WEBVTT 00:00.588 --> 00:03.588 (audience applauds) 00:09.914 --> 00:11.164 - Good morning. 00:13.431 --> 00:15.110 I was afraid I couldn't see over the podium. 00:15.110 --> 00:15.943 Worked out. 00:15.943 --> 00:16.776 (audience chuckles) 00:16.776 --> 00:17.609 Good morning, 00:17.609 --> 00:20.292 I'm Jane Harman, President and CEO of the Wilson Center, 00:20.292 --> 00:22.125 recovering politician, 00:22.227 --> 00:26.169 and very delighted about this event this morning. 00:26.169 --> 00:28.162 Let me welcome a few guests. 00:28.162 --> 00:30.366 Ambassador Martin Dahinden of Switzerland, 00:30.366 --> 00:33.533 Ambassador Andris Teikmanis of Latvia, 00:35.185 --> 00:38.903 our former chairman, Ambassador Joe Gildenhorn 00:38.903 --> 00:42.236 and his wife, Alma, and daughter, Cathy, 00:42.666 --> 00:46.833 and a number of our cabinet members and dearest supporters. 00:47.602 --> 00:49.685 Thank you all for coming. 00:50.107 --> 00:53.038 In August I went with my eight-year-old grandson 00:53.038 --> 00:55.880 and a few family members to Poland. 00:55.880 --> 00:59.680 Poland has bravely faced its role in World War II 00:59.680 --> 01:03.847 as the killing field for over three million Jews and others. 01:03.847 --> 01:05.885 In a small town in southeast Poland 01:05.885 --> 01:07.844 I walked a trail into the woods 01:07.844 --> 01:10.098 where members of my own family 01:10.098 --> 01:12.210 were forced to march to an open pit 01:12.210 --> 01:16.377 where they were shot in the back with 1,250 others. 01:17.347 --> 01:19.877 Seeing that level of depravity up close 01:19.877 --> 01:21.794 is a brutal experience, 01:22.462 --> 01:26.629 one the world should never forget and never repeat. 01:30.600 --> 01:34.767 But since then there has been Rwanda and Srebrenica 01:36.696 --> 01:37.863 and now Syria. 01:39.565 --> 01:42.293 Some countries have tried to address the growing horror. 01:42.293 --> 01:44.442 Half a million dead, half the country displaced, 01:44.442 --> 01:47.520 and historical artifacts and towns reduced to rubble. 01:47.520 --> 01:51.687 In today's New York Times it says that 250,000 people 01:52.092 --> 01:55.283 are cowering in basements in East Aleppo 01:55.283 --> 01:58.270 with no food, no light, no school, no future. 01:58.270 --> 02:00.770 100,000 of those are children. 02:01.160 --> 02:03.651 Stopping the killing and addressing the refugee crisis 02:03.651 --> 02:07.137 is complicated because there are so many agendas. 02:07.137 --> 02:08.319 Those who try to help, 02:08.319 --> 02:11.217 like Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel, 02:11.217 --> 02:14.155 face challenges in their own political parties. 02:14.155 --> 02:16.238 But one man keeps trying, 02:16.723 --> 02:19.354 no matter how daunting the odds. 02:19.354 --> 02:22.104 That man is Secretary John Kerry. 02:22.855 --> 02:26.468 And through the decades of our friendship and collaboration, 02:26.468 --> 02:28.968 I have never admired him more. 02:30.377 --> 02:32.602 Thank you, John, for coming to the Wilson Center 02:32.602 --> 02:34.840 for the first time as Secretary of State 02:34.840 --> 02:38.007 and for addressing a different subject 02:38.041 --> 02:42.208 directly in our sweet spot, the importance of trade. 02:42.960 --> 02:46.793 I was one of 25 democratic members of Congress 02:46.855 --> 02:50.855 who voted for Trade Promotion Authority in 2002. 02:51.408 --> 02:55.575 I gather that number went up to 28 in 2015 out of 186. 02:59.952 --> 03:01.463 You don't have to take it from me. 03:01.463 --> 03:03.509 Two major CEOs have written an op-ed 03:03.509 --> 03:05.338 in the Washington Post today 03:05.338 --> 03:09.505 about why trade and the Trans-Pacific Partnership, or TPP, 03:10.652 --> 03:12.307 is good for America, 03:12.307 --> 03:16.474 Arne Sorenson of Marriott and Ursula Burns of Xerox. 03:17.598 --> 03:19.890 But the reality is that the anti-trade wings 03:19.890 --> 03:22.276 of both political parties are growing. 03:22.276 --> 03:24.993 That is dangerous for the US economy 03:24.993 --> 03:27.160 and our national security. 03:27.436 --> 03:30.252 So again President Obama and Secretary Kerry 03:30.252 --> 03:33.107 deserve enormous credit for continuing to push 03:33.107 --> 03:36.940 for ratification of TPP, which is, in my view, 03:37.170 --> 03:40.503 the cornerstone of US rebalance to Asia. 03:41.217 --> 03:44.800 Please welcome our 68th Secretary of State, 03:44.813 --> 03:47.038 former five-term member of the Senate 03:47.038 --> 03:50.391 and Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, 03:50.391 --> 03:52.641 the indomitable John Kerry. 03:53.340 --> 03:56.340 (audience applauds) 04:02.529 --> 04:06.446 - Jane, thank you for a wonderful introduction. 04:08.660 --> 04:12.577 I hugely appreciate your support, your counsel. 04:14.562 --> 04:17.953 And obviously we are living in complicated times. 04:17.953 --> 04:21.286 I want to thank you for many, many years 04:21.566 --> 04:24.649 of remarkable service to our country. 04:26.931 --> 04:29.478 Jane was reminding me as we were walking up here 04:29.478 --> 04:33.333 that we were by happenstance on a flight together 04:33.333 --> 04:35.166 not so many years ago, 04:35.484 --> 04:38.901 and she secretly informed me of the offer 04:39.548 --> 04:40.954 from the Wilson Center and said, 04:40.954 --> 04:43.027 "What do you think I ought to do?" 04:43.027 --> 04:47.080 And I told her in a nanosecond she should take this job. 04:47.080 --> 04:49.019 And I'm not sure she did it 04:49.019 --> 04:52.810 in the nanosecond following my advice, but she did it, 04:52.810 --> 04:54.576 and I think we are all better for it. 04:54.576 --> 04:57.778 She's really one of the country's leading voices 04:57.778 --> 05:00.736 on intelligence and national security issues 05:00.736 --> 05:02.069 on Capitol Hill, 05:02.710 --> 05:05.109 and today, as President of the Wilson Center, 05:05.109 --> 05:07.040 everybody knows she's contributing enormously. 05:07.040 --> 05:09.936 So thank you, Jane, very, very much for all you do. 05:09.936 --> 05:13.019 (audience applauds) 05:14.627 --> 05:18.294 Before I dive into our main topic for today, 05:18.857 --> 05:19.972 I just want to say a couple words 05:19.972 --> 05:23.547 because I know everybody here is mourning the passing 05:23.547 --> 05:26.714 of one of the world's great statesmen, 05:27.210 --> 05:31.210 a giant of history, a founding father of Israel, 05:31.608 --> 05:35.191 and a true warrior for peace, Shimon Peres. 05:37.672 --> 05:40.709 I first met Shimon about 30 years ago 05:40.709 --> 05:43.126 when I was a younger senator, 05:45.557 --> 05:47.659 and ever since, I have to tell you, 05:47.659 --> 05:49.612 Shimon has been an inspiration, 05:49.612 --> 05:53.112 a source of tremendous wisdom and insight, 05:53.330 --> 05:55.280 and most importantly, a real friend. 05:55.280 --> 05:59.197 I had Shabbat dinner with him I think last year 06:01.675 --> 06:05.675 and listened to him talking well into the night, 06:05.947 --> 06:08.114 sharing incredible wisdom, 06:09.817 --> 06:13.067 and at age 92 or so, which he was then, 06:13.819 --> 06:16.486 incredible energy and commitment 06:16.625 --> 06:18.283 to going on into the future. 06:18.283 --> 06:21.120 And he always said, you know, don't lose your curiosity, 06:21.120 --> 06:23.203 don't lose your projects, 06:24.927 --> 06:27.577 your sense of what you have to continue to do. 06:27.577 --> 06:29.819 And I think it is those projects and that vision 06:29.819 --> 06:32.152 that kept him going forward. 