Director General Steven Tai and TECO officers David Wang and Tony Tai attended a presentation held by the World Affairs Council of Atlanta on June 3rd. The presentation and discussion, titled, “Trans-Pacific Partnership, Opening the World’s Most Dynamic Region to U.S. Business,” was given by Ambassador Charles Rivkin, Assistant Secretary of State, Economic and Business Affairs.
In his presentation, Ambassador Rivkin said that Georgia’s trade volume is the 18th in the US, with $3 billion in agricultural exports. He said the 12 TPP member countries cover 3.2 billion in population, with 40% global GDP. He emphasized that Georgia businesses should support the US government's passing the TPP agreement. He also quoted Secretary of State John Kerry's remarks about the TPP, saying it is crucial for US trade and strategy.
During a Q&A session, DG Tai asked about Taiwan’s participation in the second rounds of the TPP discussion. Ambassador Rivkin said that he visited Taiwan several times and met with former President Ma. Rivkin said the TPP is an open economical entity with well-established requirements for membership. He said people should understand the rules and try to join in.
Ambassador Charles Shapiro, President of the World Affairs Council of Atlanta, gave the welcoming speech. More than one hundred guests, including Atlanta Consular Corps members, local business leaders, scholars, and students attended the event.