1 Canada, which is preparing to speed up tariff cuts with the U.S., recorded a 47% narrowing in its trade surplus with the U.S. in August, Statistics Canada, a federal agency, reported.
2 U.S. exports to Canada jumped 11.2% in August from July while U.S. imports from Canada rose only 2.7%.
3 As a result, Canada's trade surplus with the U.S. narrowed to C$656.5 million (US$558 million) in August from C$1.23 billion (US$1.04 billion) in July.
4 U.S. exports benefited in August from heavy Canadian spending on new plant and equipment and a pickup in Canadian auto demand, Canadian officials said.
5 The U.S. and Canada, which do more trade than any other pair of nations, are to meet next month to arrange an acceleration of planned tariff cuts under the U.S.-Canada free trade agreement.
6 Industries in both countries have requested a speedup of tariff cuts on hundreds of products.
7 Some tariffs were eliminated when the trade pact took effect Jan. 1.
8 The remainder were to be phased out in five or 10 annual installments, with all tariffs eliminated by January 1998.
9 The two countries aim to reach an agreement by early December on a package of accelerated tariff cuts that would take effect early next year.
10 Canadian officials said the trade pact has kindled an export interest among many small Canadian companies that previously had little or no foreign sales.
11 For such businessmen, the Canadian government is organizing 55 missions this year to U.S. states bordering on Canada.
12 The businessmen are introduced to potential agents and distributors and instructed in trade procedures.
13 The U.S. Commerce Department is planning to try out similar trips on U.S. businessmen in coming months under its Canada First! Outreach Program.
14 Participants in the U.S. missions to Canada are to be assisted by members of the Service Corps of Retired Executives, a volunteer group, in dealing with their export challenges.
15 The Canadian government also has recently opened new trade offices in San Diego; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Miami; Princeton, N.J., and Denver, bringing the total number of such Canadian offices in the U.S. to 27.
16 The U.S. has six trade promotion offices in Canada.
17 Canada's export effort has been blunted by robust home market demand and by an 18% appreciation of the Canadian dollar against its U.S. counterpart in the past three years that has made Canadian goods more costly in the U.S.
18 Canada's trade surplus with all countries narrowed to C$203.5 million in August from C$528.3 million in July, Statistics Canada said.

U . S . exports benefited in August from heavy Canadian spending on new plant and equipment and a pickup in Canadian auto demand , Canadian officials said .
demand , Canadian officials said
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