Robert B. Zoellick, the president's trade representative, has sought to bridge the gap between Democrats, who insist that trade pacts should impose sanctions on countries that fail to protect workers and the environment, and Republicans, who see such requirements as a form of protectionism. Forging a compromise has proven difficult. It talks of the environment, while opposing the wealth-creating policies that will pay for clean air and water in developing nations. It talks of the disadvantaged, even as it offers ideas that would keep many of the poor in poverty. Open trade is not just an economic opportunity, it is a moral imperative.
Trade creates jobs for the unemployed.
When we negotiate for open markets, we're providing new hope for the world's poor. And when we promote open trade, we are promoting political freedom. When it comes to trade pacts, Mr. Bush has his eyes all over the map. Besides the hemisphere-wide pact that he pursued at the recent summit meeting in Quebec, Mr. Bush is seeking trade agreements with such countries as Jordan, Chile and Singapore, as well as a new round of global trade accords. He also said China, which reached a trade agreement with the United States at the close of the Clinton administration, would benefit from political changes as a result of liberalized trade policies.