06:32.257 --> 06:35.671 He dedicated his life to the cause of an Israel 06:35.671 --> 06:39.838 that would be safe and secure, democratic, and free, 06:40.568 --> 06:43.406 and the homeland of the Jewish people. 06:43.406 --> 06:45.906 And he never lost that vision. 06:46.187 --> 06:49.144 And so many times when I was traveling over there 06:49.144 --> 06:51.986 so frequently to meet with the prime minister, 06:51.986 --> 06:55.369 he would express a frustration, frankly, with the pace 06:55.369 --> 06:57.839 and with the lack of the seizure of opportunities, 06:57.839 --> 07:02.006 but he always felt restrained and necessarily respectful 07:03.420 --> 07:05.004 of the incumbent prime minister, 07:05.004 --> 07:07.196 having been a prime minister himself. 07:07.196 --> 07:09.535 So he never inserted himself inappropriately 07:09.535 --> 07:10.868 in the dialogue. 07:11.177 --> 07:13.260 But I can tell you he was 07:14.834 --> 07:17.834 impatient for peace for his country, 07:18.357 --> 07:22.357 and impatient for the lost grabbed opportunities 07:24.553 --> 07:26.303 that were passing by. 07:26.952 --> 07:30.421 When I was at that Clinton Library dedication 07:30.421 --> 07:33.088 a number of years ago, he spoke. 07:34.220 --> 07:35.915 And he was one of the most eloquent people. 07:35.915 --> 07:38.417 And I went up to him afterwards and was chatting with him, 07:38.417 --> 07:41.280 and I noticed he had just jotted down notes 07:41.280 --> 07:43.864 on the back of an envelope or a piece of paper 07:43.864 --> 07:46.342 and gave really one of the eloquent, 07:46.342 --> 07:49.009 most moving speeches of the day. 07:49.110 --> 07:53.027 So this is a man who was long a towering figure 07:55.413 --> 07:57.080 of moral leadership. 07:57.417 --> 07:58.834 Moral leadership. 07:59.228 --> 08:01.886 And as I listen to Jane talk about 08:01.886 --> 08:03.770 what's happening in Syria, 08:03.770 --> 08:07.937 never has there been a moment where we need our global sense 08:08.172 --> 08:11.922 and personal sense of morality more than now. 08:12.354 --> 08:15.271 Shimon Peres will be hugely missed. 08:16.499 --> 08:18.416 A great gap exists now. 08:20.138 --> 08:23.471 And everybody who knew him, admired him, 08:24.455 --> 08:26.455 who was inspired by him, 08:26.581 --> 08:30.484 and by his example for the pursuit of justice and peace 08:30.484 --> 08:32.317 will continue, I know, 08:32.410 --> 08:35.525 to remain inspired and motivated by him. 08:35.525 --> 08:39.664 And I hope his memory will be a blessing for all of us. 08:39.664 --> 08:41.164 In the coming days 08:41.373 --> 08:44.844 the world will pay its final respects to Shimon Peres. 08:44.844 --> 08:48.625 I hope to be able to carve out the ability to go 08:48.625 --> 08:50.125 and share in that. 08:50.198 --> 08:54.365 This morning I am truly delighted to be here with you 08:55.021 --> 08:58.104 to share with all of you a discussion 09:00.833 --> 09:05.000 about the connection between America's strategic leadership 09:07.119 --> 09:09.286 and our policies on trade. 09:10.438 --> 09:12.572 There really couldn't be a better place to do that 09:12.572 --> 09:16.304 than here at the Center, given Woodrow Wilson's personal, 09:16.304 --> 09:19.971 the man's personal history with the subject. 09:20.053 --> 09:22.136 Back in his college days, 09:22.238 --> 09:24.871 Wilson entered a debate competition 09:24.871 --> 09:26.873 where the question centered around 09:26.873 --> 09:29.290 protection versus free trade. 09:30.105 --> 09:31.566 And sides were chosen 09:31.566 --> 09:34.591 by taking a slip of paper out of a hat. 09:34.591 --> 09:38.758 And when young Woodrow Wilson the student drew "protection," 09:40.027 --> 09:42.194 he tore the slip to shreds 09:44.392 --> 09:47.134 and promptly returned to his seat, 09:47.134 --> 09:49.674 because nothing under heaven, he declared, 09:49.674 --> 09:52.322 was going to compel him to advance arguments 09:52.322 --> 09:56.489 for a cause that he thought was so flat out wrong. 09:57.036 --> 10:00.536 Now, this episode took place in the 1870s, 10:01.948 --> 10:04.118 telling us something not only about 10:04.118 --> 10:06.368 Wilson's dogged personality 10:06.764 --> 10:09.011 but reminding us that we've been debating 10:09.011 --> 10:12.680 the virtues of free trade and assessing the diplomatic value 10:12.680 --> 10:15.890 of close economic ties to other countries 10:15.890 --> 10:17.723 for a long, long time. 10:19.486 --> 10:23.300 This is an issue that's been around, been settled at times, 10:23.300 --> 10:26.532 on which we have moved forward continually, 10:26.532 --> 10:29.613 and yet it comes back to haunt the political debate. 10:29.613 --> 10:33.440 Our first Secretary of State, Thomas Jefferson, 10:33.440 --> 10:36.273 said that all the world would gain 10:36.491 --> 10:39.741 by setting commerce at perfect liberty. 10:40.537 --> 10:43.682 Now of course, that didn't stop a lot of his contemporaries 10:43.682 --> 10:46.682 from arguing precisely the opposite. 10:46.912 --> 10:51.002 And remarks were so frequently focused on the subject 10:51.002 --> 10:54.111 that one early 19th century congressman 10:54.111 --> 10:57.694 joked that the dictionary definition of man 10:58.510 --> 11:02.677 should be changed to an animal that makes tariff speeches. 11:03.030 --> 11:04.815 (laughing) 11:04.815 --> 11:08.739 My friends, this long-running controversy over trade 11:08.739 --> 11:10.906 reflects a larger question 11:11.795 --> 11:15.827 that we have been posing to ourselves throughout history. 11:15.827 --> 11:19.994 Should we use our many advantages to help lead the world 11:22.049 --> 11:23.673 or should we stand apart from it 11:23.673 --> 11:27.598 and pretend that we could somehow survive on our own? 11:27.598 --> 11:31.265 Should we engage far beyond the water's edge 11:32.513 --> 11:34.930 or use our coasts as barriers 11:36.425 --> 11:39.175 to try and keep the world at bay? 11:39.596 --> 11:41.622 Whatever the answer at a particular moment, 11:41.622 --> 11:44.936 there is no evading the fact that America, 11:44.936 --> 11:49.103 from its earliest days, has been a maritime nation, 11:49.214 --> 11:53.047 a manufacturing nation, and an agrarian nation 11:53.345 --> 11:55.095 all at the same time. 11:55.811 --> 11:59.978 And through the years, we have pursued overseas ties 12:00.487 --> 12:03.987 that helped us to sell our products abroad 12:04.764 --> 12:08.181 and to establish our country's reputation 12:08.244 --> 12:11.577 as a land of innovation and opportunity. 12:12.140 --> 12:16.140 Increasingly, we came to understand as a country 12:16.751 --> 12:20.918 the link between our well-being and that of other people, 12:21.937 --> 12:25.520 while others increasingly drew a connection 12:25.935 --> 12:28.518 between their destiny and ours. 12:29.463 --> 12:31.259 You have to think about that. 12:31.259 --> 12:33.773 It's a long continuum that we are talking about 12:33.773 --> 12:36.085 that this debate is about today. 12:36.085 --> 12:38.918 In 1865, as our war to end slavery 12:40.934 --> 12:43.472 neared its successful conclusion, 12:43.472 --> 12:45.889 the Italian patriot Garibaldi 12:46.213 --> 12:49.130 declared that the American question 12:49.190 --> 12:52.773 is about life for the liberty of the world. 12:53.711 --> 12:55.974 40 years later, President Theodore Roosevelt 12:55.974 --> 12:59.479 chose to advertise America's arrival as a global, 12:59.479 --> 13:01.547 economic, and political power 13:01.547 --> 13:04.797 by ordering a convoy of US battleships, 13:04.829 --> 13:08.996 the Great White Fleet, to circumnavigate the Earth. 