World Trade Center Tacoma: International Trade Speech (As Written)

October 10, 2006

Thank you for the chance to share with you my vision of Washington�s role in the global economy and the state of our international trade relations.

I have a simple yet old-fashioned view of leadership. A leader�s role is to explain the times that we are living in and how we can meet the challenges of the future.

There is an old Chinese saying, some say it is a curse, which goes �may you live in interesting times.�

If any of you have browsed the current events section of any bookstore lately, you know that there are so many books out there about this �interesting time� we live in that the debate about our changing world seems like a clich�.

Phrases like �Flat World,� �Interconnected,� and �Globalization� sound like buzz words created by marketing departments.

But the transformation is real.

I have traveled all over Washington, to the places where Washington families live and work and let me tell you something - they know these changes are real.

Business owners wonder if they can compete with firms located not just across the street but also around the world.

Communities in every region of our state are asking what their place is in the 21st century economy.

Companies look to our schools and ask if we are truly preparing the workforce of tomorrow.

These are the questions being asked in Washington and across the nation. Factor in national politics and recent news of international unrest, and you can understand why people are uncertain about the future.

Well, let�s first take a look at the story of our state. Because if we do, I believe that you will be as optimistic as I am about the future of Washington.

Our story is one of hard work and ingenuity. It is the story of a state that was at the forefront of the jet age and built airplanes that connected the world.

It is a story of innovation and creativity: a state that developed new technologies that helped transform every single industry with computers and research and development.

Our story is one of quality. The entire world seeks our products, they consume our apples, our wines and our coffee.

They travel from all corners of the globe to hike our forests and leaders of superpower nations pay us a visit to ask for our business.

I will put Washington up against any state or any nation. In this new global movement, our people and our products are on the front lines. We are the most trade dependent state in the country.

I have great faith that Washington is well positioned to take advantage of this new emerging global economy because with our innovation-driven economy, human capital, research institutions and natural resources, we have �the right stuff� to succeed.

There is no more optimistic Governor of a US state than I.

Last month, I was in Vancouver to kick off the 2006 Governor�s Economic and Workforce Development Conference.

At the conference I outlined my vision for The Next Washington, my plan to maintain and improve our state�s ability to compete in the global economy.

It�s about a Washington where every child has the opportunity to realize their full potential - a Washington where today�s workers will have tomorrow�s skills and enjoy the job security and income that they need to feel confident in the future.

It�s a Washington where economic expansion, environmental quality and cultural diversity work together to create global success.

I call this The Next Washington because it is about a vision for the future of our state and the steps we must take in order to get there.

It�s about 21st century industries. It�s about global competitiveness. It�s about a state that is more like a small nation. It�s the next Washington!

This vision cannot be mine alone and it did not start with me.

To reach it, I convened a Global Competitiveness Council to seek advice from business, labor and community leaders about how to ensure Washington�s global leadership.

I met with leaders from around the world on my trade missions and I traveled around the state on a listening tour, asking Washingtonians what should our priorities be and how do we define success.

Here is what I have learned:

From Spokane to Vancouver, from Richland to Puyallup, my town halls have told me that Washingtonians are concerned about their economic future and the future of their children.

They recognize that there is not one single �Washington economy� � rather, there are many regional economies. They tell me that we need to plan for the future.

The components of The Next Washington include three basic principles:

First, education and skills are the most important investments we can make in our economic future.

In order to be competitive in the global marketplace, business looks to hire highly skilled workers and all Washingtonians should have the opportunity to gain the skills and knowledge that are in demand.

Second, we need to lay a broad foundation for economic success that looks beyond traditional infrastructure. The foundation for success requires more than water, sewers and roads.

We need to be effective and efficient about these traditional investments, but we also need a long-term view of what success will look like in Washington, including telecommunications, energy and strategies to move ideas from our research institutions into the marketplace.

Finally, having laid a strong foundation of skills and strategic infrastructure, we need to make it clear to employers and customers that Washington is open for business.

Forbes recently ranked Washington as the twelfth best state in which to do business � but we can do better.

We are working on this by streamlining the permitting process for businesses, making it easier for them to save time and money by setting up a sort of �one stop shop� for licenses and permits.

