Proclamation 5814 --
World Trade Week, 1988
By
the President of the
A
Proclamation
Setting
aside a week in celebration of international trade is a fitting way to remind
ourselves of the countless benefits of world trade for Americans and for people
around the globe, and to remember that freedom is, and must be, an essential
element in economic life -- individual, national, and international.
International
trade can link individuals and nations alike by providing opportunities for the
interchange of goods and services, the fruit of human talents that transcend
boundaries of geography and culture. The key ingredient in every act of trade
is freedom. Only freedom respects the inherent rights, dignity, conscience, and
worth of individuals; only freedom encourages individuals to develop their
creative abilities to the fullest and to command fair return for their labor;
and only freedom provides a rational and humane basis for economic
decision-making. The freedom of exchange that is at the heart of every genuine
economic transaction benefits all parties and builds competition, enterprise,
prosperity, justice, cooperation, and social well-being as people achieve
economic success by finding their fellowman's unmet needs and filling them
well.
Our
country's prosperity likewise depends on our ability to identify needs and
markets for goods and services and to meet them well. Our free market economy,
our belief in free but fair trade on a global basis, and the American people's
ingenuity and ability all make our products among the world's most competitive
-- and we intend to keep it that way.
My
Administration has worked to improve the climate for international trade by
seeking a renaissance in American competitiveness. Last year, as American goods
regained price competitiveness overseas, exports hit a record level; more than
407,000 manufacturing jobs were created; and employment surged, with more
Americans in the labor force than ever before. Exports spell opportunity for
American business; thousands of
Foreign
markets are now more open to American goods than in the past, but we have far
to go in the quest to undo unfair restrictions on trade. We seek to encourage
removal of foreign barriers to free trade, but we simultaneously work to
discourage domestic protectionism -- more accurately described as ``destructionism,'' because it stifles progress and
prosperity by preventing competition and economic transactions that people
everywhere desire and need. We also reiterate the intention of the United
States Government to ensure that our trade policies serve to reinforce our
national security interests around the world. International trade policies and
practices must promote the causes of freedom, human rights, and economic growth
everywhere.
World
Trade Week is a truly appropriate time to remember the many benefits
international trade has conferred on our country and to reflect on the many
blessings the spread of economic freedom has brought, and can bring, to people
in every nation.
Now,
Therefore, I, Ronald Reagan, President of the
In
Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this fifth day of May, in the year
of our Lord nineteen hundred and eighty-eight, and of the
Ronald
Reagan
[Filed with the Office
of the Federal Register,