Tammy Kim, Hyphen
On Wednesday in Seoul, Korean President Lee Myung Bak welcomed a top-level American delegation. They met to discuss the US-Korea Free Trade Agreement (KORUS), which, having languished since negotiations in 2007, is now endorsed by President Obama and up for Congressional ratification. While American media scarcely covered this week’s events, Korean newspapers were saturated with reports, speculations, and photographs. In one image, President Lee stands beside another man of Asian descent: Gary Locke, the Chinese American Commerce Secretary and soon-to-be Ambassador to China.
Updates
04/29/11
By Eric Jackson, COHA
From April 27 to April 29, Martinelli and 11 other Panamanian officials are meeting in Washington D.C. to discuss free trade, regional security, and bilateral cooperation with various U.S. departments and organizations.
04/27/11
Dustin Ensinger, Economy in Crisis
The North American Free Trade Agreement could soon be used as a conduit to flood the U.S. market with cheap, duty-free Sri Lankan goods, according to a report at Lanka Business Online.
04/26/11
Joe McDonald, Associated Press
Chinese protectionism has increased since the 2008 global crisis and U.S. companies are being hurt by Beijing's policies aimed at developing its technology industries, a business group said Tuesday.
A report by the American Chamber of Commerce in China adds to mounting complaints that Beijing is violating the spirit of its free-trade pledges by limiting market access and trying to shield its fledgling technology industries from competition.
04/25/11
Jamison Cocklin, Bangor Daily News
BANGOR, Maine — When 450 workers are unemployed and uncertainty and economic hardship pervades an entire region, an American president should witness the devastation and sorrow firsthand.
This is the way members of the Maine Labor Council and the United Steelworkers said they felt Friday after a shutdown of the East Millinocket paper mill on April 1 left the Katahdin region workers they represent idle and under threat of permanent displacement, given mill owner threats to scrap the mills if another owner cannot be found.
04/25/11
Tara Bozick, WSLS 10
Unfortunately, the story of the loss of Dan River Inc. isn’t unique.
Cheap imports, overseas labor, big-box retailers and U.S. trade policy culminated in not just the demise of Dan River, but of U.S. textiles and ultimately, undermined American manufacturing, industry advocates said.
04/25/11
Steve Bennish, Ken McCall and Tim Tresslar, Springfield News-Sun
DAYTON — Since 2000, Ohio’s total annual private payroll dropped by $22 billion when adjusted for inflation, a devastating economic implosion that hit every aspect of Ohio’s economy — from grocery stores, restaurants and retail to government budgets and beyond. As one telling indicator, the Ohio Department of Education said the proportion of youngsters receiving federally subsidized school lunches has reached a record high of four for every 10 students.
04/22/11
K. Scarpati, Supply Chain Digital
According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, new data from the U.S. Commerce Department shows that multinational corporations in the United States trimmed their domestic workforce by nearly three million jobs during the last decade.
04/22/11
Hwang Doo-hyong, Yonhap News
WASHINGTON, April 21 (Yonhap) -- The Obama administration has dismissed calls by some congressmen for South Korea to allow wider access to its beef market before the ratification of a pending free trade deal.
"The beef issue remains a top priority for the administration, and we will continue to urge Korea to open
04/21/11
Fareed Zakaria, CNN.com
The Wall Street Journal recently reported that U.S. firms are shifting hiring abroad:
U.S. multinational corporations, the big brand-name companies that employ a fifth of all American workers, have been hiring abroad while cutting back at home, sharpening the debate over globalization's effect on the U.S. economy.
