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U.S., South Korea Trade Deal Under Review
by Winter Casey
The U.S. International Trade Commission is reviewing the potential impact of a comprehensive trade agreement the Bush administration has proposed with South Korea.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative requested the review as required under a 2002 trade law. The review, which will be presented to President Bush and Congress, will evaluate how the agreement could impact the U.S. economy, industry sectors and U.S. consumers.
Bush notified Congress on April 1 of his plans to enter a deal with South Korea, but legislative bodies in both countries have yet to approve the pact. The ITC will hold a public hearing June 7 and is accepting written comments for the record.
According to a survey released Tuesday by the South Korean government, most of the country's economic experts favor the agreement, which was reached after 14 months of negotiations. The Korea Development Institute, a state-run think tank, found that about two-thirds of the 253 economic experts surveyed are satisfied.
About 23 percent of respondents noted concern that as a result of the deal, the Korean economy could become overly dependent on the United States. Nearly 58 percent said the local agriculture industry could collapse following the agreement.
The South Korean government, however, noted Monday on its designated information portal that 11 state-run thinks tanks said they expect the agreement to increase the country's annual economic growth, expand consumer choice, and lower prices on goods.
USTR, meanwhile, announced Monday that South Korea will remain on the "Special 301" watch list, which measures the adequacy and effectiveness of other countries' success in protecting intellectual property. But the United States welcomes the IP commitments Korea would make under the trade agreement.
"In the areas of patents, trademarks, copyrights, protection against unfair commercial use for data generated to obtain marketing approval, and enforcement, Korea has agreed to considerably strengthen its IPR protection and enforcement regimes," USTR wrote. "The United States believes that adherence to these commitments will lead to a significant improvement in IPR protection, as well as a reduction in piracy and counterfeiting in the Korean market."
The European Commission announced in April that it also plans to negotiate a trade agreement with South Korea. The governments are expected to hold their first talks next week.
Europe, U.S. To Share Classified Information
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte and Javier Solana, the European Union Council's secretary-general and the high representative for common foreign and security policy, have signed an agreement to share U.S. and EU classified information.
The agreement, announced Monday, "enables systematic exchanges of classified information between the United States and the European Union by obligating each party to undertake certain steps to protect such information," according to the State Department.
The department said sharing information between the regions will be a key priority to support public safety and security.
Ireland To Help Small Firms With Technology
The Irish government has launched a program to help small businesses better use technology.
Under the initiative, businesses can apply to their city or county councils for tech check-ups by appointed independent experts. The reviewers will provide business owners with strategies on how to best use technology.
The government said it hopes the program will increase the productivity and profitability of companies. "Small businesses often find it difficult to find the right type of technology for their businesses," Irish Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Michael Martin said in a statement.
"The objective of this program is to help them overcome this obstacle and identify solutions that are appropriate and specific to them," he said. "We must avoid over-engineered or over-specified solutions. Tech-Check is designed to be a practical no-nonsense program. We are not here to waste the time of small-business owners."
In other news, the U.S. high-tech trade association AeA released a report Tuesday on China's science and technology plan. China's goal is to improve education and increase its investment in research and development, the report said. The country also is looking to produce more homegrown innovation and become a leader in technology.
"China's 15 year science and technology plan looks all too familiar," AeA President William Archey said in statement. "It looks remarkably like the blueprint the United States developed in 1958 in response to the Soviet launch of Sputnik. Here we are months away from the 50th anniversary of Sputnik and the Chinese are cribbing from our playbook.
"They see how successful it was in making the United States the pre-eminent scientific, technological, and economic power on the planet."
Mobile Gaming For Education
Researchers from the United Kingdom's University of Portsmouth have developed a mobile telephone game to help overseas students deal with the culture shock of moving to Britain and university life.
The university's Nipan Maniar, who created the game, moved from India to the United Kingdom five years ago. "I found some aspects of British culture very novel, and certainly things such as interacting socially with others, say, in a pub were very different to what I was used to in my own culture in India," Nipan said.
"I thought it would be great to have a learning vehicle or device to help people overcome the culture shock because if you have not experienced such things before, it's hard to know how to react or behave appropriately."
Nipan and his research assistant, Emily Bennett, developed the prototype of the game after consulting with the University's International Office and the British Council. The game follows an international student arriving in the United Kingdom. The point is to reduce the character's culture shock through given tasks. The game also provides information such as police and emergency telephone numbers and how to get to a bank.
Nipan said that using mobile phone games to communicate is a new concept with limitless possibilities for learning and the private sector. The game is expected to be available for download from the University of Portsmouth Web site later this year.
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