This question has to be examined, not only in the context of U.S.-China relationships, it has to be looked at in the light of historical relationships, in which the major European powers, including the U.S., sought to achieve their own objectives in opening trade with China and, as a consequence, humiliated a great nation.

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Trade agreements cannot bring widespread benefits to the United States if they rest on false portrayals of our trade partners and of American business objectives.

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OXERA, an energy consultancy, points out that a wider set of objectives has involved regulators in politically sensitive trade-offs.

ECONOMIST: Regulation: Irregular | The

And the plethora of agencies and affiliated organisations that deal with poverty - from the World Bank to the IMF to the World Trade Organisation - have had very different aims and objectives.

BBC: Attacking world poverty

Two of these objectives strengthening democratic institutions and promoting economic growth, trade, and investment will receive particular attention.

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And he knew that negotiations often involve trade-offs and a balance of both near- and longer-term objectives.

FORBES: 'The Art of the Possible,' Human Rights, and Sustainable Investing