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Economic Report of the President 1994 - The American Presidency ...

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when <strong>the</strong>ir subsidies to state-owned producers remain sizable. Asa result, ei<strong>the</strong>r <strong>the</strong> market or <strong>the</strong> nonmarket methodology may impedeimports from economies in transition.This situation is particularly problematic since allowing Russiaand o<strong>the</strong>r economies in transition to export <strong>the</strong> goods in which <strong>the</strong>yhave comparative advantage benefits both <strong>the</strong>se economies (whichobtain valuable hard-currency revenues as well as experience inworld markets) and Western nations (which obtain goods producedrelatively more efficiently than <strong>the</strong>y can be produced in <strong>the</strong> West).Open market access is <strong>the</strong>refore a positive-sum means <strong>of</strong> encouraging<strong>the</strong> reform process.REGIONAL INITIATIVESSome issues cannot be handled on a bilateral basis, and <strong>the</strong> Administrationhas been deeply engaged in a number <strong>of</strong> regional efforts.<strong>The</strong> most prominent <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>se has been <strong>the</strong> North <strong>American</strong>Free Trade Agreement, which will solidify <strong>the</strong> ongoing reforms inMexico and help expand U.S.-Mexican trade.<strong>The</strong> North <strong>American</strong> Free Trade AgreementIn November 1993 <strong>the</strong> Congress ratified <strong>the</strong> North <strong>American</strong>Free Trade Agreement, which went into effect on January 1, <strong>1994</strong>.NAFTA creates a free-trade area <strong>of</strong> 370 million consumers and over$6.5 trillion <strong>of</strong> annual output, linking <strong>the</strong> United States to Canadaand Mexico, our largest and third-largest trading partners. Buildingon <strong>the</strong> earlier United States-Canada Free-Trade Agreement,NAFTA will contribute to productive efficiency, enhance <strong>the</strong> ability<strong>of</strong> North <strong>American</strong> producers to compete globally, and raise <strong>the</strong>standard <strong>of</strong> living <strong>of</strong> all three countries. By improving <strong>the</strong> investmentclimate in North America, and by providing innovative companieswith a larger market, NAFTA will also increase economicgrowth.NAFTA will help reinforce <strong>the</strong> market reforms already underway in Mexico (Box 6-3). Mexico's reforms have raised its rate <strong>of</strong>economic growth, making it an increasingly important export marketfor <strong>the</strong> United States. A stable and prosperous Mexico is importantto <strong>the</strong> United States for both economic and geopolitical reasons.<strong>The</strong> United States shares a border roughly 2,000 miles longwith Mexico; and as economic opportunities in Mexico improve,Mexican workers will have fewer incentives to migrate to <strong>the</strong> UnitedStates. NAFTA will help forge a lasting relationship between<strong>the</strong> two countries, based on open trade and cooperation.In addition to dismantling trade barriers in industrial goods,NAFTA includes agreements on services, investment, intellectualproperty rights, agriculture, and streng<strong>the</strong>ning <strong>of</strong> trade rules.<strong>The</strong>re are also side agreements on labor adjustment provisions,protection <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> environment, and import surges.225

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