These three components � skills and education, a foundation for economic success and being open for business � are the core of the plan.

These three components are integral to the success of our international trade relations as well. Our businesses need skilled workers to produce the goods and services our trading partners want. We also need skilled workers to attract foreign and domestic investment. We need an infrastructure that works to get our products to local and foreign markets.. And we must be able to produce our products as efficiently as possible to be able to compete in the global marketplace.

Our international trade missions are also an important component of the success of our export economy.

So far I have conducted four trade missions. In 2005, I visited France, Germany and the United Kingdom on a European trade mission and Japan and China as part of an Asian trip. This year I have traveled to Australia and New Zealand and Canada. And in just a few days, I will depart for Taiwan and South Korea.

Our trade missions are different. We are not traveling just to promote Washington�s largest corporations. If they need help, we will certainly provide it. We are going out there to promote Washington�s medium and small businesses � businesses that may not have the resources or connections to build these partnerships on their own. I want to give these entrepreneurs the opportunity to showcase their ideas and products to a world audience, so their markets can continue to grow.

Our missions are also different because of the emphasis we have on building educational and cultural exchanges. Building relationships between nations is the key to building trade partnerships. So much of Asian culture is especially based on strong relationships.

Education exchanges help build these relationships and create trust. They help build stronger, longer-lasting relationships. I am pleased that we have been successful creating these educational opportunities along with the economic opportunities.

The benefit to Washington from these trade missions proves that we can capitalize on our superb reputation for quality and innovation.

In fact, Washington's exports rose 33 percent this year through July. This figure especially reflects Boeing�s great success. Our exports could top $45 billion for the full year.

The successes we have had so far have been many and varied.


  • When I visited the Paris Air Show, the Washington delegation met with 11 global aerospace companies, six of which are now opening or expanding operations in our state.
  • During the Australia trade mission, we signed several breakthrough collaboration agreements on the life sciences.
  • We opened the door for $1.5 million in new business from Europe for Washington companies;
  • We helped create $300,000 in new sales to China and Japan for Washington companies and facilitated the elimination of a high Chinese tariff on linerboard;
  • We signed agreements to expand education programs by our colleges and universities in Asia; and
  • We reached agreements with British Columbia, Canada to expand cross-border trade and tourism.


As I mentioned, we are prepared to leave for Taiwan and South Korea at the end of the week. These are two incredibly important trade partners.

South Korea ranked as Washington�s sixth largest export market with purchases of nearly $1.8 billion of Washington products in 2005. Korea purchased $325 million in food and agricultural products from Washington last year.

Washington exports to Taiwan totaled $3.1 billion in 2005, a 45 percent increase from 2004. Taiwan is the state�s third-largest agricultural export market.

In Korea and Taiwan, the agriculture delegation will promote a variety of Washington products. A variety of market access issues will also be addressed. And I will also advocate lower tariffs and non-tariff barriers for Washington products under the US-Korea Free Trade Agreement that is currently being negotiated.

Members of the tourism industry will be joining us to learn how to attract visitors from these lucrative markets. By meeting one-on-one with tour operators, the group will hear from in-country experts about consumer travel trends and the mechanics of promoting Washington destinations and attractions that are attractive to travelers from Korea and Taiwan travelers.

The education delegation will work to help recruit foreign students, establish partnerships with schools and set up exchanges for their own students.

International trade is and will continue to be a critical component of our economic health. I will continue to do all that I can to promote our state around the world. I am confident of the quality of our businesses and products, which makes it a lot easier to do my job when I am out there pushing Washington products. Thanks to all of you for making my job easier in that way.

All of you have a role to play in shaping the future. I know we can make great things happen together.

I have met with leaders from around the world and had conversations with business leaders from some of the world�s largest companies.

I have been in the living rooms of paper mill workers, in the storefronts of small business owners and the auditoriums of high schools and at the end of the day, we all want the same things: the best possible future for our kids, a decent standard of living, health care we can depend on and a state we can be proud of.

Our state has led and changed the world with hard work, innovation and quality.

Together, if we keep reaching across public and private sectors, across party lines, across the state and around the globe, we will continue to do just that.

Thank you.

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