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To learn more about ITI's work and position on Trade & Investment, please visit
http://www.itic.org/policy/trade-investment
http://www.itic.org/policy/trade-investment
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Last week, ITI led a group of tech associations in sending a letter to India Prime Minister Modi supporting a change in policy to allow importing of valuable spare parts and equipment. Prime Minister Modi is one of the most influential world leaders on social media and is an avid user of technology, so we will also tweet the letter and hope the Prime Minister will notice it during his busy schedule. [...]
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It was all about Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) for Congressional tax writers Tuesday. A number of experts testified on the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) sprawling international tax project at hearings Tuesday morning at the House Ways and Means Committee, and that afternoon at the Senate Finance Committee. As discussed in an earlier TechWonk blog, the topic [...]
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On November 19, the U.S. Department of Commerce and Brazilian Ministry of Development, Industry, and Foreign Trade convened in Brasilia for the 13th plenary meeting of the U.S.-Brazil Commercial Dialogue. ITI traveled to Brazil to join this bilateral trade discussion where trade leaders and industry representatives met to discuss topics ranging from trade and investment to standards. Despite the sometimes [...]
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In two congressional hearings yesterday, lawmakers heard testimony describing the importance of cross-border data flows to the modern economy and how critical the U.S. – EU Safe Harbor Framework (“Safe Harbor”) is to the more than half a trillion dollar trans-Atlantic trade relationship. Much of that trade is underpinned by cross-border data flows enabled by the Safe Harbor agreement, and the recent [...]
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Newly elected President of Indonesia, Joko Widodo met with President Obama on Monday in Washington DC. Widodo traveled to the United States for the first time with the primary purpose of promoting Indonesia as a good destination for U.S. investment. Although the haze and forest fire crisis in South East Asia cut President Widodo’s trip short, the two presidents managed to agree on a wide range of policy [...]
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Last week I was in Istanbul, Turkey, to participate in the G20, B20, and International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) meetings related to the digital economy and the importance of addressing data localization requirements and other types of forced localization measures. The news concerning the Safe Harbor ruling by the European Court of Justice colored all of the discussions at these meetings, as business [...]
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I’m on the ground in Geneva, Switzerland, as negotiators discuss the time periods for eliminating tariffs on technology products listed under the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) Information Technology Agreement (ITA). Many critics say the WTO cannot keep up with evolving business and consumer dynamics around the world. The WTO’s Doha Development Agenda (DDA) negotiations are increasingly irrelevant [...]
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NEW YORK – Today I had the privilege of attending a high-level panel discussion entitled “Development in the Digital Age” in the context of the United Nations General Assembly meetings in New York, where the U.S. State Department launched its much-anticipated Global Connect initiative. For so many people, access to social and economic opportunities now depends on access to the Internet. Unfortunately, [...]
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The European Union’s plan to create a Digital Single Market (DSM), which would reduce barriers to digital trade and innovation within Europe, is at a pivotal phase. In the coming months, EU officials will hold a wide-ranging conversation with companies, public interest groups, and individual citizens regarding the details of this ambitious project. This week, European Commissioner for Digital Economy [...]
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This week India’s Prime Minister Modi comes to the United States. Unlike the Pope and China’s President Xi, the Prime Minister will not be spending time in Washington, D.C. Rather, he will devote much of his time to Silicon Valley, where he will be seeking to tap into the innovative entrepreneurialism of the region. As he did during his inaugural visit to the U.S. last year, Modi will once again fill [...]
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