On Wednesday, Ambassador Kirk delivered the keynote address at the Coalition of Service Industries Global Services Summit in Washington, DC. Speaking to top policy makers and business leaders from around the world, he described how the Obama Administration’s balanced and ambitious trade policy supports American jobs and enables U.S. service providers to share America’s best services with the rest of the world.
Ambassador Kirk speaks at the Coalition of Service Industries Global Services Summit
“Three out of every four U.S. workers are currently employed in a service-related industry, so it makes sense that service is part of our trade policy,” said Ambassador Kirk. “And connections between people – through electronic devices, over networks, and across borders – are becoming more critical to U.S. job creation every day. In many cases, when U.S. service companies expand into new markets through global supply chains, they can support additional service industry jobs here at home.”
Global customers increasingly demand the world-class services that American companies and workers provide. Last year, foreign consumers bought over $500 billion worth of U.S. services, which yielded a services trade surplus of $132 billion for America.
And, as Ambassador Kirk pointed out, the Obama Administration is working to secure additional opportunities for U.S. service providers in international markets. For example, upon implementation of the pending trade agreements with South Korea, Colombia, and Panama, U.S. service providers will gain access to a combined services market of over $750 billion.
You can read Ambassador Kirk’s full remarks from the Summit here.
