USMCA Would Boost US ‘Leadership’ on Trade, Technology, Say Tech Groups

The U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement on free trade “would strengthen U.S. technological and trade leadership, and advance U.S. firms’ ability to grow platforms and services that enable engagement with the Internet and the digital economy,” wrote CTA, the Information Technology Industry Council, Internet Association and nine other tech groups Sunday to House Ways and Means and Senate Finance Committee leadership, urging USMCA approval. “As Congress considers the many important provisions in the USMCA, we urge lawmakers to take into account the significance of the digital trade rules on the U.S. economy and vote to adopt,” they said. “Passing the USMCA quickly is a critical opportunity to shape global trade rules.” When the North American Free Trade Agreement was implemented 25 years ago, “there were no digital provisions,” they said. “Today, the U.S. tech industry is facing a number of challenges from foreign governments seeking to displace U.S. technology leadership. American companies are especially under threat from discriminatory policies, market-distorting industrial policies, and inadequate intellectual property protection and enforcement in China.”