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Durbin Meets with United States Trade Representative Nominee Susan Schwab to Discuss Illinois Issues

Date: June 6, 2005
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Trade


DURBIN MEETS WITH UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE NOMINEE SUSAN SCHWAB TO DISCUSS ILLINOIS ISSUES

U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with United States Trade Representative (USTR) Nominee, Susan Schwab, to discuss issues related to US trade including the need to enforce regulations of trade agreements, so that American businesses and employees are treated fairly.

"Lowering trade and political barriers has made it possible to do business with billions of other people across the planet," said Durbin. "With this freedom comes a responsibility to protect our American companies and employees. I made it clear to Ms. Schwab that we must do more to enforce trade laws so that businesses in Illinois, and throughout the country, will have both the protections and opportunities they need as the world market continues to expand."

In today's meeting, Durbin asked Schwab to support strengthening company and employee protection rights in trade agreements so that American companies can compete fairly in international trade while holding competitors to the highest standards of worker's rights. The Senator expressed concern with the vulnerabilities of American companies in today's market, citing the example of a small Chicago business, ROTEC, which is now in bankruptcy. ROTEC invented and marketed a world-class concrete transport system that the Chinese contracted to use abroad. However, midway through the project, Chinese project managers copied the technology, sued ROTEC in Chinese court, won the case, and used that ruling to seize the U.S. assets of the company.

"It is an outrage that the World Trade Organization's rules would allow a Chicago company's technology and assets to be seized," said Durbin. "We must strengthen our trade regulations so that Illinois companies, like ROTEC, can compete abroad without being exploited."

Schwab is currently the Deputy U.S. Trade Representative and was nominated to take over the top U.S. trade post from Rob Portman.

http://durbin.senate.gov/record.cfm?id=256543&&

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