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<DOC>
[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents]
 [frwais.access.gpo.gov]
                         

[Page 1139-1141]
 
Monday, September 8, 2003
 
Volume 39--Number 36
Pages 1127-1152
 
Week Ending Friday, September 5, 2003
 
Remarks at a Signing Ceremony for the Chile and Singapore Free Trade 
Agreements

September 3, 2003

    Good afternoon. Thanks for coming. I'm honored to welcome you to the 
White House, and I'm pleased that you could join us today as the United 
States takes an important step to promote economic growth, to bring 
lower prices to American consumers, and to generate high-wage jobs for 
American workers.
    With the agreements I sign today, America's economic relationships 
with Chile and Singapore will be based on free trade, and we will be 
bound even closer to two of our

[[Page 1140]]

good friends. The benefits will flow to all our countries. And by these 
agreements, we are moving toward a great goal, a world that trades in 
freedom in the Western Hemisphere, in Asia, and beyond. I want to thank 
all those who worked so hard to complete these agreements. I commend the 
Members of the Congress for moving quickly to approve this implementing 
legislation.
    I'm pleased to be joined by members of my Cabinet who have worked 
hard on these agreements and are working hard on future agreements to be 
passed. Secretary of State Powell is doing a fabulous job on behalf of 
the American people, Secretary Ann Veneman of the Department of 
Agriculture, Secretary Don Evans, Department of Commerce, and our Trade 
Representative, Bob Zoellick.
    I also appreciate the Members of Congress who are up here with me 
today, Senators Hatch and Baucus; as well as Chairman Bill Thomas, David 
Dreier, and Phil Crane from the House of Representatives, good, strong 
Members of the Senate and the House who have worked closely with this 
administration to create an environment for economic growth and high-
wage jobs through free trade.
    I also welcome other Members of the Senate and the House who are 
with us today. Thank you all for coming. The stage just wasn't big 
enough for you. [Laughter]
    I appreciate Ambassador Bianchi from Chile and also Ambassador Heng 
Chee Chan from Singapore. I appreciate you all coming. I want to thank 
the representatives of the business community who are here with us 
today.
    We support free trade in America because it is vital to the creation 
of jobs. It's vital to the success of our economy. Exports accounted for 
roughly one quarter--one quarter--of our economy's growth in the 1990s.
    Jobs and exporting plants pay wages that average up to 18 percent 
more than jobs in nonexporting plants. Over the past decade, NAFTA and 
the Uruguay Round have raised the standards of living of the average 
American family of four by up to $2,000 a year. Free trade is important 
for the American citizen. The continued advance of free trade is 
essential to this Nation's prosperity.
    The United States also supports free trade because a world that 
trades in freedom will grow in prosperity and in security. For 
developing nations, free trade tied to economic reform has helped to 
lift hundreds of millions of people out of poverty. The growth of 
economic freedom and ownership in developing countries creates the 
habits of liberty and creates the pressure for democracy and political 
reform. Economic integration through trade can also foster political 
cooperation by promoting peace between nations. As free trade expands 
across the Earth, the realm of human freedom expands with it.
    When Congress passed trade promotion authority last year, I promised 
to use that tool aggressively to open up new markets for American 
exporters and to help create high-paying jobs for American workers, and 
we moved. I want to thank Ambassador Zoellick and his team from all 
across our administration for getting to work right away, and we've seen 
results.
    The free trade agreement with Chile is our first ever with a South 
American country. The agreement will benefit many American industries, 
including agriculture and construction equipment, autos and auto parts, 
computers, medical equipment, paper products, and financial services. 
American-made heavy machinery, such as a motor grader, costs $11,220 
more in Chile because of extra tariffs. If that machinery were made in 
Canada or the European Union, it would carry no tariff. Our trade 
agreement with Chile will eliminate these kinds of tariffs, and our 
manufacturers will be able to compete on a level playing field. And as 
we sell that heavy equipment into Chile, somebody is more likely to find 
work in America in a good, high-paying job.
    The agreement with Chile also includes new protections for 
intellectual property, a secure legal framework for U.S. investors, and 
strong provisions for protecting labor and the environment. For decades, 
Chile has proven the power of open trade and sound policies. It has 
become one of the strongest economies in the developing world. By 
establishing free trade with the world's largest economy, Chile will 
have the opportunity to advance even further and to help make the entire 
region more prosperous.

