THEA M. LEE

American policymakers have a choice to make in trade relations with China. They can side with the importers and outsourcers, and stand by passively as China takes advantage of its WTO membership and access to the U.S. market, abusing its own workers and artificially undervaluing its currency in order to undercut American workers and domestic manufacturers. Or they can take a stand for American jobs and act now to ensure that China plays fair in the global economy.

If policymakers in the developed countries do not take note of the social disruption and inequalities generated by current trade and investment policies, then these policies will be replaced by ad hoc responses unlikely to be much of an improvement. If progressive and internationally minded people do not address the issue of trade policy, then xenophobic and isolationist alternatives will prevail.

The experience of our unions and our members with past trade agreements has led us to question critically the extravagant claims often made on their behalf. While these agreements are inevitably touted as market-opening agreements that will significantly expand U.S. export opportunities and therefore create export-related U.S. jobs

American policymakers have a choice to make in trade relations with China. They can side with the importers and outsourcers, and stand by passively as China takes advantage of its WTO membership and access to the U.S. market, abusing its own workers and artificially undervaluing its currency in order to undercut American workers and domestic manufacturers. Or they can take a stand for American jobs and act now to ensure that China plays fair in the global economy.

The experience of our unions and our members with past trade agreements has led us to question critically the extravagant claims often made on their behalf. While these agreements are inevitably touted as market-opening agreements that will significantly expand U.S. export opportunities and therefore create export-related U.S. jobs

If policymakers in the developed countries do not take note of the social disruption and inequalities generated by current trade and investment policies, then these policies will be replaced by ad hoc responses unlikely to be much of an improvement. If progressive and internationally minded people do not address the issue of trade policy, then xenophobic and isolationist alternatives will prevail.