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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A new trade agreement between the United Kingdom and Florida was signed here in Jacksonville Tuesday by Governor Ron DeSantis and UK Secretary of State for Business and Trade Kemi Badenoch. The new memorandum of understanding is the ninth agreement of its kind between the UK and states here in the US and according to Secretary Badenoch, it is by far the largest to date. The agreement is aimed at increasing investments between Florida and the UK as well as strengthening trade, academic research, and business relationships. Priority areas laid out in the agreement include space, fintech,...

Sino-U.S. trade tensions could flare up again as it appears China will miss its obligations under a nearly expired agreement that emerged from a dispute during the administration of former U.S. President Donald Trump, analysts said. The Economic and Trade Agreement signed by the two superpowers in January 2020 is set to end December 31. Trade observers say China has not complied with a clause that obligates it to buy imports of manufactured goods, farm products, energy products and certain services from the U.S. at a total of $200 billion more than the 2017 total. China purchased $186 billion in...

South Lawn 11:11 A.M. EST THE PRESIDENT: Well, thank you very much. That’s beautiful music. Such talented musicians, and we appreciate it very much. We have a tremendous — (applause) — we have a tremendous list of people here today. In fact, so long that if I announced every name, we’d be here for about three hours. (Laughter.) And we have to get back to business. Everybody does. Please sit down. Please. But I want to thank everybody for coming — coming to the White House on this very momentous, historic, and joyous occasion. It’s been a long time. Everybody...

Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged the Ukraine to resist increasing Russian pressure to back out of signing a cooperation agreement with the European Union that would move this former Soviet republic closer to the west. At a political star-studded conference here in the historic Livadia Palace, where Franklin D. Roosevelt , Joseph Stalin, and Winston Churchill met in 1945 to divide up post-war Europe, the Clintons, in separate speeches, portrayed the impending decision by the Ukraine and the 28-member European Union to sign the agreement as what Mrs. Clinton called a “crossroads moment”...

A top Russian official on Saturday warned Ukraine against signing a landmark trade and cooperation agreement with the European Union, saying Moscow would retaliate with trade restrictions that could push this ex-Soviet republic toward default. … Russia is opposing Kiev’s plans to sign a free-trade and political association agreement with the 28-member bloc in November, seeking instead to lure Kiev into a Moscow-led economic union. …

As President Barack Obama pushes an ambitious agenda to liberalize global trading, political trade wars already are forming, and they’re with fellow Democrats rather than with Republicans, his usual antagonists. Obama is promoting free-trade proposals with Europe and Asia that could affect up to two-thirds of all global trade. … Both deals generally have the support of U.S. businesses. But labor unions and human rights and environmental groups—core Democratic constituencies—have so far viewed them cynically. These organizations, and Democrats in general, say that free-trade deals can cost American jobs and lead to environmental and workplace abuses that would not be...

The trade ministers of the European Union’s member states are expected to give the European Commission a strong mandate next week to negotiate a far-reaching trade deal with the United States. However, France is holding out against accepting a request from the Commission to be allowed to open discussions on rules governing audiovisual products, for fear of endangering legislation that allows EU countries to subsidize, protect and impose quotas for products of national cultural value. When the trade ministers meet on Friday next week (14 June), France will be demanding that the “cultural exception” is excluded from the Commission’s negotiating...

Contract Further Entangles Nation in Global, Peruvian, and World Bank Enviro AgreementsBy Steve Peacock U.S. Trade & Aid MonitorThe U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) yesterday awarded a $39 million contract to Chemonics International, Inc., to help the Government of Peru to "measurably improve forest governance and environmental management, conserve sustainable tropical forest landscapes, and increase forest-based livelihoods in Peru in the context of implementing the U.S.-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement (PTPA) and other international agreements." According to the project Statement of Work (Solicitation #SOL-527-10-000007), the U.S. and Peru in 2006 initially signed an Environmental Cooperation Agreement (ECA) “that provides a...

I watched a documentary last summer about the loss of jobs in America. Small, middle class towns formerly supported by jobs in maufacturing (such as Thompson TVs, Rubbermaid, RCA, etc) are dead and defunct because the plants closed. Can you guess why? The Trade Agreement with China (thanks Willie!). Here are a few interesting facts: Wal-Mart is the largest corporation in the world. Dell+IBM+GM+GE+Microsoft+HP = Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart buys its product from 6,000 suppliers. Wal-Mart built its gargantuan buying headquarters in China, because 80% of those suppliers are in China. They buy finished products in China (where the factory workers are...

The European Union in its seeming eagerness to make as much money as possible off of the mid-east at any cost has signed another agreement with a terrorist state. This time it's an "Association Agreement" with Syria that will open up more trade with Syria through the creation of a free trade zone with the EU. According to the EU we shouldn't worry though, this agreement has been hung up for 5 years due to the wording dealing with WMD's. To quote the negotiators: Syria's was delayed by its reluctance to sign owing to a clause demanding commitment to the...

Click here to Sign Petition.... We the undersigned ENCOURAGE President Bush to VETO HR.3009 - "Trade Bill" The REAL conservatives in the Senate have made a great number of "concessions" to the liberals in this bill, however their failure to strike down the Amdt.3408 (Dayton Amdmt,Senate Vote #110, On 14 May 2002) actually kills REAL "fast track trade promotion authority" which is the reason so many concessions were made in the first place. This ammendment has several "unintended consequences", it would actully give the President NO credibility at the "bargaining table" because it would allow the U.S. congress to strike...