13:09.156 --> 13:12.185 And I still, as I go to some countries, 13:12.185 --> 13:13.168 various parts of the world, 13:13.168 --> 13:15.859 hear people talk in terms of history 13:15.859 --> 13:18.347 about the importance of that display 13:18.347 --> 13:20.678 and the meaning of America's engagement 13:20.678 --> 13:23.875 as a consequence of that great journey. 13:23.875 --> 13:27.456 As President Woodrow Wilson sought to keep America 13:27.456 --> 13:31.539 out of a European war, that exactly a century ago 13:31.557 --> 13:33.885 was slaughtering the young of a generation 13:33.885 --> 13:37.552 on the battlefields of the Somme and Verdun, 13:38.398 --> 13:39.815 we understood it. 13:40.270 --> 13:43.055 Ultimately, our commercial interests, 13:43.055 --> 13:45.884 combined with our sense of right and wrong, 13:45.884 --> 13:50.051 drew us into that conflict and thrust American leadership 13:50.230 --> 13:54.397 into a spotlight that has remained critical and bright 13:54.809 --> 13:57.142 at the same time ever since. 13:58.487 --> 14:01.320 So the world that we live in today 14:02.311 --> 14:04.519 is a world that is far more complex 14:04.519 --> 14:07.181 than the one that I just described. 14:07.181 --> 14:11.348 It is more crowded, more inter-dependent, less hierarchical, 14:13.146 --> 14:16.146 more influenced by non-state actors, 14:16.500 --> 14:20.630 and filled with connections between economic issues 14:20.630 --> 14:24.297 and social, political, and security concerns 14:24.869 --> 14:28.702 all melded together, inextricably intertwined. 14:30.721 --> 14:33.024 But for all the changes that we have lived through 14:33.024 --> 14:36.003 that brought us to this new and more complex world, 14:36.003 --> 14:38.336 the basic question persists. 14:39.366 --> 14:42.366 What is America's role in the world, 14:42.638 --> 14:44.805 and how should we play it? 14:45.124 --> 14:48.291 And today, the answer, in my judgment, 14:48.687 --> 14:51.011 much more clear after almost four years 14:51.011 --> 14:54.339 as Secretary of State than it has ever been in my life, 14:54.339 --> 14:58.506 and that is that we, the United States, have to lead 14:58.707 --> 15:02.422 and our leadership requires us to pursue high-standard, 15:02.422 --> 15:05.925 innovative initiatives like the Trans-Pacific Partnership, 15:05.925 --> 15:08.258 or TPP, a proposed agreement 15:10.215 --> 15:14.382 that is not only about boosting our economy at home 15:14.566 --> 15:17.946 and deepening our commercial ties in key markets, 15:17.946 --> 15:20.738 but an agreement that is also about strengthening 15:20.738 --> 15:24.361 our national security and strategic leadership 15:24.361 --> 15:26.778 in Asia and across the globe. 15:27.441 --> 15:29.389 To fully understand the importance 15:29.389 --> 15:32.681 of this landmark trade deal, and it is landmark, 15:32.681 --> 15:35.327 it's unlike any trade agreement that I voted on, 15:35.327 --> 15:39.494 and I voted on many from 1984 until I left the Senate 15:39.975 --> 15:42.801 three and a half years ago, four years ago. 15:42.801 --> 15:45.897 This is different, different because there are, 15:45.897 --> 15:47.877 within the four corners of this agreement, 15:47.877 --> 15:50.556 environmental standards that never existed before. 15:50.556 --> 15:52.602 There are, within the four corners of this agreement, 15:52.602 --> 15:55.942 labor standards that never existed before. 15:55.942 --> 15:59.151 And so we need to begin with a very fundamental proposition 15:59.151 --> 16:01.525 in understanding this agreement. 16:01.525 --> 16:03.250 Either the United States of America 16:03.250 --> 16:06.583 is an Asia Pacific power, or we are not. 16:09.535 --> 16:13.702 And the "not" carries with it serious consequences. 16:14.645 --> 16:17.656 And we can't just stand up and say to the world, 16:17.656 --> 16:19.815 "Hey, we're a Pacific power." 16:19.815 --> 16:23.982 We have to show it in our actions and in our choices. 16:24.764 --> 16:26.617 We can't pick and choose where and when 16:26.617 --> 16:28.481 we want to be involved. 16:28.481 --> 16:32.095 We can't talk about the rebalance to Asia one day 16:32.095 --> 16:34.836 and then sit on the sidelines the next 16:34.836 --> 16:38.057 and expect to possibly send a credible message 16:38.057 --> 16:42.224 to partners and to potential partners around the world. 16:42.985 --> 16:45.988 Foreign policy doesn't work that way, folks. 16:45.988 --> 16:48.829 Not in our ever-shrinking, rapidly-changing world, 16:48.829 --> 16:51.825 not in a time when international friendships 16:51.825 --> 16:55.992 are based to a large measure on consistency of action 16:57.399 --> 17:01.566 and consistency of purpose and consistency of partnership. 17:03.469 --> 17:05.281 For more than a century, 17:05.281 --> 17:09.281 that consistency is exactly what leaders in Asia 17:09.286 --> 17:11.597 have come to expect from the United States, 17:11.597 --> 17:14.014 from leaders in both parties. 17:14.687 --> 17:17.176 And there are a host of good reasons 17:17.176 --> 17:20.233 for why they have come to expect that. 17:20.233 --> 17:22.150 The first is geography. 17:22.778 --> 17:25.120 The United States is one of the few nations 17:25.120 --> 17:26.571 that straddles the divide 17:26.571 --> 17:30.145 between the Eastern and Western hemispheres. 17:30.145 --> 17:32.404 Add to that the strong economic bonds 17:32.404 --> 17:35.045 that we have already developed in the region. 17:35.045 --> 17:39.045 Five of our top 10 trading partners are in Asia. 17:40.707 --> 17:43.048 And beyond that, you have to remember 17:43.048 --> 17:46.181 that our decades-long security alliances 17:46.181 --> 17:50.090 and history of defense cooperation with Japan, South Korea, 17:50.090 --> 17:54.257 Australia, New Zealand, and the Philippines stands out, 17:54.309 --> 17:58.476 and our close consultations with partners in APEC and ASEAN, 17:59.514 --> 18:01.872 and our shared diplomatic agenda 18:01.872 --> 18:04.484 that covers a host of mutual concerns, 18:04.484 --> 18:08.234 including counterterrorism, nonproliferation, 18:08.453 --> 18:11.036 climate change, cyber security, 18:11.102 --> 18:13.227 protection of the ocean environment, 18:13.227 --> 18:16.939 sustainable fishery practices, maritime security, 18:16.939 --> 18:18.373 human trafficking, 18:18.373 --> 18:21.956 just to mention some of the most prominent. 18:22.345 --> 18:26.345 Finally, Asia Pacific countries are major actors 18:26.963 --> 18:29.946 on two additional issues that touch on 18:29.946 --> 18:33.032 the vital national security interests of the United States, 18:33.032 --> 18:37.115 and they would be affected by us turning our back 18:37.995 --> 18:40.529 on an agreement already reached, 18:40.529 --> 18:43.779 prompted and promoted by us, led by us, 18:44.578 --> 18:46.652 which we then turn around and reverse and say, 18:46.652 --> 18:49.585 "Sorry, we didn't mean what we said." 18:49.585 --> 18:53.713 First are the provocative North Korean nuclear tests 18:53.713 --> 18:56.333 and the development of long-range ballistic missiles 18:56.333 --> 19:00.068 that violate UN Security Council resolutions. 19:00.068 --> 19:02.417 The dangers posed by these activities, 19:02.417 --> 19:05.720 both now and in the future, are a genuine threat 19:05.720 --> 19:09.887 to the United States and to our allies in the region. 