[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 104 (Tuesday, July 15, 2003)]
[House]
[Page H6834]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    UNITED STATES-SINGAPORE FREE TRADE AGREEMENT--MESSAGE FROM THE 
          PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES (H. DOC. NO. 108-100)

  The SPEAKER pro tempore laid before the House the following message 
from the President of the United States; which was read and, together 
with the accompanying papers, referred to the Committee on Ways and 
Means and the Committee on the Judiciary and ordered to be printed.
To the Congress of the United States:
  I am pleased to transmit legislation and supporting documents to 
implement the United States-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (FTA). The 
Agreement will further open Singapore's markets and increase 
competition and consumer choice. This is America's first FTA with an 
Asian-Pacific nation, and we hope it will serve as a benchmark for 
future free trade agreements with other nations in the region. The 
Agreement will enhance prosperity in the United States and Singapore, 
serve the interest of expanding U.S. commerce, and advance our overall 
national interest.
  My Administration is strongly committed to securing a level playing 
field for America's workers, farmers, and businesses. The Congress 
helped advance that policy by passing Trade Promotion Authority in the 
Trade Act of 2002 (the ``Trade Act''). The Congress can help us take 
another important step by approving this Agreement and the implementing 
legislation. Without this Agreement, U.S. workers and businesses could 
be placed at a competitive disadvantage, because Singapore has signed 
or is currently working on free trade agreements with Japan, Canada, 
Australia, Mexico, and India.
  In negotiating this FTA, my Administration was guided by the 
negotiating objectives set out in the Trade Act. The Agreement locks in 
tariff-free access for all U.S. goods, including textile and 
agriculture products, and addresses other barriers to trade. It opens 
opportunities for our services businesses, which now account for nearly 
65 percent of our gross domestic product and more than 80 percent of 
employment in the United States. Through this FTA, Singapore will grant 
substantial additional market access to U.S. firms across a broad 
spectrum of services, including banking, insurance, securities and 
related financial services, express delivery services, professional 
services, and telecommunications. The Agreement also incorporates 
commitments on regulatory transparency that will be of special help to 
services business.
  This Agreement provides state-of-the-art intellectual property 
protection, including significant commitments on trade in digital 
products. It ensures that electronic commerce will stay free of duties 
and discriminatory rules. In addition, Singapore will accede to 
international treaties dealing with copyright and access issues for the 
Internet.
  United State citizens and businesses that invest in Singapore will 
have significant increased protections. This Agreement enhances 
transparency and openness in order to foster a more secure environment 
for trade and investment. Furthermore, Singapore will provide U.S. 
investors with important substantive protections that Singaporean 
investors already enjoy in the United States.
  Singapore and the United States have also agreed to cooperate on the 
environment and labor issues and to establish mechanisms to support 
those efforts. The FTA obligates each country to enforce its own labor 
and environmental laws and makes clear that domestic labor or 
environmental protections may not be reduced in order to encourage 
trade or investment. The Agreement also preserves our right to pursue 
other legitimate domestic objectives, including the protection of 
health and safety, consumer interests, and national security.
  Trade and openness contribute to development, the rule of law, 
economic growth, and international cooperation. Singapore is a close 
partner of the United States, and this Agreement will strengthen those 
ties.
  With the approval of this Agreement and passage of the implementing 
legislation by the Congress, we will advance U.S. economic, security, 
and political interests, while encouraging others to work with us to 
expand free trade around the world.
                                                      George W. Bush.  
The White House, July 15, 2003.

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