The United States Trade Representative (USTR), Ambassador Michael Froman, traveled to Chile and Peru February 3-4 to discuss the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) with high-level officials.
The TPP, now in the late stages of negotiation, is a 12-country effort to negotiate a high-standard agreement to open markets across the Asia-Pacific and support job creation. The agreement will serve to strengthen Chile’s and the United States’ bilateral and regional ties and to enhance trade relationships between countries where trade agreements are already in place.
TPP countries account for nearly 40 percent of global GDP and about one-third of all world trade. The TPP is the most promising pathway to the creation of a Free Trade Area of the Asia Pacific.
While in Santiago, Ambassador Froman will meet with government officials and executives of firms that do business in Chile, the United States, and other TPP economies.
USTR Michael Froman
Michael Froman was sworn in as the 11th United States Trade Representative (USTR) on June 21, 2013.
Ambassador Froman leads the Office of the United States Trade Representative in its work to open global markets for U.S. goods and services, enforce America’s rights in the global trading system, and foster development through trade.
Key initiatives ongoing under his leadership are negotiations of the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement in the Asia Pacific; the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership with the European Union; negotiation of agreements on services, information technology and trade facilitation at the World Trade Organization; and monitoring and enforcement U.S. trade rights, including through the Interagency Trade and Enforcement Center (ITEC).
Prior to becoming the U.S. Trade Representative, Ambassador Froman served at the White House as Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor for International Economic Affairs, where he was responsible for coordinating policy on international trade and finance, energy security and climate change, and development and democracy issues.
He served as the U.S. Sherpa for the G20 and G8 Summits, and staffed the President for the APEC Leaders Meetings. In addition, he chaired or co-chaired the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate, the Transatlantic Economic Council, the U.S.-India CEO Forum and the U.S.-Brazil CEO Forum.
Prior to joining the Obama Administration, Ambassador Froman served in a number of roles at Citigroup and as a Senior Fellow at the Council of Foreign Relations and a Resident Fellow at the German Marshall Fund.
In the 1990’s, Ambassador Froman spent seven years in the U.S. government. He served as Chief of Staff and as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Eurasia and the Middle East at the U.S. Department of Treasury. He also worked at the White House, where he served as a Director for International Economic Affairs at the National Security Council and National Economic Council.
Ambassador Froman received a Bachelor’s degree in Public and International Affairs from Princeton University, a Doctorate in International Relations from Oxford University and law degree from Harvard Law School, where he was an editor of the Harvard Law Review.
