SECRETARY KERRY: Four quick examples that underscore this: A trade agreement that represents
40 percent of the global economy; a potential climate accord that will require contributions
from every nation; a nuclear agreement involving Iran, which the president mentioned, and six
very different global powers that came together to help achieve it; and a counterterrorism
coalition of more than 65 members, nations all, that carries with it the hopes of good
and decent people everywhere.
Each of these initiatives is distinct in purpose, but each requires both American leadership
and the strong support of partners and friends.
Each is a product of principle and pragmatism, embodying both what we should do and what
we can do.
And each will have an impact that extends beyond the headlines of the day.
First, the arena of international economics and trade.
Earlier this month, our negotiators finished work on one of the most significant trade
agreements in history – the Trans-Pacific Partnership – or TPP, as it’s referred
to.
This is a big deal, literally, encompassing countries all around the Pacific Rim.
And why should you care?
Why does it matter to Indiana and every other state in the country?
Well, Indiana is not exactly a Pacific state.
But focus on the fact that Indiana’s three leading trade partners are Canada, Mexico,
and Japan, and all of them are part of TPP.
So Indiana’s exports, which are already at 35 billion, will likely increase under
this agreement.
And it isn’t just big corporations that are going to benefit.
More than 4,600 Indiana companies export to TPP countries and some 80 percent of those
firms are small or medium-sized firms.
In fact, Indiana exports support more than 187,000 jobs across our country.
Now, we should remember that 19 out of 20 of the world’s consumers live beyond the
borders of the United States of America.
You’re not going to grow if you just sell to yourself.
You can’t just sell to yourself.
And in a marketplace, a free market – which we believe in – that’s obviously antithetical
to everything we believe in.
If we are going to keep building our prosperity – and we must – we have to keep opening
and expanding overseas markets.
That’s pretty simple math.
So the TPP is definitively a plus economically.
But it’s more than just another trade agreement.
It is a genuine breakthrough in bringing disparate nations together to raise the international
standards of labor and environmental norms.
It is a struggle – this is a struggle, really, that goes back to the dawn of the Industrial
Age, when union organizers and muckrakers argued that profits not be wrung from the
sweat of exploited and underage workers.
And the reformers said that the global trade ought to be something more than a competition
to see which country could pay its workers the least and trash the environment the most.
And they said we ought to aim higher than that.
Well, guess what?
That’s exactly what we did.
Let me be clear: The TPP is not your parents’ or your grandparents’ trade agreement.
This is something new.
Consider that every participant in the TPP has to comply with core environmental and
labor standards.
Every member has to refrain from using underage workers and unsafe workplaces.
Every one has to ensure that state-owned companies compete fairly with those that are privately
owned.
Every one has to fight trade-related bribery and corruption.
Every one has to respect intellectual property.
And every one has to keep the promises that they make, because those promises are clearly
enforceable within this agreement.
Now, I know there are some who hear all of this and say they still don’t want any part
of it.
They may still yearn for the good old days when many if not most people worked in one
job in one town for their entire careers.
I sympathize.
I too have affection for the past because that’s where I grew up.
But it’s not where I live now, and it’s not where any of us are headed.
Last week I saw a letter in The New York Times written by a gentleman right here at Bloomington.
And he wrote that Congress should both reject the TPP, and I quote, “rethink globalization.”
(Laughter.)
Rethink globalization?
Now, just how are you going to do that?
(Laughter.)
The most powerful country or person on the planet can’t stop globalization.
Globalization is driven not only by technology, but it is driven also by the aspirations of
people around the world for an opportunity for a better life.
The truth is that globalization doesn’t come with a reverse gear or an emergency brake.
A thousand different factors drive the jobs market and the process of adapting to it can
be very painful.
But it just doesn’t do any good to deny reality.
Now, what does make sense, my friends – and it does – is to mitigate globalization’s
downside.
It is to tame the worst instincts of unbridled capitalism and to have the kind of standards
and regulations mutually arrived at that protect people against abuse and exploitation.
It is also to make sure that we give every young person the chance to go to college by
making an all-out commitment to lifelong learning, by providing support for entrepreneurs, by
investing in infrastructure, and by backing institutions like the Ex-Im Bank that help
American firms to compete more effectively all around the globe.
That is why the Obama Administration is leading in each and every one of those areas I just
listed.
And despite concerns about globalization, polls show that most Americans view foreign
trade as an opportunity, not a threat.
And here’s the reason: You’ve all seen those duty-free stores at the airports, right?
Well, America is pretty much one big duty-free shop.
Seventy percent of U.S. imports cross our borders tariff free.
But that’s not the case with all of our trading partners.
In fact, America’s exporters face a wide range of high tariffs in many TPP countries.
And that’s why we have so much to gain from a deal that will eliminate over 18,000 foreign
taxes on Made in America products – a deal that will help our manufacturers, our farmers,
and small businesspeople to compete and win in fast-growing markets all around the globe.
And what is more, the TPP matters for reasons far beyond trade.
The Asia Pacific includes three of the globe’s four most populous countries and its three
largest economies.
Going forward, that region is going to have a huge say in shaping international rules
of the road on the internet, financial regulation, maritime security, the environment – many
other areas of direct concern to the United States of America, to each and every one of
you.
And remember that in our era economic and security issues overlap, as I mentioned.
You can’t lead one and lag on the other.
By voting for this trade agreement, Congress can reinforce the message that the United
States is and will remain a leading force for prosperity and security throughout the
Asia Pacific.
And that will be welcome news for our allies and friends; a huge boost for stability in
a region; an important step, vital to our own well-being; and really good news for companies
and workers here in America’s Midwest.