U.S. puts Ghana on unfair trader list

WASHINGTON - Ghana was cited in a report by the Bush administration on Tuesday spotlighting trade barriers against U.S. exporters.
In all, the administration cited 52 individual countries and three trading blocs for criticism in this year's National Trade Estimate Report on Foreign Trade Barriers. Japan, the European Union and China came in for the most criticism.

From the broad list, the administration will choose a much smaller number of priority negotiating areas.

If consultations do not remove barriers the administration finds objectionable, the United States could bring trade cases before the World Trade Organization.

Those cases could ultimately lead to economic sanctions if the United States wins its claims and the targeted country fails to correct problems.

"By identifying barriers to trade, we can work with our trading partners, globally, regionally and bilaterally, to eliminate these barriers while further liberalizing our market at home," U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick said in a statement.

The report devoted 45 pages to Japan, followed by 35 pages for the 15-nation EU and 29 pages on China, the country which for the past two years has had the largest trade surplus with the United States.

On Japan, the report said, "Structural rigidity, excessive regulation and market access barriers continue to limit opportunities for U.S. companies trading with and operating in Japan."

A senior administration trade official, who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity, said that one disturbing trend noted in the report was an increased use of sanitary standards not based on valid science to try to block exports of U.S. agriculture products.

The official mentioned barriers Japan has to the import of certain U.S. apples.

No decisions had been finalized on what cases the administration might bring before the WTO, the official said, but the administration is already pursuing a WTO case against Mexico over telephone company competition.

In addition to the EU, the other trading blocs mentioned in the report were the Arab League, for its boycott of Israel, and the Gulf Cooperation Council.

The individual countries cited were Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, South Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, Usbekistan, Venezuela and Zimbabwe.