AMTAC hails talks collapse
By Furniture Today Staff -- Furniture Today, September 22, 2003
Washington — The American Manufacturing Trade Action Coalition, a lobbying group of textile and other manufacturers fighting what it considers unfair trade practices, hailed the collapse in Cancun, Mexico, of World Trade Organization negotiations on tariff reductions.
Auggie Tantillo, Washington coordinator for AMTAC, said, "The failure of these talks is a significant positive development for U.S. manufacturers who want to preserve their investment and presence in the U.S. market."
AMTAC feared the talks might result in the reduction or elimination of U.S. tariffs, or allow significant exemptions for importing countries largely responsible for the U.S. trade deficit.
"The continued destruction of the U.S. manufacturing sector is unacceptable," Tantillo said. "We commend the U.S. government for recognizing that no deal is better than a bad deal. With more than 2.5 million jobs lost since January 2001, the U.S. manufacturing sector doesn't need any more one-way trade deals."
The WTO talks were designed to produce a blueprint for trade liberalization in all sectors, from agriculture to manufacturing, among its 148 member countries. The talks foundered on issues such as the elimination of export subsidies, the reduction of tariff and non-tariff barriers, and rules relating to investment and government procurement procedures.
"The talks were less about two-way commitments on the part of all WTO members, and more about entitlement arrangements designed to improve the export ability of so-called developing countries such as China and India," Tantillo said.
