    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1993, Book II)]
    [November 18, 1993]
    [Pages 2012-2013]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Exchange With Reporters Following Discussions With Prime Minister
    Jean Chretien of Canada in Seattle
    November 18, 1993

    NAFTA

        Q. [Inaudible]--resolve your differences on NAFTA?
        The President. Well, I wouldn't say we resolved them all, but we had
    a very good meeting, and we agreed that our respective trade
    representatives would get together, Mr. MacLaren and Ambassador Kantor,
    and try to work through the issues in a timely fashion. And I feel
    comfortable that we've set up a good process. We've identified what the
    points of concern are, and I think we've got a good shot to work it out.
        Q. Mr. Prime Minister, can you resolve the issues now without
    completely reopening

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    NAFTA?
        Prime Minister Chretien. That debate is going on at this time. We've
    discussed the nature of the problem and we tried to find a way to solve
    the problem. I guess we could, but I'm not sure. That's why, you know,
    we'll have to reflect on the nature of the problem, and we have only a
    few weeks to make a final decision because proclamation is for the first
    of January. But I'm confident that they seem to understand our position
    and understand the American position, too. So, yes, I'm optimistic that
    we can find a solution. The technique is something to be worked on, and
    we'll find a solution. There is always a solution to a problem.
        Q. What are the--problems?
        Prime Minister Chretien. For us, we talk about a clear definition of
    what is subsidy and what is dumping and counterbidding. We want to have
    rules on that; it's extremely important for us. So we're debating that
    at this moment, how can we find the process to solve this problem and
    discuss other issues like water and so on. We hope to find the proper
    solution in the weeks to come.

    Trade With Japan and China

        Q. Mr. President can you coax China and Japan to open their markets
    to U.S. products?
        The President. We hope so. That's one of the things we're working on
    here. And in a larger sense, both Canada and the United States being the
    sort of Western partners in this Asian-Pacific economic group, we want
    very much to continue to buy from those Asian countries, and we want
    them to buy our products. We want to build a free trading relationship
    that will support the growth of Asia and support jobs in our nations.
    Both of us are very excited about it. We're happy to have this meeting
    here being hosted in North America.
        Prime Minister Chretien. We want to reassure them, too, that what is
    happening in North America at this moment, it's not a bloc that will
    become protectionist. It's very important that they understand that now
    we want to expand trade with the other nations in the Pacific, because
    there will be more wealth around the world, more jobs for the people who
    are seeking jobs--United States and Canada.

    Note: The exchange began at approximately 9:15 p.m. at the Westin Hotel.
    This exchange was released by the Office of the Press Secretary on
    November 19. A tape was not available for verification of the content of
    this exchange.