WASHINGTON, DC – The latest update to AeA’s Competitiveness Series emphasizes the need to pass the pending free trade agreements with Colombia, Panama, and Peru. In the report, AeA says Central and South America are leading destinations for U.S. high-tech goods.

Rob Mulligan, AeA’s senior vice president international, states, “In terms of high-tech goods, the United States held a $14 billion trade surplus with the region in 2006, nearly 25% larger than it was in 2000.”

Last year, the U.S. exported $17.1 billion of high-tech products to Central and South America; combined, this makes the region the fourth largest destination for U.S. tech exports, ahead of the individual countries of China and Japan. Between 2005 and 2006, U.S. high-tech exports to Central and South America rose by 20%, says AeA.

High-tech imports from Central and South America declined by $200 million between 2005 and 2006, from $3.3 billion to $3.1 billion, says the report.