What is Trade Capacity Building?
"Strengthen Scientific Collaboration With Foreign Governments"
We advocate for scientific collaboration with foreign governments and international organizations. This enhances the scientific foundation, information base, and enforcement decisions of U.S. trading partners. Doing this helps foreign governments to base regulatory decisions on sound science.

China:

• World Trade Organization (WTO) Sanitary & Phytosanitary (SPS) Leadership Development Program (June 2007)
• 14 Chinese officials received training on the U.S. approach to meeting obligations for WTO SPS Agreement
• Training emphasized food safety and sanitary issues for meat and meat products.
• Coursework included reviews of international standard setting bodies, agricultural biotechnology, and government-industry participation in ensuring food safety.
• Participants participated in several weeks of coursework involving all relevant U.S. regulatory agencies, followed by site visits to processing facilities in Denver and Indianapolis.
• The program concluded with a visit to Chinese facilities in August to apply the SPS principles learned and observed in the United States.

Vietnam:

• Executive Training in SPS Administration (June 2007) – A Vietnamese SPS Administration delegation completed two weeks of training on U.S. regulatory roles, USTR trade policy coordination, and the architecture of U.S. SPS Enquiry Point management for commenting on foreign SPS measures and elevating issues to the WTO SPS Committee. FAS will also seek to assist Vietnam's regulatory agencies to participate in the October 2007 meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, of the WTO SPS Committee and to attend a one-day workshop with all WTO Members on meeting WTO transparency obligations.

Vietnam is emerging as a major agricultural export destination for the United States. Total U.S. exports of forest, fishery and agricultural products to Vietnam for the first quarter of 2007 reached $96 million, nearly double the $55 million exported during the first quarter of 2006. Total U.S. exports of forest, fishery, and agricultural to Vietnam in 2006 reached a record $287 million.