Strategic competition calls for strengthening trade in the Americas

Given the hyper-partisan nature of today's politics, few topics unite both parties. Yet on the prospect of China's growing economic power and influence in the Western Hemisphere, both Republicans and Democrats agree that the strategic interests of the U.S. require prioritizing our competitive posture in the near-term, including no longer ignoring interest by Latin American nations in expanded trade. Can we move beyond today's protectionist mood and highly contentious debate on trade in Congress? Does our current political environment allow for bipartisan solutions to come to fruition? Competitive pressures demand that a new trade agenda in the Americas must emerge:…