19:09.974 --> 19:14.141 So it is essential that we work closely in every way, 19:15.933 --> 19:19.100 about all of our values and interests, 19:19.267 --> 19:21.517 from a position of strength 19:21.617 --> 19:24.438 with our partners South Korea and Japan, 19:24.438 --> 19:27.355 as well as work with China, Russia, 19:27.966 --> 19:30.669 and others who have stakes in the outcome 19:30.669 --> 19:33.336 of this challenge with the DPRK. 19:33.390 --> 19:35.472 And the help of these nations, 19:35.472 --> 19:39.516 and particularly China because of its closeness to the DPRK, 19:39.516 --> 19:42.841 is critical in order to further intensify the pressure 19:42.841 --> 19:46.758 on North Korea to change its reckless behavior, 19:47.176 --> 19:50.509 and to maintain our unity should it not. 19:54.931 --> 19:56.906 The second security issue of concern 19:56.906 --> 20:00.243 is prompted by competing territorial and maritime claims 20:00.243 --> 20:02.160 in the South China Sea. 20:03.025 --> 20:06.442 If countries put their trust in diplomacy 20:08.449 --> 20:11.051 and accept the rulings of international courts 20:11.051 --> 20:12.968 to settle these claims, 20:13.477 --> 20:17.308 the South China Sea problem can be solved peacefully. 20:17.308 --> 20:18.939 But if countries choose, instead, 20:18.939 --> 20:22.207 to be aggressive in taking unilateral steps 20:22.207 --> 20:25.469 outside the norms of international behavior 20:25.469 --> 20:27.895 and in creating new military infrastructure 20:27.895 --> 20:32.062 in disputed areas, then tensions may continue to rise 20:32.155 --> 20:34.572 in a way that benefits no one 20:34.882 --> 20:39.049 and increases the possibility of confrontation, conflict. 20:40.151 --> 20:41.808 As I have said many times, 20:41.808 --> 20:44.802 the United States does not take a position 20:44.802 --> 20:47.906 on the merits of any individual claim, 20:47.906 --> 20:50.989 but we have made clear our insistence 20:51.326 --> 20:54.026 on freedom of navigation and aviation, 20:54.026 --> 20:56.625 and because we have argued repeatedly 20:56.625 --> 20:58.538 that differences ought to be resolved 20:58.538 --> 21:00.715 in accordance with the rule of law, 21:00.715 --> 21:04.798 we do recognize properly rendered legal judgments 21:06.101 --> 21:09.018 by properly recognized institutions 21:09.664 --> 21:13.497 that have multilateral definition and support. 21:14.320 --> 21:18.487 Here, again, our presence, our influence in the Asia Pacific 21:20.859 --> 21:24.978 is essential for the protection of our own interests. 21:24.978 --> 21:29.145 And believe me, that presence is welcomed and highly valued 21:30.802 --> 21:33.052 by friends throughout Asia. 21:33.201 --> 21:37.368 I just met with our entire ASEAN partners in New York 21:39.649 --> 21:42.136 just the other day, last week, during UNGA, 21:42.136 --> 21:44.886 and to a person they talked about 21:45.303 --> 21:48.663 reliance on the United States in terms of our leadership, 21:48.663 --> 21:51.052 the importance of our presence in the region, 21:51.052 --> 21:54.326 and the importance of the TPP as definitional 21:54.326 --> 21:57.974 for those nations within ASEAN that have already signed up 21:57.974 --> 22:01.004 and are prepared to go forward and be part of it. 22:01.004 --> 22:03.171 So here's the bottom line. 22:03.362 --> 22:05.529 When crises arise in Asia, 22:05.767 --> 22:09.267 the impacts are felt in the United States. 22:09.419 --> 22:13.586 And that fact leads to this elementary and undeniable truth. 22:13.829 --> 22:16.601 It is in our interests to be able to have 22:16.601 --> 22:20.768 a positive influence on the course of events in Asia. 22:21.951 --> 22:26.034 And this second fact leads inexorably to a third. 22:26.542 --> 22:30.709 The Trans-Pacific Partnership will reinforce our status 22:31.462 --> 22:34.629 as a world leader intimately connected 22:34.983 --> 22:38.649 to the dynamic economies of the Pacific Rim, 22:38.649 --> 22:42.208 the fastest-growing economies in the world. 22:42.208 --> 22:45.811 And it will help strengthen norms and standards 22:45.811 --> 22:47.894 that are important to us, 22:48.375 --> 22:52.430 not just to other people or to everyone else in the region, 22:52.430 --> 22:54.124 but important to every citizen 22:54.124 --> 22:56.791 in the United States of America. 22:57.098 --> 22:58.431 Let me be clear. 22:59.150 --> 23:01.233 The reverse is also true. 23:02.472 --> 23:06.472 If we reject TPP, we take a giant step backward. 23:09.002 --> 23:10.509 We take a step away 23:10.509 --> 23:13.467 from this vital platform for cooperation, 23:13.467 --> 23:17.507 we take a step away from our leadership in the Asia Pacific, 23:17.507 --> 23:20.657 we take a step away from the protection of our interests 23:20.657 --> 23:23.623 and the promotion of universal values, 23:23.623 --> 23:25.737 we take a step away from our ability 23:25.737 --> 23:28.882 to shape the course of events in a region that includes 23:28.882 --> 23:32.715 more than a quarter of the world's population, 23:32.832 --> 23:35.559 and where much of the history of the 21st century 23:35.559 --> 23:37.476 is going to be written. 23:38.322 --> 23:41.239 Now, there can be no doubt that TPP 23:41.329 --> 23:44.912 isn't simply a stand-whole, standalone deal 23:46.337 --> 23:50.504 that just affects some trade barriers and some tariff rates. 23:51.998 --> 23:54.260 It's a lot more than that, folks. 23:54.260 --> 23:58.427 It is a vehicle for raising the standards of doing business, 23:59.694 --> 24:03.044 for raising the standards and expectations between countries 24:03.044 --> 24:05.995 regarding transparency and accountability 24:05.995 --> 24:07.460 and the rules of the road 24:07.460 --> 24:10.664 and the resolution of conflicts in commerce. 24:10.664 --> 24:14.831 It deepens our commercial bonds and it steers us towards 24:15.073 --> 24:19.230 closer commercial ties and diplomatic ties in the region. 24:19.230 --> 24:21.759 It enhances our national security. 24:21.759 --> 24:24.126 It gives us greater credibility in cooperating 24:24.126 --> 24:27.061 with our Pacific partners on the long list 24:27.061 --> 24:31.228 of shared challenges that I mentioned a moment ago. 24:31.777 --> 24:35.777 Now, you don't have to take just my word for it. 24:37.112 --> 24:39.863 What I am expressing is the consensus view 24:39.863 --> 24:43.696 among top military experts and defense experts 24:44.260 --> 24:46.933 and defense and military officials 24:46.933 --> 24:49.266 from both political parties, 24:49.301 --> 24:51.721 and among key leaders at home and abroad 24:51.721 --> 24:54.638 and among ex-presidents and secretaries of state 24:54.638 --> 24:56.055 across the board. 24:56.791 --> 25:00.030 Consider what a wide-ranging group of former generals, 25:00.030 --> 25:03.222 admirals, and secretaries of defense had to say. 25:03.222 --> 25:07.055 I quote, "If we fail to secure this agreement, 25:07.396 --> 25:10.646 "our allies and partners would question our commitments, 25:10.646 --> 25:14.648 "doubt our resolve, and inevitably look to other partners," 25:14.648 --> 25:18.815 adding that "America's prestige, influence, and leadership 25:19.238 --> 25:20.738 "are on the line." 25:22.085 --> 25:25.374 Consider what my old colleague, Senator John McCain, 25:25.374 --> 25:27.734 chairman of the Armed Services Committee, said recently. 25:27.734 --> 25:31.151 Quote, "If TPP fails, American leadership 25:31.748 --> 25:35.831 "in the Asia Pacific may very well fail with it." 25:36.594 --> 25:39.684 And beyond our borders, consider the choice laid out 25:39.684 --> 25:42.316 by Prime Minister Lee of Singapore, 25:42.316 --> 25:44.566 a key player in the region. 25:44.662 --> 25:46.794 In arguing the importance of TPP, 25:46.794 --> 25:50.123 the prime minister observed that where we wind up 25:50.123 --> 25:52.547 over the next half-century, quote, 25:52.547 --> 25:56.544 "really depends on whether we go towards interdependence 25:56.544 --> 25:58.849 "and therefore peaceful cooperation, 25:58.849 --> 26:02.384 "or whether we go for self-sufficiency, rivalry, 26:02.384 --> 26:05.884 "and therefore a higher risk of conflict." 