New Indo-Pacific Framework Should Prioritize U.S. Manufacturers
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The NAM is calling for a U.S. economic approach in the Indo-Pacific region that incorporates several key trade elements for manufacturers.
The background: Earlier this month, the White House unveiled a 12-page strategy overview focusing “on every corner of the region from South Asia to the Pacific Islands to strengthen its long-term position and commitment,” according to Reuters (subscription).
- In the document, the U.S. promises to strengthen partnerships, modernize alliances and invest in regional organizations.
- According to an action plan for the next one to two years, the U.S. will “‘meaningfully expand’ its diplomatic presence in Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands.”
The NAM’s view: “As the administration continues to develop the framework, it must prioritize an approach that supports manufacturing and manufacturing jobs by opening markets, strengthening U.S. innovation and technology leadership, raising global standards to U.S. levels and putting in place best-in-class trade rules,” said NAM President and CEO Jay Timmons in a letter sent on Tuesday to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan.
Key inclusions: The NAM is urging the administration to include several major elements in its new framework. These include but are not limited to:
- Prioritizing efforts to eliminate trade barriers in the region that hamper U.S. competitiveness;
- Instituting strong intellectual property rules that set high standards for IP protection and strengthen innovation;
- Securing regional or bilateral digital trade commitments; and
- Strengthening collaboration on standards, regulatory and conformity assessment with countries in the Indo-Pacific region.
The last word: “This approach is necessary so that manufacturers in the United States do not fall behind our competitors in the Indo-Pacific, such as China, that are actively negotiating and implementing new trade agreements to lock in opportunities for their manufacturers, not ours,” said Timmons.
Related
Manufacturers Unveil Competitiveness Agenda Ahead of Midterm Elections
“Competing to Win” offers a path for bringing the country together around policies, shared values and a unified purpose
Washington, D.C. – Ahead of the midterm elections, the National Association of Manufacturers released its policy roadmap, “Competing to Win,” a comprehensive blueprint featuring immediate solutions for bolstering manufacturers’ competitiveness. It is also a roadmap for policymakers on the laws and regulations needed to strengthen the manufacturing industry in the months and years ahead.
With the country facing rising prices, snarled supply chains and geopolitical turmoil, manufacturers are outlining an actionable competitiveness agenda that Americans across the political spectrum can support. “Competing to Win” includes the policies manufacturers in America will need in place to continue driving the country forward.
“‘Competing to Win’ offers a path for bringing our country together around policies, shared values and a unified purpose,” said NAM President and CEO Jay Timmons. “The NAM is putting forward a plan filled with ideas that policymakers could pursue immediately, including solutions to urgent problems, such as energy security, immigration reform, supply chain disruptions, the ongoing workforce shortage and more. Manufacturers have shown incredible resilience through difficult times, employing more workers now than before the pandemic, but continued resilience is not guaranteed without the policies that are critical to the state of manufacturing in America.”
The NAM and its members will leverage “Competing to Win” to shape policy debates ahead of the midterm elections, in the remainder of the 117th Congress and at the start of the 118th Congress—including in direct engagement with lawmakers, for grassroots activity, across traditional and digital media and through events in key states and districts as we did following the initial rollout of the roadmap in 2016.
The document focuses on 12 areas of action, and all policies are rooted in the values that have made America exceptional and keep manufacturing strong: free enterprise, competitiveness, individual liberty and equal opportunity.
Learn more about how manufacturers are leading and about the industry’s competitiveness agenda at nam.org/competing-to-win.
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The National Association of Manufacturers is the largest manufacturing association in the United States, representing small and large manufacturers in every industrial sector and in all 50 states. Manufacturing employs more than 12.8 million men and women, contributes $2.77 trillion to the U.S. economy annually and accounts for 58% of private-sector research and development. The NAM is the powerful voice of the manufacturing community and the leading advocate for a policy agenda that helps manufacturers compete in the global economy and create jobs across the United States. For more information about the NAM or to follow us on Twitter and Facebook, please visit www.nam.org
