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| China-Japan-Koreas | |
| Obama welcomes US-South Korea trade agreement | |
| 2010-12-05 | |
(KUNA) -- US President Barack B.O.Obama welcomed on Saturday the trade deal agreement between the United States and South Korea, saying it will strengthen the alliance between them and create at least 70,000 jobs for Americans.
While in Seoul last month, Obama failed to finalize the trade deal, which prompted domestic criticism to his foreign policy from the Republican Party. He defended the failure to reach a deal before, saying it "was not good enough. It was not good enough for the American economy and it was not good enough for American workers". "I am not interested in signing trade agreements for the sake of signing trade agreements. I am interested in agreements that increase jobs and exports for the American people and that also help our partners grow their economies," he added. Obama, who was surrounded by US Trade Representative and the lead negotiator for the deal Michael Froman, noted that tariff reductions in this agreement alone "are expected to boost annual exports of American goods by up to USD 11 billion." "This agreement -- including the opening of the Korean services market -- will support at least 70,000 American jobs. It will contribute significantly to achieving (my) goal of doubling US exports over the next five years. In fact, it is estimated that today's deal alone will increase American economic output by more than our last nine free trade agreements combined," he added. Speaking at the White House upon his return from his surprise trip to Afghanistan, Obama said this deal is "also a win for our ally and friend South Korea. They will gain greater access to our markets and make American products more affordable for Korean households and businesses -- resulting in more choices for Korean consumers and more jobs for Americans." | |
| Posted by:Fred |