Republican Party on Free Trade Party Platform

Open closed markets to create opportunity & spread freedom

Trade plays an important role in our economy, supporting roughly 40 million jobs in the US and providing immeasurable benefits to American consumers by lowering prices and improving our standard of living. We must continue to open new markets for our businesses and build the capacity of tomorrow's trade partners. For that reason, the US must do more to support trade agreements with clear benefits, including job growth, to our economy.

Promote prosperity through free markets and strategic investments by:
• Negotiating beneficial trade agreements that improve our economy and create jobs at home.
• Advancing the role of trade in expanding development abroad.
• Prioritizing foreign aid programs that build self-sufficiency in partner countries.
• Holding foreign aid recipients accountable and using clear benchmarks to measure success.

Restore presidential Trade Promotion Authority

We call for the restoration of presidential Trade Promotion Authority. It will ensure up or down votes in Congress on any new trade agreements, without meddling by special interests. A Republican President will complete negotiations for a Trans-Pacific Partnership to open rapidly developing Asian markets to US products. Beyond that, we envision a worldwide multilateral agreement among nations committed to the principles of open markets, what has been called a "Reagan Economic Zone," in which free trade will truly be fair trade.

Countervailing duties against China on intellectual property

A Republican President will insist on full parity in trade with China and stand ready to impose countervailing duties if China fails to amend its currency policies. Commercial discrimination will be met in kind. Counterfeit goods will be aggressively kept out of the country. Victimized private firms will be encouraged to raise legal claims.

U.S. should position itself to dominate trade

International trade has become the world’s most powerful economic force. We must secure America’s competitive advantage by preventing other countries from erecting barriers to innovation. We propose to:
• Revitalize the World Trade Organization negotiations on agriculture and services.
• Give the next president fast-track negotiating authority.
• Negotiate reductions in tariffs on U.S. industrial goods and the elimination of other trade barriers so that our autos, heavy machinery, textiles, and other products will no longer be shut out of foreign markets.
• Take action against any trading partner that uses pseudo-science to block importation of U.S. bioengineered crops.
• Advance a Free Trade Area of the Americas to take advantage of burgeoning new markets at our doorstep.
• Revise export controls to tighten control over military technology and ease restrictions on technology already available commercially.

Promote free trade with America setting the standards