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Official Says Free Trade Will Help U.S. Manufacturing
Better technical education will serve as an enabler
Charles J. Murray, Senior Technical Editor -- Design News, September 24, 2008
A U.S. State Department official told manufacturers here at National Manufacturing Week yesterday that free trade with other countries would help them in the long run, and added that science and technology education in the U.S. would bolster the free trade effort.
J. Frank Mermoud, a special representative for Commerce and Business Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, promoted free trade in the broader context of U.S. foreign policy in a keynote speech at National Manufacturing Week. Speaking to a group of about 50 manufacturers and engineers, Mermoud encouraged the concept of free trade with such countries as Panama, South Korea and Columbia.
Mermoud argued that free trade agreements with those countries would enable them to overcome the challenges of poverty, inequality and social exclusion, thus helping to foster sustained economic growth and employment there. Benefits from such economic growth would also accrue to the U.S., he said.
"Not only will pending free trade agreements with those countries benefit America as a whole, they will benefit all manufacturers," Mermoud said. He added that editorials in newspapers ranging from the San Francisco Chronicle to The Wall Street Journal have supported the concept.
Mermoud also told the National Manufacturing Week assembly that science, math and technology education would serve as a key enabler for America's free trade effort.
"Science education makes our people more able," he told Design News. "With education, we produce better goods and strengthen our position in the global market place."
Asked if better technical education here would attract foreign manufacturers, particularly those from countries with declining populations, Mermoud reacted strongly. "If we improve our technical education here, we could definitely attract manufacturers from Germany or Japan," he said. "It would help us meet the needs of manufacturers from any country."
