As a result, those countries saw the proposed agenda as unbalanced against them and they were not about to sign on, especially when they were largely excluded from the process of establishing the agenda. The agriculture sector and a few other industries agree on the need to reduce tariffs abroad. And the business sector generally seems to agree that China's accession to the WTO is a good idea. But consider that Congress has denied this President Fast Track authority more than once and business was lukewarm when Fast Track advocates asked for lobbying help. Second, there is an imbalance between commercial and non-commercial interests in the trade system.
Questions regarding worker rights or the environment occupy little space in our trade system.
The U.S. trade negotiating agenda is usually driven by export interests and government officials are rewarded for advancing those interests both in and out of government. But the need for a balanced, globally integrated economy is redefining U.S. trade interests to encompass more than exports. Others think we can make organizations outside the WTO more effective, such as the ILO, and that we can strengthen non-trade treaties such as Multilateral Environmental Agreements. A third group says new agreements and institutions must be created. Whatever the answer, in the twenty-first century, people will not accept a trade system which doesn't pay attention to them.