Trade negotiations seen helping Iowa

Iowa has much to gain through two trade agreements, according to U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman, who spoke Friday at Cornell College in Mount Vernon.

Froman was the keynote speaker of the third White House Rural Council 'Made In Rural America Regional Forum,” which is aimed at helping businesses learn more about exporting.

Froman addressed the work being done with the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), which would improve trade relations with the Asia-Pacific, and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (T-TIP), which would enhance America's trade relationship with the European Union.

United States exports hit $2.3 trillion in 2013, according to White House data. Iowa is the second-largest exporter of agricultural products in the United States, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, shipping $11.3 billion in agricultural exports 2012.

About 60 percent of Iowa's exports, or $8.4 billion, already go to TPP countries, and 16 percent, or $2.2 billion, go to T-TIP countries.

Froman said finalizing the agreements will remove barriers to the state's four largest export markets in Canada, Mexico, Japan and the European Union.

'We're working to raise standards,” Froman said. 'Labor standards, environmental standards. We want a fair and level playing field.”

He said the countries still have some details to iron out, but everyone is 'highly motivated to come to an agreement.”

'We're making progress in defining rules and getting access,” Froman said. 'But we won't set an artificial deadline because we want the agreement to be strong and ambitious.

'We're getting down to last few issues ... but the ones open at the end are the hardest ones.”