Despite losses in elections, President George Bush reassured Asian allies that his nation is still committed to global trade liberalization and promised to “remain engaged in Asia because our interests depend on the expansion of freedom and opportunity in this region."

Bush called on the 21-nation Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum to intensify interaction with the World Trade Organization (WTO) and revive the Doha round of global trade talks. These talks collapsed over disagreements over subsidies and farm tariffs.