US President announces trade deal with Jordan to remove customs barriers
Washington, July 21 (KUNA) -- U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday a trade agreement with Jordan to dismantle trade barriers facing American exporters and provide greater market access for U.S. industries, while securing commitments to enhance regional peace and cooperation and strengthen supply chain resilience.
The White House stated in a press release that the U.S.-Jordan agreement "on reciprocal trade will break down long-standing trade barriers facing American exporters and provide new access for vital U.S. industries."
The agreement "will secure commitments to enhance peace, increase regional cooperation, and strengthen supply chain resilience and innovation through joint efforts to address non-market policies of third countries and cooperation on investment security, export controls, and customs duty evasion."
Trump described the trade deal with Jordan as an initiative that "will help build a future of peace, prosperity, and investment in the region, while securing historic commitments from Jordan in favor of U.S. manufacturers, farmers, ranchers, and other producers."
He added that Jordan "will continue to provide duty-free market access for almost all U.S. goods exported to Jordan," emphasizing its commitment to "improve trade with the United States by enforcing environmental laws, protecting workers' rights—including banning the import of goods produced by forced labor—and strengthening intellectual property protection."
The United States and Jordan "will enhance economic and security alignment to boost supply chain resilience and innovation through commitments to take integrated actions to address non-market policies of third countries and cooperate on investment security, export controls, and customs duty evasion."
The agreement comes as part of a series of reciprocal trade deals signed by the United States with various countries, reflecting a broader policy pursued by the Trump administration focused on reviewing existing trade agreements.
On a separate note, the Jordan News Agency (Petra) quoted Jordanian Minister of Industry, Trade, and Supply Yasser Al-Qudah as saying after the signing that "the agreement is the fruit of negotiations that lasted more than a year, launched following measures taken by the United States to impose additional tariffs on most countries worldwide."
Al-Qudah stated that the new agreement would contribute to maximizing economic cooperation between the two countries and improving joint investment opportunities, whether through U.S. investments in Jordan or Jordanian investments in the United States, as well as increasing the volume of bilateral trade.
He clarified that the agreement grants Jordan an additional preferential advantage, noting that although Jordanian products are exempt from U.S. tariffs under the Free Trade Agreement, the United States has imposed additional tariffs on most countries worldwide.
He explained that the agreement is fundamentally based on the strong relations between Jordan and the United States, as well as the Free Trade Agreement signed between the two countries, which entered into force in 2001 and serves as the overarching framework for all other trade agreements between the two sides.
He pointed out that since its entry into force, the Free Trade Agreement has enabled Jordanian products to enter the U.S. market, noting that Jordanian exports to the United States rank first among Jordan's export destinations and are distributed across multiple sectors, with the apparel and textiles sector accounting for the largest share. (End) A.S.J. / A.M.N. / S.A.M.