26:07.141 --> 26:11.308 Simply put, TPP is a key way to gauge American engagement 26:13.402 --> 26:16.933 in the Asia Pacific, in parts of our own hemisphere, 26:16.933 --> 26:18.683 and around the world. 26:19.620 --> 26:22.786 It is an essential platform for developing 26:22.786 --> 26:26.092 even closer diplomatic and strategic connections 26:26.092 --> 26:28.092 to our regional friends. 26:28.092 --> 26:30.732 It also embodies the recognition on our part 26:30.732 --> 26:32.149 that in this era, 26:33.485 --> 26:37.485 there really is no such thing as standing still. 26:37.526 --> 26:39.339 No, no matter how much people resist, 26:39.339 --> 26:41.032 and I know there's resistance 26:41.032 --> 26:44.009 and people are churning in various parts of the world 26:44.009 --> 26:47.426 over the transformation of globalization, 26:48.767 --> 26:52.934 but no politician, no political party, no person can stop 26:54.290 --> 26:56.384 what is happening because people have an ability 26:56.384 --> 26:58.750 to be able to communicate more effectively with each other 26:58.750 --> 27:00.833 than ever before in life. 27:00.870 --> 27:03.537 No one's going to turn that off. 27:03.680 --> 27:06.184 If the United States just continues to do what we have 27:06.184 --> 27:09.684 in the past while others do more and more, 27:10.121 --> 27:12.881 we're not going to be holding our own, 27:12.881 --> 27:15.714 we are going to be falling behind. 27:15.880 --> 27:19.257 And make no mistake, if we retreat from this agreement, 27:19.257 --> 27:23.036 every government in the region, every business, 27:23.036 --> 27:27.052 every labor union, every group of environmental advocates, 27:27.052 --> 27:31.219 and the commanders of every army and navy will notice. 27:33.275 --> 27:34.848 And they will notice it in a way 27:34.848 --> 27:39.015 that does not work for the United States of America. 27:41.037 --> 27:43.537 It will be a unilateral ceding 27:44.280 --> 27:47.240 of American political influence and power 27:47.240 --> 27:50.740 with grave consequences for the long term. 27:50.872 --> 27:51.813 And I got news for you. 27:51.813 --> 27:54.026 They're going to be asking themselves, 27:54.026 --> 27:57.083 hey, if we can't count on the United States, 27:57.083 --> 27:59.250 where else should we turn? 28:00.804 --> 28:03.274 If the principles and rules written into the TPP 28:03.274 --> 28:05.565 don't matter to the United States, 28:05.565 --> 28:07.732 why should we accept them? 28:08.279 --> 28:10.623 If America won't enter into partnership with us 28:10.623 --> 28:14.143 on economic matters, why should we look to Washington 28:14.143 --> 28:17.976 for guidance on political or security matters? 28:18.592 --> 28:21.834 The inescapable bottom line is that, with TPP, 28:21.834 --> 28:24.317 we will be far better positioned 28:24.317 --> 28:26.480 to enhance our national security 28:26.480 --> 28:27.952 and to protect our interests 28:27.952 --> 28:30.751 in the globe's most dynamic region 28:30.751 --> 28:34.001 than we will be without this agreement. 28:35.505 --> 28:38.365 So from my perspective as Secretary of State, 28:38.365 --> 28:42.532 the strategic case for TPP is not just crystal clear. 28:43.793 --> 28:45.755 It could not be more vital 28:45.755 --> 28:47.472 to the national security interests 28:47.472 --> 28:49.373 and the long-term strategic goals 28:49.373 --> 28:52.040 of the United States of America. 28:52.178 --> 28:56.345 And I can tell you from my years of serving in the Senate 28:57.542 --> 28:58.735 and representing a state 28:58.735 --> 29:02.106 and being concerned about all issues economic, 29:02.106 --> 29:04.106 it is directly connected 29:04.648 --> 29:07.731 to the economic case for our country. 29:08.525 --> 29:11.470 The basic commercial arguments for TPP 29:11.470 --> 29:13.303 are pretty well known, 29:13.822 --> 29:17.655 but the facts are actually often misconstrued. 29:17.742 --> 29:20.186 And because of a certain mythology 29:20.186 --> 29:23.130 that has grown up about this agreement, 29:23.130 --> 29:25.130 it has somehow developed 29:25.703 --> 29:28.992 in ways that really demand an effective answer. 29:28.992 --> 29:31.311 I found this when I was most recently in Europe, 29:31.311 --> 29:33.078 talking with my European counterparts 29:33.078 --> 29:35.648 in Germany and France and elsewhere. 29:35.648 --> 29:38.605 There's a huge mythology that's grown up 29:38.605 --> 29:41.126 partly because we've been so focused 29:41.126 --> 29:44.917 on dealing with other issues, people don't understand 29:44.917 --> 29:47.828 completely exactly how this works for them. 29:47.828 --> 29:51.270 So I want to lay out the primary components of this 29:51.270 --> 29:53.187 as plainly as possible. 29:53.673 --> 29:57.173 This is a critical agreement in every way. 29:57.605 --> 30:01.772 It will unite nearly 40% of the global economy, 30:03.024 --> 30:06.107 stretching from countries like Canada and Chile 30:06.107 --> 30:08.065 on one side of the Pacific 30:08.065 --> 30:11.065 to Japan and Australia on the other. 30:11.667 --> 30:15.834 It is predicted to lift incomes for American workers. 30:17.216 --> 30:21.321 It will open up more markets to our farmers, ranchers, 30:21.321 --> 30:24.654 factories, and businesses of every size, 30:24.686 --> 30:28.188 and these are markets that include 10s of millions 30:28.188 --> 30:31.105 of middle-class American consumers. 30:31.950 --> 30:35.033 It will abolish 18,000 foreign taxes. 30:36.689 --> 30:37.772 Abolish them! 30:38.338 --> 30:41.528 Taxes on American goods that prevent our goods 30:41.528 --> 30:43.745 from entering into other countries. 30:43.745 --> 30:47.005 It will abolish 18,000 of those foreign taxes 30:47.005 --> 30:51.172 and reduce or eliminate tariffs on textiles, car parts, 30:52.714 --> 30:54.797 fruits, vegetables, beef, 30:55.003 --> 30:59.170 and other grown-in-America or made-in-America goods. 31:02.954 --> 31:07.121 And it will level the playing field for our products 31:08.690 --> 31:11.273 by ensuring that those products 31:11.351 --> 31:13.851 are treated the exact same way 31:14.129 --> 31:18.296 we treat those products that are coming from abroad. 31:18.861 --> 31:21.028 Now, TPP, thank you, Jane, 31:21.858 --> 31:25.858 TPP is also an agreement that is really designed 31:26.895 --> 31:30.062 for the realities of the 21st century. 31:35.635 --> 31:39.385 This is an age where if you're going to grow, 31:40.025 --> 31:42.040 if you're going to grow your company, 31:42.040 --> 31:45.487 if you're going to grow the economy of the United States, 31:45.487 --> 31:47.070 you have to export. 31:48.222 --> 31:49.055 Why? 31:49.556 --> 31:52.973 Because 95% of the world's customers 31:53.810 --> 31:55.810 live in other countries. 31:57.072 --> 32:01.239 95% of the world's marketplace is over there somewhere 32:02.155 --> 32:03.738 in another country. 32:04.273 --> 32:06.492 Shut down and start raising tariffs 32:06.492 --> 32:08.449 and start getting into trade wars, 32:08.449 --> 32:09.914 we went there once, and what did we get? 32:09.914 --> 32:12.081 We got a Great Depression. 32:13.065 --> 32:14.482 We've been there. 