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."
Tweet This
1 
