CompTIA Newsroom

Washington, D.C. – The following statement is attributed to Cinnamon Rogers, Executive Vice President of Advocacy, The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA), regarding today’s signing of a Phase One U.S.-China trade deal:

“We applaud today’s signing of the Phase One U.S.-China trade deal which signals a turning point for the U.S. tech sector. CompTIA appreciates the Administration’s efforts to defend American technology companies from forced technology transfers and to provide intellectual property protection, two key provisions included in the Phase One Deal. We do stress, however, that the Administration hold China accountable to their commitments with real and effective enforcement mechanisms found within Phase One. 

“Furthermore, there is still more work left to be done, and we look forward to supporting the Administration’s efforts to commence Phase Two talks with China. As part of Phase Two, we urge the Administration to ensure that China allows for cross-border data transfers, provides full and non-discriminatory market access on cloud and telecommunication services, and terminates prohibitive trade subsidies. Absent the inclusion of these provisions, any deal will fail to produce real and systemic progress in our relationship with China.

“CompTIA and our members appreciated the December announcement to roll back tariffs on List 4A from 15% to 7.5% as well as a full suspension of List 4B tariffs. We encourage full elimination of Section 301 tariffs on Chinese imports as they continue to negatively impact the U.S. tech sector and American consumers. We are encouraged to see that the U.S. has re-established regular dialogues with China. As noted in CompTIA’s 2019 Tech Trade Snapshot, the trading relationship between the U.S. and China is vital, with China being the third largest recipient of U.S. tech exports, thereby directly supporting more than 50,000 American jobs.”

About CompTIA
The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) is a leading voice and advocate for the $5 trillion global information technology ecosystem; and the more than 50 million industry and tech professionals who design, implement, manage, and safeguard the technology that powers the world’s economy. Through education, training, certifications, advocacy, philanthropy, and market research, CompTIA is the hub for advancing the tech industry and its workforce. Visit www.comptia.org to learn more.

About CompTIA Public Sector & Advocacy

CompTIA supports policies that positively impact the ability of the IT industry to develop, manufacture, and sell solutions in the global marketplace.  We work to promote investment and innovation, market access, effective cybersecurity, consistent privacy regulation, streamlined procurement, and research and development.  As the leading provider of vendor-neutral IT certifications, we also support efforts to promote a well-trained technical workforce.  Visit www.comptia.org to learn more.