SIA Welcomes Release of Final Text of Trans-Pacific Partnership

by Semiconductor Industry Association

SIA today welcomed the public release of the final text of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a landmark trade agreement that sets key parameters for trade in the digital economy of the 21st Century. The TPP has the potential to strengthen the U.S. semiconductor industry, the broader tech sector, and the global economy.

Free trade makes possible innovation and growth in the semiconductor industry and throughout the U.S. economy. The TPP has the potential to strongly support the U.S. semiconductor industry by removing government-imposed barriers on the global movement of technology products. Key TPP provisions for our industry include rules preventing market access restrictions on commercial products with encryption, enhanced protection of trade secrets, and commitments ensuring state-owned enterprises compete fairly and transparently without undue government advantage. For more information on SIA’s priorities in the agreement, see SIA’s TPP fact sheet.

Also of importance to the semiconductor industry is a provision requiring TPP parties to join the WTO Information Technology Agreement (ITA), a key trade pact that eliminates tariffs on technology products.

We look forward to reviewing the voluminous text in more detail and working with Congress and the Administration as the process moves forward.