Its volume, however, was up 4.5 percent both years. Trade doesn't happen unless it benefits those who buy the goods exported. But the Seattle fuss did elevate concerns about the impact of economic globalization on US workers. Many economists suspect that imports are partly to blame for the wage stagnation of less-skilled American workers during the 1980s and most of the 1990s. The Clinton administration figures it made more trade progress than many thought possible after Seattle and the failure to achieve fast-track.
China needs a Western-style legal system, for one thing.
The US has also reached a free-trade deal with tiny Jordan. And at the APEC summit, Clinton agreed with Singapore's prime minister, Goh Chok Tong, to negotiate a free-trade agreement. A deal is also cooking with Vietnam. Much effort has also gone into dealing with various trade disputes. The European Union brought a case against the law to the WTO and won.