Condoleezza Rice on Free Trade

	Condoleezza Rice on Free Trade Secretary of State

China has signed 15 agreements in time Obama signed only 3

We must work for an open, global economy, and pursue free and fair trade, to grow our exports and our influence abroad. If you are worried about the rise of China, just consider this--the US has ratified only three trade agreements in the last few years, and those were negotiated in the Bush administration. China has signed 15 free trade agreements and is in the progress of negotiating as many as 18 more. Sadly, we are abandoning the field of free and fair trade and it will come back to haunt us. Source: 2012 Republican National Convention speech , Aug 29, 2012

Goal is free trade area from Canada to Chile

Free trade is the key and our vision remains a free trade area of the Americas; the union of 800 million men and women from Northern Canada to Southern Chile, in the world’s largest free trade community. Source: 36th Council of the Americas, on www.4condi.com, “Issues” , Mar 11, 2005

For mulilateral free trade, but no US-EU trade bloc

Q: What do you think about a North American-European free trading zone?

A: [A US-EU trade zone] is incredibly complex when you take the percentage of the world economy that would be represented, [and is further complicated because the integration of] Europe is incomplete. You have to ask, would that be useful, or should it not be broadened?

That much power concentrated in a free trade zone has two potential downsides: first of all the complications. If it were another time and place maybe 20 years down the road the EU were further along in its own development, maybe it makes more sense.

The second thing is that it may be viewed by emerging economies, in particular by China, and potentially also by Russia, and certainly the developing world, as making certain that they will never enter the international economy. It would so dominate high-end economic development. And what would you do with Japan? Nevertheless I remain in favor of increased free trade through a multilateral route.“.

Source: TIES-Webzine interview at Hoover Institution, Stanford Univ. , Jun 25, 2000

Protesting the WTO doesn’t help developing countries

The notion that the people in Seattle [protesting the WTO] were there because they wanted to protect the rights of developing countries’ workers is purely ludicrous. Somebody should have said it is ludicrous. The only people who said it was ludicrous were the developing countries. They said these people in the streets are going to keep developing countries from developing.

The weakness was not in calling them to the table and acknowledging that they had purpose. Environmental groups are a little bit different in this regard - although I believe that environmental standards get better when countries get richer. But when you are talking about trying to transport American labor standards to South Africa, you are talking about protecting American jobs at the low end so that South Africa never finds its way into the international economy. So I am all for trying to bring groups in, but for understanding that there are some interests that are crucial to defend.