Tradeology, the ITA Blog

Kenneth Hyatt is Acting Under Secretary, International Trade Administration (ITA)

Last week, I had the honor of addressing the GetGlobal Conference which took place October 20 – 21 in Los Angeles. The GetGlobal organization provides insights into the opportunities and challenges that companies face in many of the world’s most exciting markets, and assists companies in navigating these markets.

The conference itself created a space for companies to connect to a wide range of resources. It featured panels and workshops that offered insights on both tactics and strategies for successfully navigating new markets and provided opportunities to connect with industry leaders, field experts, CEOs, and current and former high-level officials, including former Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez. The International Trade Administration’s U.S. Commercial Service works closely with GetGlobal, coordinating services and products tailored to U.S. businesses who export around the world.

My overarching message to the attendees was that trade is the tool that allows our workers and companies to be part of the global nature of business.

For instance, while the share of middle-class consumers in North America and Europe is projected to fall over the next two decades, it is set to rise in many other areas of the world – including more than doubling in the Asia-Pacific region. Additionally, a critical shift in goods productions comes in light of the digitization of manufacturing. The potential for using data, in areas like 3D printing and e-commerce, means that goods production is on the edge of incredible innovation in the digital space. And with the majority of trade now comprised of intermediate goods and services, as well as capital goods, we must also remember that utilizing global supply chains is a critical part of being involved in global markets.

So what does that mean? The success of U.S. companies will depend on their ability to meet global demand, compete on a global playing field, and reap the benefits of the digital economy. And this, in turn, will create high-quality American jobs.

It also means that it is critical that we ensure trade facilitation and open international markets to the benefit of U.S. companies and consumers. That is why working with our international counterparts to secure the WTO’s Trade Facilitation Agreement is a key goal of ITA, as it will reduce trade costs by as much as 14%. And it is also why we are working very hard to make the Trans-Pacific Partnership a reality. TPP, an historic trade agreement, will remove trade barriers in 11 Pacific Rim markets, while protecting the cross-border data flows that drive the digital economy.

ITA remains committed to supporting our exporters as they navigate the exciting trade opportunities around the world, to drive economic growth, increase wages, and create jobs across the U.S.

About GetGlobal

GetGlobal was created to address the knowledge vacuum that exists for U.S. businesses seeking to expand to foreign markets. An interactive and dynamic forum for ideas and information, GetGlobal was designed to unite innovative, forward thinking U.S. companies who would like to expand to other countries with the experts who can help make that a reality. With the knowledge gained at GetGlobal, U.S. companies will begin to possess the power to help them make smart and confident decisions about growing their businesses in foreign markets.

About the U.S. Commercial Service

The U.S. Commercial Service is the trade promotion arm of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration. U.S. Commercial Service trade professionals in over 100 U.S. cities and in more than 75 international markets help U.S. companies to either start exporting or to increase their sales to new global markets.

About the International Trade Administration

The International Trade Administration (ITA) is the premier resource for American companies competing in the global marketplace. ITA has more than 2,200 employees assisting U.S. exporters in more than 100 U.S. cities and 75 markets worldwide. For more information on ITA visit www.trade.gov.