Commerce Secretary Outlines Strategies for Increasing Exports

(World Trade Interactive)

In a November 4 speech to the National District Export Council Conference, Commerce Secretary Gary Locke outlined the following five strategies for increasing U.S. exports.

Boosting Trade Promotion Activities
“ Less than one percent of America’s 30 million companies export – a percentage that is significantly lower than all other developed countries,” Locke said. “And of U.S. companies that do export, 58% export to only one country.” The DOC will therefore work to get more companies engaged with its commercial service corps, which includes a trade promotion office staffed with some 1,500 people in 77 countries.

Business Visa Reform
“ The United States often makes it too difficult for foreign company executives to enter here to do business – a shortcoming that has had a tangible cost for American businesses by shutting out some of their best customers,” Locke asserted. While there has been “tentative progress” on improving this situation, Locke said he has created a “departmental task force that will keep national security paramount while working to further improve the business visa process.”

Export Controls
“ Our current export control system was designed in the 1950s,” Locke said, but today “our global economy is far larger and more integrated, and nations’ economic and security interests are more nuanced.” As a result, U.S. companies are being “shut out of promising markets and promising partnerships with foreign companies” because “the undeniable appeal of U.S. technology is often outweighed by the time and effort foreign companies must endure to obtain it.”

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