32:15.592 --> 32:17.759 You can't sell to yourself 32:19.410 --> 32:23.577 and expect to be able to compete and grow and lead. 32:24.761 --> 32:28.369 This is an era when trade in services is accelerating 32:28.369 --> 32:30.119 all around the world, 32:30.187 --> 32:34.354 when products move over land, sea, air, and cyberspace, 32:35.056 --> 32:39.130 when globalized supply chains means goods cross borders 32:39.130 --> 32:42.604 multiple times before they go up for sale. 32:42.604 --> 32:46.259 This is a period when trade rules have to factor in things 32:46.259 --> 32:49.592 like investment flows, digital commerce, 32:49.958 --> 32:53.125 intellectual property, data protection 32:53.310 --> 32:57.141 in ways that were completely unheard of in the past. 32:57.141 --> 32:58.974 And TPP was negotiated 33:00.570 --> 33:04.737 with the dynamic nature of our economy front and center. 33:05.922 --> 33:09.531 Now, I'm not going to stand here and test your credulity 33:09.531 --> 33:11.657 and my credibility by claiming that TPP 33:11.657 --> 33:13.782 is a cure for every economic ill. 33:13.782 --> 33:14.865 No, it's not. 33:16.156 --> 33:18.823 No trade agreement is or can be. 33:19.044 --> 33:22.079 And I know that a lot of people question the value of trade 33:22.079 --> 33:26.246 or they point to trade today as a reason for slow growth. 33:26.368 --> 33:28.830 I don't know how you get there, actually, 33:28.830 --> 33:31.513 given the fact that 95% of the customers are elsewhere 33:31.513 --> 33:34.922 and most countries are exporting and that's how you grow, 33:34.922 --> 33:38.265 but these claims about the problems of this 33:38.265 --> 33:40.265 are simply not accurate. 33:40.785 --> 33:44.118 Please, trade is not what is responsible 33:45.037 --> 33:47.632 for the complex economic challenges 33:47.632 --> 33:50.299 that we face in the world today. 33:52.719 --> 33:54.252 Just consider all the forces 33:54.252 --> 33:57.419 that go into shaping a modern economy. 33:57.682 --> 33:59.515 Above all, technology. 34:00.214 --> 34:03.389 Technology is what is changing the workplace. 34:03.389 --> 34:07.556 Technology is what is changing jobs more than anything else. 34:08.305 --> 34:11.055 Capital, the movement of capital, 34:11.310 --> 34:15.477 research, markets, natural resources, human resources, 34:15.983 --> 34:18.983 education, training, infrastructure, 34:19.716 --> 34:23.883 not to mention intangibles like inspiration and innovation 34:25.116 --> 34:29.218 and creativity and drive, the ability to go to your garage 34:29.218 --> 34:31.282 or work out of your car for a year and a half 34:31.282 --> 34:35.345 and find some capital and get a dream, an angel investor, 34:35.345 --> 34:38.773 and be able to start something up brilliantly available 34:38.773 --> 34:42.023 so you can make products for the world. 34:42.459 --> 34:45.792 Far more than any trade pact whatsoever, 34:46.289 --> 34:48.289 the things I just listed 34:48.736 --> 34:52.903 are the things that either drive an economy forward 34:53.623 --> 34:56.706 or the absence of which hold it back. 34:58.203 --> 34:59.870 Now, let's be clear. 35:00.072 --> 35:02.693 I know this well because I worked hard in the Senate 35:02.693 --> 35:05.019 for trade adjustment assistance. 35:05.019 --> 35:07.772 Yes, there is dislocation that happens, 35:07.772 --> 35:11.227 but it's not trade per se that brings dislocation. 35:11.227 --> 35:14.981 Artificial intelligence is going to bring dislocation. 35:14.981 --> 35:17.309 Technology is going to bring dislocation. 35:17.309 --> 35:20.918 If you can do more with less human hands and do it faster, 35:20.918 --> 35:24.106 everybody in the world's going to choose to do that. 35:24.106 --> 35:25.606 So let's be clear. 35:29.951 --> 35:33.176 What we have to do is not look at trade itself 35:33.176 --> 35:35.791 as the problem, it's the lack of adequate response 35:35.791 --> 35:38.702 in the social structure and fabric of societies 35:38.702 --> 35:41.726 that doesn't deal with that dislocation properly, 35:41.726 --> 35:44.458 doesn't make sure that people have ongoing education, 35:44.458 --> 35:46.125 transition, ability, 35:47.100 --> 35:49.113 which we now have because of President Obama, 35:49.113 --> 35:50.744 to have people have healthcare, 35:50.744 --> 35:53.882 despite the fact that they may be in that transition. 35:53.882 --> 35:55.615 Those are the things that make a difference. 35:55.615 --> 35:59.782 And incomes, above all, that rise as a consequence 36:01.044 --> 36:04.428 of the work product that everybody is engaged in. 36:04.428 --> 36:08.402 And everybody in this room and everybody in America knows, 36:08.402 --> 36:12.569 we know this well, that the tax system of our country 36:12.677 --> 36:16.844 in reams and reams and reams of books with individual pages 36:17.049 --> 36:19.936 written on behalf of one company or another alone, 36:19.936 --> 36:23.769 is not working for all of the American people. 36:24.399 --> 36:27.149 But it's not trade that did that. 36:27.483 --> 36:28.990 It's what happens here in Washington 36:28.990 --> 36:32.029 and it's the lobbying process and a lot of other things. 36:32.029 --> 36:33.529 So let's be clear. 36:33.614 --> 36:35.947 No one is promising that TPP 36:35.948 --> 36:39.451 is going to solve all of our social or economic challenges. 36:39.451 --> 36:42.488 But let's understand where the real culprit is 36:42.488 --> 36:43.905 and deal with it. 36:44.301 --> 36:48.384 I can promise you, though, that by rejecting TPP, 36:48.707 --> 36:51.333 by refusing to participate in it, 36:51.333 --> 36:54.132 our competitiveness is going to suffer. 36:54.132 --> 36:57.112 Our economy will fall a step behind. 36:57.112 --> 36:59.116 We will miss out on opportunities 36:59.116 --> 37:02.387 in some of the fastest growing markets on the planet, 37:02.387 --> 37:05.126 because we will not have subscribed to the very agreement 37:05.126 --> 37:08.459 we asked everybody else to subscribe to. 37:09.041 --> 37:12.857 And yes, we need to have a national debate about the TPP, 37:12.857 --> 37:14.860 but let me tell you something, that debate ought to be based 37:14.860 --> 37:18.860 on facts, not on exaggerated and misguided fears 37:19.933 --> 37:21.850 and negative mythology. 37:22.135 --> 37:24.912 Now there have been voices in every single generation, 37:24.912 --> 37:28.829 including our own, that insist that protectionism 37:28.829 --> 37:31.959 and trade wars will produce prosperity, 37:31.959 --> 37:33.634 and that more openness to trade 37:33.634 --> 37:35.926 is somehow going to ruin our economy. 37:35.926 --> 37:40.014 But let me tell you something, and the facts sustain this. 37:40.014 --> 37:44.097 Those voices have consistently been proven wrong. 37:45.357 --> 37:48.756 Now I've heard these calls over the course of my career. 37:48.756 --> 37:50.855 In the US Senate, I participated in the debate 37:50.855 --> 37:54.938 on each trade proposal that was passed or debated 37:55.273 --> 37:58.981 in the course of 30 years, and I listened to predictions 37:58.981 --> 38:01.981 of doom and gloom every single time. 38:02.112 --> 38:03.237 And guess what? 38:03.237 --> 38:06.551 Every single time, the United States of America 38:06.551 --> 38:10.084 continued to grow, continued to outpace other countries, 38:10.084 --> 38:12.514 continued to create jobs, continued to compete, 38:12.514 --> 38:14.638 continued to innovate, we thrived, 38:14.638 --> 38:18.805 and today we boast the strongest and most innovative, 38:18.888 --> 38:21.805 most creative economy in the world. 38:22.926 --> 38:25.237 So I'm not saying that each trade deal 38:25.237 --> 38:26.981 hasn't had some winners and losers. 38:26.981 --> 38:29.002 Sure, but that's that transitional issue 38:29.002 --> 38:30.669 that I talked about. 38:31.632 --> 38:35.799 Good agreements succeed in making economies more efficient. 38:36.658 --> 38:39.309 They reward productivity and competitiveness. 