U.S. Trade with Developing Countries

This book focuses on U.S. trade building with developing countries; a heterogeneous group of low and middle-income countries that have become an increasingly significant factor in U.S. trade flows and trade policy over the last two or more decades. The growth of developing countries' economies and foreign trade presents the United States with opportunities and challenges. The imports from many developing economies provide U.S. consumers with an ever widening range of choices of products at lower prices, raising real incomes and contributing to a higher U.S. standard of living. A number of the developing countries have also become robust markets for U.S. exports because of rapid economic growth and trade liberalisation. This book describes trade with developing countries, which also raises a set of virtually unique issues regarding labour rights, environment protection and intellectual property rights that have become fixtures on the U.S. trade agenda. This book also describes trade capacity building and discusses the history of Trade Capacity Building (TCB)in foreign assistance. There is also a discussion of legislation affecting TCB, including appropriations and legislative restrictions on foreign assistance.