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News Release 22-117
Inv. No(s). 332-593
Contact: Jennifer Andberg, 202-205-1819
The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) is undertaking a new factfinding investigation on Pacific Island trade and investment with the United States, including impediments to and opportunities for increased goods and services exports to the United States and U.S. investment in the Pacific Islands.
The investigation, U.S.-Pacific Islands Trade and Investment: Impediments and Opportunities, Inv. No. 332-593, was requested by the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) in a letter received on September 29, 2022.
As requested, the USITC, an independent, nonpartisan, factfinding federal agency, will prepare a public report for the USTR. The report will provide, to the extent practicable:
- an overview of the Pacific Island economies, including major sectors in production, consumption, trade, and employment.
- a description of goods and services exports from the Pacific Islands during the period 2017–21, and identification of major factors that impact those exports to the United States.
- a description of the use of the U.S. General System of Preferences (GSP) program by the Pacific Island countries and identification of the goods from the Pacific Islands that enter the United States under GSP, sectors in which these programs might be underutilized, and factors affecting utilization of GSP.
- a description of foreign investment in the Pacific Islands during the period 2017-21; and identification of major factors affecting investment from the United States.
- identification of major products (including goods covered by the GSP program) and services in the Pacific Islands with greatest potential for export sales to the United States, sectors with U.S. investment potential, and the factors that impede trade and investment with the United States for these products and sectors using qualitative analysis and, to the extent data are available, quantitative analysis.
- a description of initiatives and/or technical assistance that could address such trade and investment impediments, if found during the Commission’s research.
The USITC expects to submit its report to the USTR by September 29, 2023.
The USITC will hold a public hearing in connection with the investigation at 9:30 a.m. on February 14, 2023. A link to the hearing will be posted on the Commission’s website at https://www.usitc.gov/calendarpad/calendar.html.
Requests to appear at the hearing should be filed no later than 5:15 p.m. on January 31, 2023, with the Secretary, U.S. International Trade Commission, 500 E Street SW, Washington, DC 20436. See below for important information regarding filing a request to appear at a USITC hearing.
The USITC also welcomes written submissions for the record. Written submissions should be addressed to the Secretary of the Commission and should be submitted no later than 5:15 p.m. on April 17, 2023. All written submissions, except for confidential business information, will be available for public inspection. See below for important information regarding the filing of written submissions for USITC investigations.
IMPORTANT: All filings to appear at the hearing and written submissions must be made through the Commission’s Electronic Document Information System (EDIS, https://edis.usitc.gov). No in-person paper-based filings or paper copies of any electronic filings will be accepted until further notice. Persons with questions regarding electronic filing should contact the Office of the Secretary, Docket Services Division (EDIS3Help@USITC.gov), or consult the Commission’s Handbook on Filing Procedures.
Further information on the scope of the investigation is available in the USITC’s notice of investigation, dated October 28, 2022, which can be downloaded from the USITC Internet site (www.usitc.gov) or may be obtained by contacting the Office of the Secretary at or may be obtained by contacting the Office of the Secretary at commissionhearings@usitc.gov.
About these investigations: USITC general factfinding investigations, such as these, cover matters related to tariffs or trade and are generally conducted under section 332(g) of the Tariff Act of 1930 at the request of the U.S. Trade Representative, the House Committee on Ways and Means, or the Senate Committee on Finance. The resulting reports convey the Commission’s objective findings and independent analyses on the subjects investigated. The Commission makes no recommendations on policy or other matters in its general factfinding reports. Upon completion of each investigation, the USITC submits its findings and analyses to the requester. General factfinding investigation reports are subsequently released to the public unless they are classified by the requester for national security reasons.