38:39.309 --> 38:43.115 They stretch paychecks by giving consumers a broader range 38:43.115 --> 38:47.282 of affordable choices in creating vital export opportunities 38:47.426 --> 38:50.190 for our farmers and our ranchers and manufacturers, 38:50.190 --> 38:53.677 and in giving our businesses, large and small, 38:53.677 --> 38:56.888 the ability to hire more workers at higher wages 38:56.888 --> 39:01.055 by selling more goods and more services to customers abroad, 39:02.082 --> 39:05.155 by enlarging your market place, which by the way, 39:05.155 --> 39:07.245 given the internet, is accessible 39:07.245 --> 39:11.162 to even the smallest business in America today. 39:11.549 --> 39:14.216 TPP will do all of these things, 39:14.732 --> 39:17.565 but with one added positive twist. 39:18.067 --> 39:21.400 Any country that signs TPP is signing on 39:22.295 --> 39:26.462 to the highest level standard trade pact ever reached. 39:28.087 --> 39:28.920 Period. 39:30.605 --> 39:34.213 And these standards on labor, the environment, 39:34.213 --> 39:38.213 and other key issues are not part of a side deal 39:38.219 --> 39:40.815 that was reached and easily ignored, 39:40.815 --> 39:42.881 as we know happened with respect to NAFTA. 39:42.881 --> 39:43.714 I saw that. 39:43.714 --> 39:45.478 And I complained for years 39:45.478 --> 39:48.057 about the fact that both the labor 39:48.057 --> 39:50.654 and the environment standard were not being enforced 39:50.654 --> 39:52.842 because they weren't within the four corners of the deal. 39:52.842 --> 39:55.215 They are within the four corners of this deal. 39:55.215 --> 39:58.132 They are baked into the TPP itself. 39:58.140 --> 40:00.020 They are fully enforceable, 40:00.020 --> 40:03.786 which means that each participant has to keep the promises 40:03.786 --> 40:07.953 they make or face tough sanctions for every violation. 40:09.200 --> 40:12.411 Now this is not just a matter of economic fairness. 40:12.411 --> 40:16.578 This is central to our strategic interests as well. 40:16.674 --> 40:17.507 Why? 40:17.507 --> 40:21.011 Because higher standards mean more open markets, 40:21.011 --> 40:25.178 safer workers, safer workplaces, cleaner environment, 40:25.282 --> 40:29.299 stricter intellectual property protection, less corruption, 40:29.299 --> 40:32.463 with increased transparency, better governance, 40:32.463 --> 40:34.610 and greater accountability. 40:34.610 --> 40:37.443 In short, these elevated standards 40:39.117 --> 40:42.260 can give to people across the Pacific Rim 40:42.260 --> 40:46.427 a window into a future of reform and human rights, 40:46.947 --> 40:51.030 a smoother and more equitable path to prosperity, 40:51.124 --> 40:54.500 an ample reason to build up businesses and communities, 40:54.500 --> 40:58.333 and never turn to tearing down their societies 40:58.590 --> 41:00.481 and resorting to conflict. 41:00.481 --> 41:03.814 This is part of how you fight extremism. 41:04.592 --> 41:07.759 And here's one more thing to remember. 41:09.889 --> 41:13.420 If we don't set these rules and advance our values 41:13.420 --> 41:17.587 in the context of our trade agenda, you can have no doubt 41:17.693 --> 41:20.841 others will be all too eager to fill the void 41:20.841 --> 41:23.890 and move in the direction of lower standards 41:23.890 --> 41:25.807 or no standards at all. 41:26.658 --> 41:29.583 Right now, there are already countries in the region 41:29.583 --> 41:33.623 negotiating agreements on their own that leave us out. 41:33.623 --> 41:36.523 And you can bet that those agreements are not focused 41:36.523 --> 41:40.690 on protecting workers' rights or clean air or clean water 41:40.887 --> 41:45.054 or intellectual property or a free and open internet. 41:45.592 --> 41:48.092 So the choice for us is clear. 41:48.726 --> 41:52.018 Help define the shape of global trade and strengthen 41:52.018 --> 41:56.185 our security and our strategic leadership at the same time, 41:56.406 --> 42:00.573 or to cede the playing field to countries and actors 42:01.312 --> 42:03.550 who don't care about high standards, 42:03.550 --> 42:05.785 who would rather ignore the rule of law, 42:05.785 --> 42:09.338 and who would prefer if the United States of America 42:09.338 --> 42:12.421 took a back seat in the Asia Pacific. 42:12.596 --> 42:13.912 Let me be clear. 42:13.912 --> 42:18.079 We cannot renege on this deal and think that that somehow 42:19.135 --> 42:23.302 gives us an advantage in trade or on any other issue. 42:24.085 --> 42:26.114 We can't withdraw from TPP 42:26.114 --> 42:29.450 and still be viewed as a central player in the Pacific Rim 42:29.450 --> 42:33.338 and an undisputed force for peace and prosperity 42:33.338 --> 42:34.755 across the globe. 42:34.939 --> 42:38.189 We cannot disengage without consequence 42:38.956 --> 42:41.623 or abdicate our responsibilities 42:41.741 --> 42:45.501 and still expect the world to observe high standards, 42:45.501 --> 42:49.668 and most importantly, to trust us to keep our word 42:50.306 --> 42:53.520 when the question isn't trade, but urgent matters 42:53.520 --> 42:57.020 of public safety, stability, and security. 42:57.470 --> 42:59.673 Our partners worldwide need to know 42:59.673 --> 43:02.353 that they can always look to the United States 43:02.353 --> 43:04.200 for principled leadership. 43:04.200 --> 43:06.283 No uncertainty, no doubt. 43:07.192 --> 43:09.926 The Trans-Pacific Partnership will send that message 43:09.926 --> 43:13.064 loud and clear to the nations of the Pacific Rim 43:13.064 --> 43:15.388 and to countries across the globe. 43:15.388 --> 43:18.554 I just want to conclude with a quick story. 43:18.554 --> 43:20.637 On this day 75 years ago, 43:22.567 --> 43:25.577 a young baseball player named Ted Williams, 43:25.577 --> 43:28.494 of who else but the Boston Red Sox, 43:29.035 --> 43:30.174 (audience chuckles) 43:30.174 --> 43:33.174 stood on the threshold of greatness. 43:33.517 --> 43:37.684 It was the last day of the season and Williams began the day 43:37.763 --> 43:41.850 with a batting average that rounded up to exactly .400, 43:41.850 --> 43:44.571 a figure that only a handful of baseball giants 43:44.571 --> 43:45.654 had achieved. 43:46.415 --> 43:50.582 Williams's manager told him he didn't expect him to play. 43:50.700 --> 43:52.520 The scheduled doubleheader they had that day 43:52.520 --> 43:54.859 was meaningless in the standings 43:54.859 --> 43:56.307 and Williams could sit on the bench 43:56.307 --> 43:59.697 and not run the risk that his average would drop. 43:59.697 --> 44:03.864 Williams responded that of course he would be in the lineup. 44:04.368 --> 44:05.907 If he was going to make history, 44:05.907 --> 44:10.074 he would do it on the field, not sitting in the dugout. 44:10.252 --> 44:13.163 And the night before, Williams nervously paced the streets 44:13.163 --> 44:15.413 for hours, unable to sleep. 44:15.839 --> 44:18.020 And in the afternoon, when he dug his spikes 44:18.020 --> 44:21.186 into that batter's box for the first time, 44:21.186 --> 44:25.133 he said later that he had been shaking like a leaf. 44:25.133 --> 44:27.737 Well, maybe you can guess the rest. 44:27.737 --> 44:31.621 Williams hit a single the first time up, then a homer, 44:31.621 --> 44:34.454 then another single, then another, 44:34.662 --> 44:38.829 and by the end of the day he had raised the average to .406, 44:39.459 --> 44:43.626 a number that no other player has approached since. 44:44.089 --> 44:46.393 So what does Ted Williams's batting average 44:46.393 --> 44:49.322 have to do with TPP and American leadership in Asia? 44:49.322 --> 44:51.144 (audience chuckles) 44:51.144 --> 44:53.561 I don't think I'm stretching. 