美国总结经济危机的经验教训

This economic crisis has taught us a couple of lessons. One, pretty simple, we've got to save more. We just can't spend every dime we made even though that has contributed greatly to the world's economy, but we got to save more. And we have to get back to doing what we do best and what we've always done best. And that's innovating, creating, investing and then sharing that not only with the American consumer but with the world, so we think it's a logical extension of what the president articulated in the State of Union.

But the exporting, the idea to double the exports or whatever, in such a short period of time to get a manufacturing oomph going again. Is it realistic? You are talking about reengineering of the US economy.

Well, we are in some cases. But we also think in some cases, it’s awakening the American manufacturing base to the extraordinary potential we have to grow our economy and create jobs by thinking global. Now we can do this. The president gave us 5 years, our exports to running about 17-20%. The globally exports to rebounding faster, you know, than the rest of the economy. But if we do this, we can create 2 million jobs and we think it's a very achievable, doable proposition.

It's a two-edged sword in a sense. You've got to import less and the fact is as long as people want to buy those foreign products, you either have to manufacture them yourselves at home which is not gonna happen in the high cost economy or people will have got to resign themselves to not buying imports.

Well, it depends on what you are buying. There are some things that we need import that we need to. Right? Until we get to a point we are more energy self-sufficient. We are gonna import some of our fuel, we are gonna import some goods that frankly is cheaper to make abroad than it is here. But we believe there is a huge deal to reach in what we can do by focusing more on innovation, investment, creating that next generation of services and products that we not only can innovate, create, but we can make in the United States and keep that employment base at home.

I almost hesitate to raise the Doha Round. Everybody says it's so important and yet it is so troublesome. Is anything happening here in Davos in Trade Minister talks that gives you any hope that it actually gets started again?

Well, I would say there is a term being used. I think there is a constructive optimism at work. And let me frame this. I know it seems like it's been a long time. But getting agreement above among 120 economies that as diverse as we are in the WTO is tough. It took 8 years to get the Uruguay Round and we are not that far off that track. Our presidents had given us a task to see if we can find the way to bridge the gaps and make it happen. I think there is a window of opportunity over the next several months if everyone is willing to put aside and step out of their comfort zone. We’ll get it done.

So what are you gonna put out of your comfort zone and put back on the table?

Well, we've spent the last 18 months frankly pushing this proposition that the only way we could get the Doha Round done is to have more ambitious, balanced outcome. We are making an extraordinary contribution in terms of agriculture.

Have you got something new to offer?

We think we do. We think we do.

What is it?

Well, I’m not gonna… it’s nothing but as charming as you are. I am not going to get it down, put it on the table with you. We believe that these advanced developing economies, and in specifically, Brazil, India, China here profited more from global trade liberalization over the last 10 years. That's a good thing, but with that becomes responsibility, now it's time for them to join in the traditional developed powers at the table to make this happen.