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<!-- IMAGE -->As the world faces the most
serious economic downturn in almost a century, keeping the free exchange of
goods flowing is now perhaps more important than ever. Trade is a key factor in
economic growth. Opening markets to other nations in return for gaining access
there for goods and services can create better-paying jobs for workers, build
businesses small and large, and boost national economies in the process.
As some nations address the economic downturn by erecting trade barriers to
protect jobs and businesses, the top trade negotiator in the U.S., Ambassador
Ron Kirk, said that now is not the time to turn inward.
United States Trade Representative Kirk, in his first policy speech since
taking office, said the U.S. is committed to a successful conclusion to the
global trade talks that bogged down last year and will work with trading
partners around the world toward a robust, responsible, progressive trade
agenda.
"Now is not the time to be timid," he told a group at Georgetown
University in Washington recently. "Now is the time to revive global
trade."
Considering that American exports have dropped 16 percent during the current
economic crisis, there are U.S. benefits to promoting the free exchange of
goods. But the stakes are high for other nations, too. According to the World
Bank, growth globally is expected to contract by 1.7 percent this year, the
first such decline since World War II. The hit will be greater in nations in
the developing world, often dependent on international customers for commodities
such as oil, copper and gold, as well as remittances from citizens working
abroad.
In this context, Ambassador Kirk said the U.S. is planning a new paradigm on
trade. "We can make trade a vital part of a brighter future," he
said.
