New US Trade Deals Advance Open Digital Markets and Counter EU-Style Protectionism, Says ITIF

WASHINGTON—Following the Trump administration's recent announcements regarding a framework of agreements with several Latin American countries and the announcement of the US-Korea Joint Fact Sheet, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), the leading think tank for science and technology policy, released the following statement from Rodrigo Balbontin, associate director for trade, IP, and digital technology governance:

The administration's recent actions represent positive news for promoting digital trade aligned with U.S. standards.

The deals with Argentina, Ecuador, El Salvador, and Guatemala explicitly promote digital trade, with those countries committing to refrain from imposing discriminatory policies against U.S. companies, such as digital services taxes. The joint statement with the South Korean government goes further, explicitly banning ongoing efforts by some South Korean policymakers to target American tech companies, eliminating non-tariff barriers such as network usage fees and online platform regulations, and facilitating cross-border data transfers, including for location, reinsurance, and personal data.

ITIF has been a champion against the discriminatory treatment of U.S. companies abroad, which we call Non-Tariff Attacks. We welcome the U.S. government's efforts to collaborate with other countries to dismantle such measures. We encourage U.S. trade negotiators to continue this pathway and to incorporate explicit metrics and set timeframes so that trade partners can be held accountable for their commitments. These agreements are particularly critical as they help prevent other countries from adopting the EU's strict regulatory standards, which disguise protectionism as domestic regulation and provide strategic opportunities for Chinese competitors to capture market share at the expense of U.S. firms.

Contact: Austin Slater, [email protected]