Our soldiers are serving with our Korean allies to deter aggression from the Communist North. Working with our partners to make tomorrow more prosperous and more secure is what our trip is all about. America is a Pacific nation with good reason to strengthen our ties in this region. The citizens of our lands may live 5,000 miles apart, we may be different in customs, language, and traditions, and yes, we are often competitors in the world's markets. Japan, Korea, the United States, and our many other friends in the Pacific region are building a better tomorrow.
Individual opportunity coupled with hard work and reward produces astonishing results.
When an entire society pursues these goals, miracles occur. Japan and Korea are classic examples of nations rising from the ashes of war to set standards of economic prosperity that dazzle the world. There's much talk in the Congress of protecting American jobs, but protectionism is defensive and dangerous. Erecting barriers always invites retaliation, and retaliation is a threat to the one out of every eight American jobs dependent on our exports. At the end of this vicious cycle are higher costs for consumers and lost American jobs, the exact opposite of what we all want.