[[Page 1141]]

    The agreement between the United States and Singapore is also 
historic, the first between the United States and an Asia-Pacific 
country. Singapore is already America's 12th-largest trading partner and 
imports a full range of American products, from machine parts and 
computers to agricultural products. This agreement will increase access 
to Singapore's dynamic markets for America's exporters and service 
providers and investors. The agreement contains state-of-the-art 
protections for Internet commerce and intellectual property that will 
help drive growth and innovation in our technology sectors. There are 
also strong labor and environmental protections in our agreement with 
Singapore.
    I signed this legislation today fully expecting to sign many more 
free trade agreements. We're now negotiating with Australia and Morocco, 
five nations in Central America, and the Southern African Customs Union. 
Soon we will begin negotiations with Bahrain and the Dominican Republic. 
We're working with 33 other nations in our hemisphere to create the Free 
Trade Area of the Americas. We're encouraging the free flow of commerce 
and investment among our partners in APEC and ASEAN and hope to build on 
the success of our trade agreements with Jordan and Israel by 
establishing a U.S.-Middle East free trade area within a decade to 
create new opportunity and new hope in a region that needs both.
    The greatest gains from world trade will come from completing the 
World Trade Organization's global negotiations. We made good progress 
since the negotiations started nearly 2 years ago, and WTO members can 
build on this progress next week in Cancun, Mexico. Completing the 
global negotiations by the 2005 deadline is essential, because opening 
global markets is a pathway to economic success for rich and poor 
nations alike. The spread of free trade reflects this Nation's 
convictions. We believe in the dignity of every human being. We believe 
in freedom.
    Free trade also serves the interests of the United States. It serves 
in the interest of our workers. We will benefit from more trading 
partners around the world. We want our partners to grow in wealth. We 
want them to grow in freedom. Chile and Singapore are examples of 
economic liberty and demonstrate the great promise of trade. I'm honored 
to sign into law these two pieces of legislation implementing our free 
trade agreements with our friends Chile and Singapore.

Note: The President spoke at 2:25 p.m. in the East Room at the White 
House. In his remarks, he referred to Chile's Ambassador, Andres 
Bianchi; and Singapore's Ambassador, Heng Chee Chan. The Office of the 
Press Secretary also released a Spanish language transcript of these 
remarks.


<DOC>
[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents]
 [frwais.access.gpo.gov]
                         

[Page 1141]
 
Monday, September 8, 2003
 
Volume 39--Number 36
Pages 1127-1152
 
Week Ending Friday, September 5, 2003
 
Joint Statement Between the United States of America and the Kingdom of 
The Netherlands

September 3, 2003

    President Bush and Prime Minister Balkenende today agreed that 
progress in fighting the global tragedy of HIV/AIDS requires more and 
better coordination among donor and recipient governments, international 
organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and the private 
sector.
    The United States and the Netherlands therefore agree to cooperate 
on HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, and care in countries in which both 
the United States and the Netherlands have significant activities, 
including countries that will receive special focus in the President's 
Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. The plan will start in Rwanda and Ghana 
and may expand to Zambia, Ethiopia, and possibly Sudan once a peace 
agreement is signed.
    The cooperation agreement will highlight political leadership and 
public-private partnerships, which are a focus of both the President's 
Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief and the Netherlands 2003 AIDS Action 
Plan.
    This cooperation agreement is the first step of a joint initiative 
in which the United States and the Netherlands will seek to coordinate 
HIV/AIDS activities, strategies, and programs in African countries.

Note: An original was not available for verification of the content of 
this joint statement.

[[Page 1142]]


<DOC>
[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents]
 [frwais.access.gpo.gov]
                         

[Page 1142-1148]
 
