U.S., Mauritius to implement trade, investment agreement

U.S., Mauritius to implement trade, investment agreement U.S. and Mauritian trade officials met in Washington Wednesday to discuss implementing a trade and investment framework agreement the two countries recently negotiated.
   The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative said the meeting was the second held under the agreement’s bilateral Council on Trade and Investment, which monitors trade and investment relations, identifies opportunities for expanding trade and investment, and provides a forum for addressing challenges in the countries’ trade ties.
   During the meeting, both U.S. and Mauritian trade officials considered common objectives, such as cooperation in the World Trade Organization, implementation of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), trade capacity building and technical assistance, intellectual property protection, export diversification, and trade promotion and development.
   The United States and Mauritius entered the trade and investment framework agreement in September 2006. Two-way trade between the countries was valued at $237 million in 2007, with U.S. imports of $188 million and U.S. exports of $50 million. The major U.S. exports to Mauritius are wheat, diamonds, aircraft and jewelry. U.S. imports from Mauritius are primarily apparel, diamonds, seafood, perfumes and sugar. In 2007, U.S. imports from Mauritius under AGOA, including its Generalized System of Preferences provisions, were valued at $120 million.