[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 14]
[House]
[Page 18959]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             SUPPORT H.R. 2738, CHILE FREE TRADE AGREEMENT

  (Mr. KNOLLENBERG asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. KNOLLENBERG. Mr. Speaker, this week Congress has an opportunity 
to pass legislation to implement a free trade agreement with our 
partner in commerce, the nation of Chile. I might mention also 
Singapore, but I am going to focus on Chile.
  Since 1997, when Chile adopted free trade agreements with MERCOSUR, 
Mexico, and Canada, U.S. companies' share of the Chilean import market 
has fallen by 7 percent, amounting to something like over $1 billion. 
Meanwhile, the countries that have a free trade agreement with Chile 
gained over 9 percent of that market. There can be no question that our 
loss to the Chilean market is directly related to missed trade 
opportunities. The Chile FTA will turn this around.
  If we vote to pass H.R. 2738, we ensure future American 
competitiveness in Chilean markets and the continued growth of our own 
economy, which will benefit all Americans. I urge my colleagues on both 
sides of the aisle to support and vote ``yes'' on the Chilean Free 
Trade Agreement.

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