[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 39, Number 19 (Monday, May 12, 2003)]
[Pages 550-552]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks at a Signing Ceremony for the United States-Singapore Free Trade 
Agreement

May 6, 2003

    President Bush. Thank you. Good afternoon, and welcome to the White 
House. I'm honored to host Prime Minister Goh as we

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sign an historic free trade agreement between the United States and 
Singapore.
    Our two countries have a proud history of friendship and 
cooperation. We're working together to meet the threats of a new era, 
and we share a belief in the power of free enterprise and free trade to 
improve lives. The U.S.-Singapore Free Trade Agreement marks a crucial 
step forward for both our countries. And with the approval of the 
Congress, this agreement will help generate well-paying jobs and 
opportunities for people in Singapore and in the United States.
    The Prime Minister is a man with whom I enjoy good conversations. 
He's got good advice, and I'm proud to call him friend.
    I appreciate so very much our--members of my Cabinet who are here: 
the Secretary of State; Secretary of Commerce; Trade Minister Robert 
Zoellick, Ambassador Zoellick. I want to thank very much the Singaporean 
delegation for coming. Madame Ambassador, it's good to see you again. I 
appreciate our Ambassador, Frank Lavin, for being here, and I appreciate 
his service to our country.
    I'm so grateful for the Members of Congress for being here. Thank 
you all for coming--strong free-traders, people who believe in the 
possibility of trade, in the hope of trade. I want to thank members of 
our business community who are here. Mr. Prime Minister, you've drawn 
quite a crowd. [Laughter]
    America supports free trade because it creates new opportunities for 
millions of people, new wealth for entire nations, and benefits that are 
widely shared. NAFTA and the Uruguay Round, for example, show us what 
free trade can accomplish. They've created more choices and lower prices 
for consumers, raising living standards for a typical American family of 
four by at least $2,000 a year. Free trade has a direct benefit for our 
citizens.
    In NAFTA's first 6 years, more than half of Mexico's new 
manufacturing jobs were connected to trade. Trade helps people in our 
neighborhood. It helps people find work. A prosperous neighborhood is in 
the interest of the United States of America. Trade helps people emerge 
from poverty. Trade helps people realize their hopes and ambitions. 
Trade is an important part of improving the lives of people around the 
globe.
    And that's why this administration strongly stands for free trade. 
From the first days of this administration, we have been working to 
extend the benefits of trade to every region of the world. We're a 
leader in the negotiations of the WTO. We've advanced bold proposals to 
open up global markets. We seek to build on the success of NAFTA with 
the Free Trade Area of the Americas.
    We're also encouraging the free flow of trade and investment in the 
Pacific, among our partners in APEC and ASEAN. America has implemented a 
free trade agreement with Jordan, our first ever with an Arab nation. 
And we're finalizing our pact with Chile. Similar negotiations are 
underway with Australia, Morocco, and five nations in the Central 
American region. And soon we'll beginning negotiations with the Southern 
African Customs Union to bring new opportunities to a part of the world 
where the need is great.
    The agreement that the Prime Minister and I sign today is the first 
of its kind between the United States and an Asian-Pacific country. The 
4 million people of Singapore have built a strong and vibrant economy. 
Singapore has long set an example for its neighbors in the world of the 
transforming power of economic freedom and open markets. Singapore is 
already America's 12th-largest trading partner and buys a full range of 
American products, everything from machine parts and computers to 
agricultural products.
    This free trade agreement will increase access to Singapore's 
dynamic markets for American exporters, 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 dynamic technology sectors.
    The agreement also safeguards the right of workers and protections 
for our environment. It's a modern agreement. And it's a good agreement 
for both countries. By granting free trade--by granting trade promotion 
authority last year, Congress showed support for an agenda of free and 
open trade. And I want to thank them for that. I hope the Congress will 
act in this same spirit and

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quickly give final approval to this agreement, and I'm sure they will. 
Singapore is a nation that is small in size but large in influence. With 
this agreement, Singapore becomes an even more valued economic partner 
of the United States.
    Mr. Prime Minister, your nation has also been a vital and steadfast 
friend in the fight against global terror. Singapore has made determined 
and successful efforts to break up terror plots before they can take 
innocent lives.
    As a member of the U.N. Security Council, Singapore worked hard to 
secure the passage of Resolution 1441, requiring Iraq to live up to its 
international obligations. And now with Iraq's liberation, Singapore 
will send police and health care workers to help with Iraq's 
reconstruction.
    Mr. Prime Minister, I appreciate your nation's contribution as we 
overcome great dangers and defend the peace. I'm grateful as well for 
your commitment to a world that trades in freedom and for all the hard 
work on both sides that have made this agreement possible. We take great 
pride in the strong relationship between our countries.
    Welcome to Washington, Mr. Prime Minister.

Note: The President spoke at 3:10 p.m. in the East Room at the White 
House. In his remarks, he referred to Chan Heng Chee, Singapore's 
Ambassador to the United States. The transcript released by the Office 
of the Press Secretary also included the remarks of Prime Minister Goh 
Chok Tong of Singapore.