America is entering a new age. Over the past decade America has taken great steps towards new and exciting opportunities for economic growth. A rapidly expanding information technology sector has become one of the nation’s most important industries, fueling economic growth and creating thousands of jobs. America has only just glimpsed the economic and technological potential of the high-tech industry.

These new high-paying jobs and innovative products aren’t confined to a single region, they have nation-wide impact. For Southern California though, the effects have been especially dramatic. Our region is home to some of the world’s most advanced private and public research laboratories and companies. The Los Angeles region is already a showroom of sorts for the latest technologies and scientific breakthroughs. It is rapidly becoming the world’s digital capitol.

Without access to new markets our efforts to develop better products will be wasted. Expanded trade will give the American economy the room it needs to grow. There is no question that free trade is a boon for American workers, but it also gives consumers here at home greater choice. At the crossroads of America and the Asian Pacific, California is a major post along the world’s busiest trade route.

With each successful trade agreement and every international business transaction, we reaffirm our role as the world’s greatest economy. Free trade has the power to enrich nations both economically and politically, creating opportunity for entrepreneurs and encouraging an unfettered and energetic flow of information -- the hallmark of free and open societies. The United States must continue to shape the world economy - or risk being shaped by it.

It’s no coincidence that Americans are confident in the future. The outlook is bright and we’re investing more than ever before. America’s investor class is the largest and most diverse of any nation in the world. Economic policies that encourage investment and resist over-regulation will give Americans incentive to keep supporting research and development.

With the world’s best workforce, the most developed infrastructure and pro-growth, free trade policies behind it, the American economy is well-positioned for this century. As home to the nation’s most dynamic high-tech companies and strategically located, Southern California is at the forefront of America’s 21st century economy.