Bush Trade Rep: China Policy Was 'Right on Target'

[Joanne98]

Exiting USTR Schwab urges Obama to resist pressure and pursue more free-trade deals

Throughout her two-and-a-half-year tenure as U.S. Trade Representative, Susan C. Schwab absorbed shots from Democrats who believed she spent too much time futilely trying to negotiate new free-trade agreements while not aggressively enforcing existing rules. Under Schwab's watch, efforts to revive a new round of global trade talks failed, free-trade pacts struck with Colombia and South Korea stalled in Congress, and America's trade deficit—especially with China—soared to record heights.

Now Schwab, who is returning to academic life at the University of Maryland, has some advice for the new Obama Administration. In a nutshell: Keep up the momentum on free-trade deals. Pick your fights with Beijing carefully. And spend a lot of time on Capitol Hill to make sure Congress doesn't do anything crazy. Given the growing frustration in Congress as the U.S. slides deeper into recession, she warned that the risk of unwise U.S. moves on trade will grow. "Depending on what policies the Administration takes," Schwab says, "it could get pretty rocky."

http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/jan2009/gb20090116_183097.htm?chan=top+news_top+news+index+-+temp_news+%2B+analysis

I hate these people!

[Vincardog]

1. Note to clueless Susan C. Schwab It HAS BEEN ROCKY FOR YEARS you corporate whore