Walter Spurrier Baquerizo: Contact in Washington | Columnists | Opinion

June 27, 2021 – 00h00

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The previous week a delegation from the Business Committee traveled to Washington in the company of the Vice Minister of Foreign Trade to contact government, multilateral and private entities that would play a positive or otherwise obstructive role for a possible trade agreement with the United States. retinue.

Lasso’s election raised the image of Ecuador in Washington. Chile and Peru, the most successful cases of market economy of the seven Andean countries are preparing to give themselves governments of the Marxist left; Instead, Ecuador rejected Rafael Correa and his avatar, opting for a candidate who espouses the market economy. That weighed a lot for the business unions. Officials in the Biden government were pleasantly surprised that Lasso has supported an indigenous woman to preside over the Assembly, thereby simultaneously meeting the goals of gender equality and the presence of ethnic minorities at the top of the state.

Ambassador Baki put together a high-level contact list. The reception he gave the delegation was attended by senior officials of the Biden government as well as at least the chairman of a legislative commission, all with responsibilities related to South America, and the officials in charge of trade negotiations. Reaching a trade agreement with the US will require strenuous effort. Agreements are typically achieved when Congress grants the President Trade Promotion Authority (TPA), that is, Congress retains the right to approve or deny, but waives to modify an agreement. The current TPA, in force since June 2015, expires on Thursday the 1st. There is no indication that Biden will request its extension. Despite this, the Lasso government and private companies are right to show unity of purpose and to undertake the removal of obstacles to a possible agreement. When the US, Mexico and Canada signed NAFTA in 1992, Chile hoped to come later, but they slammed the door in its face. Chile persevered and reached an agreement in no time when Congress granted a new TPA. But it was ten years of waiting. Ecuador had the opportunity in the government of Alfredo Palacio, when the Andean agreement was negotiated, but it wasted.

Today Ecuador aspires to an agreement still without TPA. The naysayers on Capitol Hill must be neutralized. To convince governments and businessmen that Ecuador’s exportable production does not present competition to theirs, but that we will export what they already buy to other countries, which will benefit consumers due to the widest offer. That the agreement will allow US companies to regain space in the Ecuadorian market, which it loses to Europe, which pays lower tariffs. The most important thing is to make the United States authorities aware that it is in the United States’ interest to have the greatest of successes in this Andean country that today is the regional standard bearer for civil and human liberties, the market economy and expansion. of social services. So that peoples who today seek inspiration from VI Lenin, Mariátegui, Hugo Chávez and Xi Jinping will pay attention.

That our legislators understand the urgent need for an agreement is another matter. (OR)

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