Head of Commerce's ITA Division Lauds America First Policies

Undersecretary of Commerce for International Trade Gil Kaplan touted trade enforcement, the NAFTA rewrite, and tax cuts and deregulation in a keynote speech to the American Association of Exporters and Importers Annual Conference June 27 in Washington.

"The result of our America First policies has been impressive," Kaplan said. He noted that Commerce's International Trade Administration, which he heads up in his role, is handling 480 antidumping and countervailing duty cases. "The United States is the least protectionist country in the world -- we have the $500 billion trade deficit to prove it," he said, and added that the fact that so many U.S. tariffs are lower than trading partners' rates "cannot continue."

With regard to the NAFTA rewrite, Kaplan described many of the changes, such as not allowing countries to require data localization. "The problem of data localization is very troubling in many parts of the world. And the USMCA provides a good paradigm for dealing with it," he said, referring to the rewritten agreement by its acronym, for the U.S.-Canada-Mexico Agreement.

In its customs chapter, Kaplan said, the USMCA includes new tools for customs officials to stop counterfeits; requires transparency on fees and penalties from Canadian and Mexican customs authorities; and sets lighter paperwork requirements for express shipments valued below $2,500.