The United States government wants to push new partnerships and better align trade policies with Guyana and other countries within the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), its trade representative Ambassador Katherine Tai said during a recent visit to Georgetown.
Ambassador Tai told the News Room that the US holds its trade policy as a key part of its overall economic policy. It also influences foreign policy.
So a huge focus has been placed on guaranteeing that the country has suitable trade partners, the US representative said.
“Part of the reason why this visit to Guyana is so important is because we share values, we share political institutional institutions (and) economic values and there is such an important opportunity for us to work with Guyana on a bilateral basis but also with Guyana and CARICOM,” Ambassador Tai said during an interview at the US Embassy in Georgetown.
The US is already Guyana’s largest trading partner. In 2023, US/ Guyana trade exceeded US$4.6 billion.
Ambassador Tai, however, noted that the US is “exploring avenues for further collaboration” and it hopes to impress upon Guyanese authorities its approach to trade policy. That approach, she explained, includes a focus on inclusive, sustainable and resilient development.
She also noted that there are issues the US always wants countries to pay attention to. Those include hindrances caused by bureaucracy, transparency, accountability and the decision-making of “powerful figures.”
The US Representative believes that there is a commitment in Guyana to address these concerns and more, and from her engagements with political players including President Dr. Irfaan Ali, she believes actors are working towards inclusive development for Guyanese.
So now, Ambassador Tai hopes to formulate new ways of advancing an inclusive partnership with Guyana and CARICOM, and the US.
“I will sit down with my team, whom I instructed from day one that these are the strategic partners and these are the parts of the world that matter so much to us where we historically haven’t shown up enough.
“So here I am (and) on the backside of this trip, I will take all of the learnings, all of the conversations, all of the sparks of recognition with each other and start translating that into next steps into how we implement a partnership with Guyana, with CARICOM and with this region to advance an economic development partnership that is more inclusive, sustainable and is resilient for all of us,” the Ambassador said.
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