At a March 9 Senate Finance Committee hearing on the President’s Trade Agenda, the Senators’ top concerns included the quick passage of pending FTAs with Korea, Columbia, and Panama, as well as IP in China. US Trade Representative Ron Kirk promised to move forward on the pending FTAs and pointed to the Trans Pacific Partnership as an especially critical trade agreement that broadens the scope of trade agreements with “21st century issues.” He described his office’s work to improve IP enforcement as “very productive,” claiming progress in reducing the prevalence of infringing software, and noting China’s agreement to “delink its innovation policy from the provision of government procurement preferences.”
Senate Finance Committee webpage for the hearing, including
- Chairman and Ranking Minority Member Statements
- USTR Prepared Testimony
- Webcast
