Eisenhower Executive Office Building

10:30 A.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: I just wanted to say thank you to all of you who are here. Some of you have been serving on our Export Council for quite some time. Some of you are here as new additions, but all of you have been extraordinarily successful in your various fields. And it gives us an enormous opportunity to hear from you in very concrete terms about how we can advance not just Americas export agenda, but how we can build the kind of economic future that we want for our kids and our grandkids.

For the last 51 months, we have created jobs here in the United States -- 9.4 million jobs in all. But were going to have to create more. And one of the best ways to do it is to boost American manufacturing and American exports. Thats why since I came into office we have been promoting American products and businesses when I travel overseas. Its why we created the Presidents Export Council in 2010. There are some of the most iconic companies in the world -- Boeing being an example, Xerox being another one.

And with your help, exports have driven one-third of the economic growth in our recovery and now support over 11 million U.S. jobs. Last year, we exported $2.3 trillion in goods and services, which was an all-time high. And business executives around the globe say that the United States is the best place to locate, the best place to invest, and the best place to hire. And thats the first time that theyve said that, that we are number one when it comes to their desirable location to invest. This is the first time theyve said that in over a decade.

So the Made in America brand is stronger than ever. And as we saw yesterday at the first White House Maker Faire -- I was out there watching these 22-year-olds coming up with incredible things -- it is going to be a remarkable future that we have to look ahead to. Because in many ways, manufacturing is becoming easier, some of the barriers to entry are lowering. It gives inventors and entrepreneurs the opportunity to create new products and services in ways that we cant even imagine. And we want to make sure that all those trends accelerate here in the United States.

So this is a moment of opportunity. Weve got a chance to extend our competitive advantage in the world. Thats what this meeting is about. One thing I want to focus on today is opening up even more new markets to Made in America products. Were working very hard to finalize trade agreements with our partners in Europe and in Asia that will make us the center of a free trade hub covering two-thirds of the world economy. And Mr. Michael Froman has been putting in a lot of miles trying to make sure that that happens. And I know hes consulted with some of you -- not just big companies, but a lot of small- and medium-sized businesses who have enormous opportunities if were able to open up these markets, and oftentimes are the ones that have the hardest time navigating through some of the barriers that are out there.

I especially want to increase trade and investment in the region. And this is going to be one of the issues we discuss in August. There has been some explosive growth in certain parts of the world where were just not doing enough, Africa as being a prime example. Youve got six of the 10 fastest-growing economies in Africa, a young population that is growing rapidly. Some of these economies are doing very, very well, but were not penetrating those markets as well as we should.

And I think weve got a great opportunity in August with an African Leaders Summit thats going to be taking place for us to talk about trade and commerce, because thats really what that continent is interested in. Theyre not interested in aid as much as they are trade, development, and partnering with the private sector.

And as your businesses know well, when we export products overseas, were creating jobs and opportunities here at home. Thats the focus here today and every day of my presidency -- how do we create thriving businesses that are also able to create great jobs that allow people not just to stay in the middle class, but to work their way into the middle class if they work hard and take responsibility. And all of you have done that.

This council is doing great work. And with that, Im going to turn it back over to Jay to hear about some of the ideas that youve come up with and how we can help advance this agenda.

END 10:35 A.M. EDT