As you are aware, this week we have had meetings of the G-7, IMF and World Bank in Washington. While cooperation in multilateral fora and work on the global financial system are both important, these efforts can seem somewhat abstract to our average citizens. They need to see concrete benefits from growing openness, trade and investment, and I hope that is what the Council can help generate. After all, when it comes to building economic cooperation, governments can only do so much. Ultimately the measure of success of how well we grow and prosper together comes from how well businesses succeed and consumers and markets prosper.
Governments can only offer an open door and create an environment for healthy competition.
I believe if we continue to work together and cooperate on these issues, we can promote strong economic growth and prosperity for both our nations in the years and decades ahead.