44:55.884 --> 44:59.551 For me, the lesson is, in what Williams did, 45:02.618 --> 45:06.785 is that who you are and how you are viewed by others, 45:08.082 --> 45:10.393 and what you think of yourself, 45:10.393 --> 45:13.726 depends on what you do every single day. 45:13.935 --> 45:15.506 It's not enough to point to 45:15.506 --> 45:19.099 what you might have been able to accomplish in the past, 45:19.099 --> 45:22.453 it's about making a commitment to higher standards, 45:22.453 --> 45:25.453 demonstrating that every commitment, 45:26.523 --> 45:29.143 you're going to show it every chance you get. 45:29.143 --> 45:32.491 In the same way, my friends, TPP isn't necessary 45:32.491 --> 45:35.711 to show that America can lead in the Asia Pacific. 45:35.711 --> 45:38.497 We've been doing that for a long time. 45:38.497 --> 45:40.580 But by voting yes on TPP, 45:40.660 --> 45:42.941 we can show that we're not about to sit in the dugout 45:42.941 --> 45:46.290 and dwell on what we have achieved in the past. 45:46.290 --> 45:48.850 We are committed to doing even more in the future, 45:48.850 --> 45:50.148 to aiming higher, 45:50.148 --> 45:53.148 to pushing back the boundaries of what is possible, 45:53.148 --> 45:56.049 and to fostering even greater prosperity, 45:56.049 --> 45:58.617 a higher batting average, if you will, 45:58.617 --> 46:02.400 for us and our partners all along the Pacific Rim. 46:02.400 --> 46:06.109 And to do so, I might add, just like Ted Williams 46:06.109 --> 46:10.276 on a playing field that is actually level and fair to all. 46:10.875 --> 46:15.042 Bottom line, I believe TPP is absolutely essential 46:15.879 --> 46:19.590 to the economic well-being, to the national security, 46:19.590 --> 46:22.520 to the continuing the sustaining leadership in Asia 46:22.520 --> 46:24.097 of the United States of America 46:24.097 --> 46:26.597 across an ever-changing globe. 46:27.504 --> 46:30.353 And I hope that in a few weeks when the election is over 46:30.353 --> 46:33.099 and Congress returns to Washington 46:33.099 --> 46:35.011 to finish the people's business, 46:35.011 --> 46:37.594 it will take up and approve TPP 46:37.821 --> 46:41.987 and take other steps to preserve, protect, and defend 46:41.987 --> 46:44.977 the best interests of our beloved country. 46:44.977 --> 46:46.640 Thanks again to the Wilson Center 46:46.640 --> 46:47.895 for inviting me here today. 46:47.895 --> 46:51.812 Thank you. (audience applauds) 47:00.830 --> 47:01.663 One question. 47:01.663 --> 47:02.913 - One question. 47:03.382 --> 47:07.049 In keeping with the Wilson Center tradition, 47:07.049 --> 47:10.132 Secretary Kerry will take a question. 47:10.248 --> 47:12.244 I'll pass on my own questions, 47:12.244 --> 47:15.145 and let's call on the woman with her hand raised. 47:15.145 --> 47:17.098 Please identify yourself. 47:17.098 --> 47:17.931 - [Audience Member] Thank you. 47:17.931 --> 47:18.764 - [Staff Member] One second. 47:18.764 --> 47:19.731 - Wait for the microphone. 47:19.731 --> 47:20.897 - [Staff Member] Excuse me. 47:20.897 --> 47:25.064 Sorry, we need to work with this because (mumbles). 47:30.442 --> 47:32.510 - [Audience Member] Thank you, Secretary Kerry. 47:32.510 --> 47:33.493 Thank you for your service 47:33.493 --> 47:36.157 and for all the work you've done up until today, 47:36.157 --> 47:39.640 and thank you for the very comprehensive presentation. 47:39.640 --> 47:43.807 My name is Jenny Nguyen with Voice of Vietnamese Americans. 47:44.216 --> 47:48.383 I hope everybody would listen to you and understand clearly. 47:50.669 --> 47:54.419 I have one question which includes two parts. 47:54.704 --> 47:58.602 Have you talked to our presidential candidates about this? 47:58.602 --> 48:02.185 And secondly, to our Honorable Jane Harman, 48:03.110 --> 48:06.433 how do you think we can get the consensus in Congress 48:06.433 --> 48:08.189 and the Senate and the House? 48:08.189 --> 48:09.022 Thank you. 48:09.423 --> 48:13.590 - Well, no, I'm not allowed to, I'm out of politics, 48:14.944 --> 48:17.147 so I'm not in the business right now 48:17.147 --> 48:19.814 of engaging with the candidates. 48:21.091 --> 48:22.880 But I made the speech today 48:22.880 --> 48:24.963 because there is an important debate 48:24.963 --> 48:27.229 taking place across America, 48:27.229 --> 48:31.312 and it is important for people to hear the facts, 48:33.188 --> 48:36.509 which I think I've laid out today very clearly. 48:36.509 --> 48:38.342 Vietnam has signed up. 48:38.714 --> 48:41.342 Vietnam is going to benefit enormously by this, 48:41.342 --> 48:43.425 and I might add, Vietnam, 48:43.958 --> 48:47.252 one of the fastest-growing countries in the region, 48:47.252 --> 48:49.251 will have labor unions under this 48:49.251 --> 48:52.834 that have a right to strike and engage in negotiation. 48:52.834 --> 48:55.167 It's a remarkable growth of, 48:55.881 --> 48:58.587 I mean, who could have imagined that 25, 30 years ago? 48:58.587 --> 49:00.841 I certainly couldn't have in 1968 and '69, 49:00.841 --> 49:02.424 I'll tell you that. 49:02.690 --> 49:04.383 So this is a sea change, 49:04.383 --> 49:07.550 and this is what changes relationships 49:07.651 --> 49:10.163 and provides opportunity to people. 49:10.163 --> 49:12.354 So I'll let Jane answer the passing part, 49:12.354 --> 49:13.187 and then I've got to run. (Jane chuckles) 49:13.187 --> 49:14.029 I apologize. 49:14.029 --> 49:16.366 - We understand and we're grateful that you took a question 49:16.366 --> 49:17.699 and a very good one. 49:17.699 --> 49:18.811 - Didn't want to break a tradition. 49:18.811 --> 49:22.318 - The Wilson Center is prohibited by our charter 49:22.318 --> 49:23.987 from lobbying Congress, 49:23.987 --> 49:27.015 but that doesn't mean we can't express our opinion, 49:27.015 --> 49:30.537 and many members of the Wilson staff and scholars 49:30.537 --> 49:33.919 are in this audience, and we're all in violent agreement, 49:33.919 --> 49:36.669 as we say, with the case for TPP. 49:38.063 --> 49:40.883 The problem is the rhetoric in this campaign 49:40.883 --> 49:44.763 and the misimpression, as Secretary Kerry said, 49:44.763 --> 49:48.930 that trade, and especially TPP, will take American jobs. 49:49.077 --> 49:51.615 And I would just answer you by saying, 49:51.615 --> 49:55.782 as Ambassador Carla Hills, a close friend of ours, 49:55.833 --> 49:58.469 former special trade representative, says, 49:58.469 --> 50:00.869 that the retail case has to be made better 50:00.869 --> 50:02.608 to each member of Congress. 50:02.608 --> 50:06.670 They have to understand that jobs will grow, not disappear, 50:06.670 --> 50:08.707 when TPP and other trade agreements, 50:08.707 --> 50:12.714 TTIP would be another one on my list, are enacted. 50:12.714 --> 50:15.156 And Congress I hope will vote in the lame duck session, 50:15.156 --> 50:17.853 though there is no indication yet by the leadership 50:17.853 --> 50:19.964 that the issue will be put up for a vote. 50:19.964 --> 50:21.775 I want to thank everyone for coming. 50:21.775 --> 50:24.374 Secretary Kerry has to leave. (audience applauds) 50:24.374 --> 50:25.457 You honor us. 50:26.875 --> 50:28.270 And one more thing. 50:28.270 --> 50:29.103 Go Sox! 50:35.104 --> 50:37.527 - [Staff Member] Remain seated until Secretary Kerry 50:37.527 --> 50:39.495 has an opportunity to leave the auditorium, 50:39.495 --> 50:41.489 and we thank you for your cooperation. 50:41.489 --> 50:43.058 Please remain seated for just a moment. 50:43.058 --> 50:43.975 Thank you.