Free Trade Agreements: Impact on U.S. Trade and Implications for U.S. Trade Policy

Cooper, William H.

Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service.

关键词: Trade;    Free trade;    Foreign trade policy - U.S.;   

RP-ID  :  RL31356
RP-ID  :  RL31356_2006Aug01

美国|英语

来源: UNT Digital Library

【 摘 要 】

Free trade areas (FTAs) are arrangements among two or more countries under which they agree to eliminate tariffs and nontariff barriers on trade in goods among themselves. However, each country maintains its own policies, including tariffs on trade outside the region. In the last few years, the United States has engaged or has proposed to engage in negotiations to establish bilateral and regional free trade arrangements with a number of trading partners. The United States has been conducting negotiations with 33 Western Hemispheric countries with a stated goal of forming a Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) by 2005 and with various Asian and Pacific-Rim countries to achieve free trade and investment by 2020. These effortsare of direct interest to Congress. FTAs raise several important policy issues for the second session of 109th Congress as it considers implementing legislation and monitors negotiations as part of its oversight responsibilities, which this report explores and examines.