The United States of America

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• Official languages: English.
• Geographical location: forty-eight states and the capital's federal district are contiguous in North America between Canada and Mexico. The State of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east and across the Bering Strait from Russia to the west. The State of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U.S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, stretching across nine official time zones.
• Administrative divisions: it is a country composed of 50 states, a federal district, five major self-governing territories, and various possessions.
• Capital: Washington, D.C.
• Governance: the United States is the world's oldest surviving federation. It is a representative democracy.  The federal government is composed of three branches: legislative, executive, judicial.
• Population: 311.44 million.
• Currency: United States dollar.
• GDP: $14.27 trillion.
• Time zone: from GMT −4 to GMT −12.
• Telephone code:  +1.
• Barcode: 00 — 13.

Trade and economic cooperation between Belarus and the United States

The USA was one of the main trade partners of Belarus before 2008. Trade turnover between the countries decreased from 2008 to 2015.

In January — December 2017, Belarusian exports to the USA increased by 72.1% to $224.8 million, American exports to Belarus decreased by 26.4% to $379.1 million as compared to 2016. Trade deficit fell from $385.7 million in 2016 to $154.3 million in 2017.

Belarus's most valuable products, imported by the USA:

• Potassic fertilizers;
• Metal products;
• X-ray equipment;
• Liquid crystal devices;
• Furniture;
• Nitrogenous fertilizers;
• Woven fabrics of flax;
• Glass fibres;
• Wood and articles thereof;
• Preserved fish.

The USA's most valuable products, imported by Belarus:

• Medical apparatus and equipment;
• Vaccines and medicaments;
• Cars and bodies;
• Internal combustion engines;
• Frozen fish;
• X-ray equipment.

Dynamics of trade between Belarus and the USA (in million U.S. dollars)

Belarusian exports of services to the USA reached its peak level in 2017 and increased by 29.8% to $569.2 million. Trade surplus amounted to $488 million. The biggest share (90.4% or $514.6 million) in Belarus's total exports accounted for IT services, rendered by resident companies of the Hi-Tech Park.

The USA is one of the leading investors in Belarus. In 2017, this country invested $66.7 million in Belarus. 

There are about 400 companies with American capital, including country offices of such companies as Microsoft, EPAM Systems, Exadel, Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard, Honeywell, Coca-Cola, McDonald’s in Belarus. 

Though there is a considerable demand for all products, including imported ones, in the USA, it is a big and sophisticated market. If Belarusian companies want to export their goods to this country, they should take into account substantial costs and a difficulty to get feedback timely.

The most promising goods and services to export to the USA:

• IT services (Belarusian IT companies may increase exports of these services by 20 — 30% per year);
• Potassic fertilizers (Belarusian companies should supply them to the USA in the same quantities, despite temporary low prices);
• Metal products (OJSC BMZ should supply these products and rolled wire, in particular, to cover losses, suffered by the company due to a crisis in the oil and gas industry of the USA);
• Glass fibres, tyres, nitrogenous fertilizers (Belneftekhim concern may supply these products, because the sanctions against it have been removed);
• Mining dump trucks and tractors.

Year on year, imports prevail over exports in the USA, that creates a huge trade balance deficit ($600 — $800 billion) and offers opportunities for Belarusian companies to supply their goods to this country.

But it should be noted that there are restrictions on the following goods: 

• meat products (Belarusian companies do not have appropriate certificates);
• dairy products (deliveries from Belarus are limited by quotas, therefore an American buyer with quotas is necessary);
• metal building bars produced by OJSC BMZ (an anti-dumping duty is applied). 

There are no legal restrictions on other Belarusian goods in the USA.

This article has been prepared on the basis of information provided by the National Centre for Marketing and Price Study of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Embassy of the Republic of Belarus in the United States of America, and taken from public sources. The information presented herein is for informative purposes only. In this regard, it may be useful for the companies, which have been working in the United States for a long time, as well as for those, which are going to enter this market. Any questions, feedbacks and comments concerning this article are welcome. All of them will be fully considered and taken into account, if possible. If you have any information that may be interesting and useful for the visitors of this page, please write to us.

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Administration of Export.by

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