Obama Needs to Take On Labor Allies in Trade Fight: Albert Hunt

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-04-04/obama-needs-to-take-on-labor-allies-in-trade-fight-albert-hunt.html

April 04, 2010, 11:16 AM EDT

Commentary by Albert R. Hunt

April 5 (Bloomberg) -- The Obama administration last month targeted villains impeding international commerce, especially China.

The Chinese, in the United States Trade Representative’s report, were criticized for import and procurement restrictions that discriminate against foreign competitors. The Chinese currency valuation wasn’t specifically mentioned, though that’s the context of the overall complaint. The U.S. also chastised the Europeans, Japan and South Korea.

These all are valid, particularly the case against China. Last week, BloombergBusinessWeek magazine chronicled China’s recent pattern of protectionism. “Every year, China issues more than 10,000 new standards governing industries from mobile phones to autos,” the article said, more than the rest of the world combined.

One villain was omitted: the U.S.

President Barack Obama tapped a capable trade ambassador, former Dallas Mayor Ron Kirk, has assembled a globally oriented economic team and has vowed to pursue an aggressive policy of open trade.

Yet 15 months into Obama’s presidency, free-trade agreements with South Korea, Colombia and Panama languish and the administration hasn’t wrapped up the so-called Doha Round of trade talks and moved to other negotiations.

Doubling Exports

FULL story at link.