    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2003, Book II)]
    [July 15, 2003]
    [Pages 875-876]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Message to the Congress Transmitting Proposed Legislation To Implement
    the United States-Singapore Free Trade Agreement
    July 15, 2003

    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 States 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

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    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.