (d) of section 305 of the Trade Agreements Act of 1979, as amended (19 U.S.C. 2515), are delegated to the United States Trade Representative.
Sec. 5–101. Executive Oversight.
Any actions or determinations taken or made by an officer or agency under the Omnibus Trade Act or this Order shall be subject to the Executive oversight and direction of the President, and such actions or determinations shall be undertaken after appropriate inter-agency consultation as established by the President.
Sec. 5–102. Regulatory Review. Notwithstanding the provisions of section 1(a)(2) of Executive Order No. 12291 of
Sec. 5–201. Offsets. The negotiating functions under section 825(c) of the Defense Authorization Act [10 U.S.C. 2532 note], as may be ordered by the President, are hereby jointly delegated to the Secretary of Defense and the United States Trade Representative. These functions shall be coordinated with the Secretary of State and conducted in consultation with the Secretaries of Commerce, Labor and the Treasury.
Sec. 5–202. Reporting Functions. The reporting functions of the President under section 825(d) of the Defense Authorization Act [10 U.S.C. 2532 note] are delegated to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget. The Director may further delegate to the heads of Executive departments and agencies responsibility for preparing particular sections of such reports. The heads of Executive departments and agencies shall, to the extent permitted by law, provide the Director with such information as may be necessary for the effective performance of these functions.
Sec. 5–301. International Trade Commission Report. The functions vested in the President by section 332(g) of the Tariff Act [19 U.S.C. 1332(g)], regarding reports by the United States International Trade Commission to the President, are delegated to the United States Trade Representative.
Sec. 5–401. Strengthening International Institutions. To the extent possible, actions undertaken under this Order shall be conducted in a manner that strengthens international institutions that further United States objectives, such as opening foreign markets and preventing the export of strategic goods and technologies to proscribed destinations.
Sec. 5–501. Effective Date. This Order shall take effect at 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday,