Free Republic

Kim Jong Il's Visit to China a "Milepost," State's Zoellick Says North Korean leader saw China's "shocking economic development" By Jane Morse Washington File Staff Writer Washington -- North Korean leader Kim Jong Il's visit to China the week of January 16 may have given him "a good sense" of China's "shocking economic development," U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Robert B. Zoellick says. Responding to questions January 25 at a press roundtable in Chengdu, China, Zoellick said the visit had given Kim "a sense of what can be done in the Chinese system and led to some thinking." Kim's discussions...

United States Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick delivered a refreshingly candid speech in New York last Wednesday at a gala dinner of the National Committee on US-China Relations. I was expecting the usual self- deluding talk, with nonsense like "US- China relations are the most important bilateral relationship in the world and we must not demonize China." How wrong I was. Zoellick, established what will be the tone of US-China policy for the rest of the second Bush administration, if not longer. Zoellick aimed to address the most mind-boggling question: How does the United States deal with China's rising...

Robert B. Zoellick, Deputy Secretary of State United States Embassy Brasília, Brazil October 6, 2005 DEPUTY SECRETARY ZOELLICK:Okay, well thanks for taking the time to come by. Let me just make a few opening comments about the purpose of my visit and then we will just open it up to questions. This primarily is an opportunity for me to consult with a close and important partner of the United States. I've been to Brazil a number of times before, I obviously see Brazilian officials regularly Celso Amorim was in Washington just about a week ago. But it gives me an...

Deputy Secretary of State Robert B. Zoellick bluntly warned China last night that it must begin to take concrete steps to address what he called a "a cauldron of anxiety" in the United States and other parts of the world about Chinese intentions. --------- SNIP ------------- "Uncertainties about how China will use its power will lead the United States -- and others as well -- to hedge relations with China," Zoellick told the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations in New York. "Many countries hope China will pursue a 'peaceful rise,' but none will bet their future on it." ---- SNIP...

Aug. 15, 2005 issue - The Bush Administration's point man on China is Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick, a fierce and sometimes combative moderate who was handed the job largely by default. Last week in Beijing he wrapped up the first round of a bilateral dialogue that puts him in the driver's seat of one of Washington's most crucial relationships. But Zoellick has the backing of George Bush, a fellow pragmatist—at least on China—who kids Zoellick for being something of a nerd.

Washington (The Daily Standard) - THE FIRST SALVOS have been fired in a trade war that is unlike any other. Not that all has been peace and quiet on the trade front until now. Opposition to the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) by America's inefficient but politically potent sugar beet producers and apparel makers has delayed congressional approval. Bob Zoellick, who negotiated that agreement before moving up to the number two spot in the State Department, is confident that opposition will be overcome, but at the moment it is a close-run thing. And remember jokes about world trade agreements...

U.S. officials are reaching out to immigrant business owners in their effort to win congressional approval of a free-trade agreement with five Central American countries and the Dominican Republic. Officials from the State Department and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative met yesterday with about 60 Hispanic business owners and community leaders to encourage them to express support for the trade deal, known as CAFTA-DR. During the meeting, the attendees were told that their lobbying could be pivotal in getting Congress to pass the agreement.

President Bush has chosen Rep. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) as the new United States Trade Representative, according to an administration source. He will replace Robert B. Zoellick, who is leaving to become the number two person in the State Department.

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Robert Zoellick, tapped by the White House to become the number-two official at the State Department, told lawmakers that improving Washington's relationship with Beijing will make up a key part of his dossier once confirmed. "I hope to expand and make regular our dialogue with China on regional and international issues, terrorism, trade and economics, and other topics," said Zoellick, President George W. Bush's pick to become the top deputy to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. "China is a rising force, both an economic force and now there are security implications," he told the US Senate's Foreign...

Examining the FTAA’s Tripartite Committee and following the money trail back to the United Nations exposes the UN’s behind-the-scenes control. It was clear from the initial Summit of the Americas in Miami in 1994 that the FTAA would be completely an instrument to advance the world government agenda of the United Nations on the hemispheric level. The summit produced two documents, a Declaration of Principles and a Plan of Action. The declaration proclaims: “We reiterate our firm adherence to the principles of international law and the purposes and principles enshrined in the United Nations Charter....” It also pledges to “advance...

To what degree do neo-conservatives and militarists control US foreign policy? And how much influence do the less ideological figures such as National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice have over President George W Bush? Those were the questions continually debated by foreign-policy observers during the last three years of the first Bush administration. And at the onset of Bush's second term, assessing the new ideological-realist balance in the foreign policy team is the main topic of Washington's foreign-policy community. The president's nomination of Condoleezza Rice as secretary of state and her selection of Robert Zoellick as her top deputy indicate that...

That's politics! By Peter Roff, UPI Senior Political Analyst WASHINGTON, Jan. 13 (UPI) -- Keep your friends close ... The Center for Security Policy's Frank Gaffney seems to make a habit of picking big fights with even bigger people. His latest punching bag is said to be U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick, whom President George W. Bush has asked to become the State Department's new No. 2 to work with Secretary-designate Condoleezza Rice. Gaffney, says a source who has spoken with him on the subject, believes the selection of the highly regarded Zoellick, who served in senior posts in both...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick is expected to be named deputy to incoming Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice later this month, a Bush administration official said on Thursday. The official said an announcement was likely after Rice's confirmation hearing scheduled for Jan. 18. Zoellick had also been mentioned as a candidate to replace World Bank President James Wolfensohn who told the bank this week he planned to leave in June. As Deputy Secretary of State, Zoellick would replace Richard Armitage who resigned when Colin Powell announced he was quitting soon after President Bush's re-election in November. Zoellick...

12/21/04 | U.S. Wins WTO Case Against EU Over Food Names WASHINGTON--United States Trade Representative Robert B. Zoellick announced today that the United States had prevailed in its WTO case against the European Union regarding geographic food names known as "geographical indications." Geographical indications, or "GIs", are geographic names that have a particular association with a product, such as Idaho potatoes or Florida oranges. In its report issued today, the WTO panel agreed with the United States that Europe's regulation discriminates against U.S. products and producers and is therefore contrary to WTO rules. The panel also agreed with the United...

WASHINGTON - The Bush administration indicated Friday that it would live with punitive new duties imposed by the World Trade Organization against U.S. products, even as it fights relentlessly to protect America's interests. "We are continuing to work with Congress to bring the U.S. into compliance and we are consulting with our trading partners on these efforts," said Richard Mills, spokesman for U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick. Officials already notified the WTO that "we intend to comply with our international obligations in this matter." "It's important to remember that these issues do not affect the ability of the United States...

ARLINGTON -- Bush-Cheney '04 today announced the members of its Debate Negotiations Team.  The team, lead by James A. Baker, III, will represent Bush-Cheney '04 in negotiations of the terms of the presidential debates between President George W. Bush and Senator John Kerry and between Vice President Dick Cheney and Senator John Edwards.     "We are honored that Secretary Baker will lead negotiations on behalf of our campaign.  I am confident that he and the other seasoned members of our team will conduct negotiations in a thoughtful manner to ensure a robust debate of the critical issues facing our country," said...

United States Trade Representative Robert Zoellick said US trade negotiations could grind to a halt in 2005 if Democratic candidate John Kerry wins the presidential election. The free trade agreement between the United States and Australia will be ceremonially signed on May 18 later in Washington by Trade Minister Mark Vaile. It needs to be passed by the US Congress and the Australian Parliament before it comes into force. Both Mr Howard and US President George W Bush face polls later this year before which they hope to conclude the deal. In a speech at the Institute for International Economics,...

U.S. Spurns China's Tax on Chips By Michael Singer U.S. Trade officials filed a case at the World Trade Organization Thursday asking that China drop its 17 percent value-added tax (VAT) on imported semiconductors and integrated circuits. While not a legal lawsuit, the complaint suggests that the preferential tax treatment to chips produced in China is harming the U.S. and other imports. In a statement, U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Robert Zoellick said the U.S. believes that the discriminatory tax policy is inconsistent with the national treatment obligations that China assumed when it joined the WTO in December 2001. The USTR...

U.S. Files WTO Case Against China Over Discriminatory Taxes That Hurt U.S. Exports WASHINGTON –U.S. Trade Representative Robert B. Zoellick announced today that the United States has filed a case at the World Trade Organization (WTO) regarding China’s discriminatory tax rebate policy for integrated circuits. Today’s action begins a 60-day consultation period required under WTO rules. China provides preferential tax treatment to integrated circuits produced in China, thereby disadvantaging U.S. and other imports. The United States believes that this discriminatory tax policy is inconsistent with the national treatment obligations that China assumed when it joined the WTO in December 2001....

China is facing a complaint at the World Trade Organisation for the first time since its joined in early 2002. The complaint comes from the US, and represents a further intensification of Washington DC's accusation that China's trade policy is costing US jobs. The WTO case concerns tax breaks for Chinese semiconductor makers, which the US says gives them an unfair advantage. China, US trade chief Robert Zoellick said, "must live up to its obligations" to create a "level playing field". The move follows recent efforts by lawmakers on both sides of US politics - as well as unions -...