Monday, September 8, 2003
 
Volume 39--Number 36
Pages 1127-1152
 
Week Ending Friday, September 5, 2003
 
Remarks in Kansas City, Missouri

September 4, 2003

    Thank you very much. Please be seated. I appreciate the warm 
welcome. It's nice to be back here in Kansas City. I feel comfortable 
here. After all, it's a place of good baseball, pretty good football, 
and really good barbecue.
    I have come to this important city, right here in the heart of 
America, to speak about the future of our Nation's economy. I want to 
talk about jobs and job creation. Kansas City in many ways symbolizes 
the incredible energy and ingenuity and flexibility of our economy. It 
wasn't all that long ago that Kansas City was known for rail lines and 
stockyards. Now, the economy is a more modern economy because of the 
spirit of enterprise that exists here and because of the willingness for 
the people to work hard, because of the optimism of the people in this 
part of the world. And I share your optimism about the future of this 
Nation.
    America's economy today is showing signs of promise. We're emerging 
from a period of national challenge and economic uncertainty. The hard 
work of our people and the good policies of our Government are paying 
off. Our economy is starting to grow again. Americans are feeling more 
confident. I am determined to work with the United States Congress to 
turn these hopeful signs into lasting growth and greater prosperity and 
more jobs.
    I want to thank Terry Dunn for his kind introduction. I like a good 
short introduction. [Laughter] I appreciate Pete Levi, the president of 
the Greater Chamber.
    I flew from Washington here today with two fine Americans: Senator 
Jim Talent, who's doing a great job for the people of Missouri, and 
Congressman Sam Graves.
    On the plane ride down, Sam told me that his mother was going to be 
here today. And I said, ``I hope you're still listening to your 
mother.'' [Laughter] I'm still listening to mine--[laughter]--most of 
the time. [Laughter]
    I want to thank Paul Rodriguez and CiCi Rojas from the Hispanic 
Chamber of Commerce for--[applause]. I also want to thank the board of 
directors and the members of the chamber for allowing me to come to 
discuss with you the future of this country.
    Before I do so, though, I had the honor of meeting Tom Holcom. He's 
a Missouri native who was out there at Air Force One when--at the 
airport when we landed, to greet me at Air Force One. He started Angel 
Flight Central. He is a--it's a nonprofit organization that provides 
free air transportation to those in need due to a crisis.
    The reason I bring this up is that I know the great strength of 
America is the heart and soul of the American people. And everywhere I 
go, I like to herald those quiet heroes who are making a difference in 
people's lives by volunteering time. I like to tell people that it's 
important for this Nation to usher in a period of personal 
responsibility. And part of a responsibility society is to love a 
neighbor just like you'd like to be loved yourself.
    I want to thank Tom for using his time and talent to help somebody 
in need. I want to thank you all, if you're a member of the army of 
compassion in this United States of America, for serving your community 
by helping somebody who hurts, by reaching out a hand to a neighbor in 
need. No, Government can help. We can pass out money. But Government 
cannot put hope in people's hearts or a sense of purpose in people's 
lives. That is done when a kind soul puts their arm around a brother and 
sister in need and says, ``I love you. What can I do to help?''
    Events of the last few years have revealed the amazing resilience of 
our Nation's economy. In our country's history, recessions have 
typically resulted from single, unexpected shocks such as spikes in 
energy prices or sudden shifts in markets. Since 2000, our economy has 
been dealt not just one shock, but three--a set of challenges with few 
parallels in American history.
    First, the stock market began a steady decline in March 2000, as 
investors realized that the economy was not healthy. Businesses faced 
overcapacity during that period of time and cut their budgets for new 
investment in technology or equipment. And by early 2001, this economy 
was in recession.
    And secondly, we were attacked on a fateful day, September the 11th, 
2001. An enemy which hates America attacked us and killed a lot of our 
citizens. It brought our Nation

[[Page 1143]]

great grief and shock, and it disrupted our economy. The stock market 
shut down for days. Commercial airlines were devastated. Travel and 
tourism industry has struggled since, and the costs of higher security 
are still being paid. The economic impact of those attacks is estimated 
at $80 billion in economic damage and lost output, which is nearly 
equivalent to wiping out the entire economy of Kansas for one year.
    The economic impact of September the 11th continued because of the 
uncertainty from the war on terror--from operations in Afghanistan or 
war on terror in Iraq or relentless hunt for the killers. In times of 
conflict, decisionmakers are hesitant to make major purchases, 
businesses are hesitant to hire new people. The march to war is not 
conducive for hopeful investment. Our military campaigns in the war on 
terror have cost our Treasury and our economy. Yet, they have prevented 
greater costs.
    We will protect this Nation from further attack and, therefore, 
protecting our economy from major disruption. The safety of our people, 
the security of the American people is of paramount concern to me. With 
a broad coalition, we are taking and will continue to take action around 
the globe. We will remain on the offensive against terrorist killers. We 

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