U.S. and Pakistani Officials Engage to Improve Trade and Investment

U.S. and Pakistani Officials Engage to Improve Trade and Investment The below is attributable to Acting U.S. Mission Spokesperson Thomas

Montgomery: The United States and Pakistan held an intersessional meeting under the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) on April 25. U.S. and Pakistani officials discussed a broad range of areas to enhance the bilateral trade and investment relationship. The dialogue focused on good regulatory practices, digital trade, the protection of intellectual property, women’s economic empowerment, labor, textiles, investment, and agricultural issues, which included progress on access for U.S. biotechnology products and beef. Coming on the heels of Finance Minister Muhammad Aurengzeb’s visit to the United States, engagements like the TIFA are key to moving forward on our shared goals of deepening the economic bilateral relationship and furthering the prosperity of working people in both countries. The United States has long been Pakistan’s largest export market, with potential for further growth. In 2023, the United States imported $5 billion in Pakistani goods, while overall, U.S.-Pakistan goods trade measured $7 billion. The United States has also been a leading investor in Pakistan for the past 20 years and more than 80 U.S. companies currently operate in Pakistan, supplying high quality goods to the Pakistani market and employing hundreds of thousands of Pakistanis.