Trinidad and United States enjoy good trading relations

Trinidad and Tobago imported nearly two billion dollars (One TT dollar=US$0.16 cents) in products from the United States, a senior US official said here on Tuesday.
Charge D’Affaires at the United States Embassy here, John McIntyre, speaking Tuesday at a ceremony to welcome a Puerto Rican trade mission on a two-day visit, said the trading relationship between the two countries is mutually beneficial.
“The US is Trinidad and Tobago’s number one partner for both imports and exports. According to the most recent date we have, the US imports roughly 37 per cent of Trinidad and Tobago’s exports, worth some $3.3 billion, and is the source of 38 per cent of Trinidad and Tobago’s total imports.
“Conversely, Trinidad and Tobago imported around $1.8 billion in US products in 2017,” McIntyre said, adding that the function of the Embassy here is to facilitate trade between the two countries.
“Trinidad and Tobago is an important partner for the United States and through this trade mission, we hope to deepen and expand the already significant commercial relationship with a key regional ally.
“One of the stated aims of the Trinidad and Tobago government has been to diversify the bilateral commercial relationship beyond oil and gas,” he said, adding that the firms represented in the trade mission is part of the diversification plans.
“These companies represent a broad spectrum of sectors including asset management software, information and communications technology, payment solutions, security services, professional services, marketing and communications, and food and beverages,” he added.