his remarks run just over 35 minutes. >> i am now pleased to introduce to you ambassador ron kirk, the 1995 until 2001. ambassador kirk was a strong member of this organization, including heading our committee on economic policy. as u.s. trade representative, he looks at grade as a job creating filler. -- he looks at trade as a job- creating filler. we appreciate your focus on job creation as well as on trade policies that help small and medium-sized businesses. join me in welcoming ambassador ron kirk. [applause] >> thank you for that warm air introduction. thank you again for your extraordinary leadership and your great devotion to the u.s. conference of mayors. it is always one of the highlights of my year when i have an opportunity to come back and be with my fellow mayors. my staff tells me that just about every other conversation i began with, "when i was mayor." once a mayor, always a mayor. they look like they are about to break out in hives. i am barely at a loss of words. i want to acknowledge that you have spent the morning with the president. i do not think there is much mo

trade representative carla hill, mickey cantor and ron kirk. please stand and be acknowledged as well. [applause] and of course, cabinet members -- i see former secretary of defense bill cohen and robert rubin in the audience. thank you for your incredible contributions to u.s.-china relations. [applause] on behalf of president obama, am kirk and lee zak, we welcome our guest of honor, it chided -- chinese president hu jintao was president -- whose leadership has raised the standard of living in china and transformed into a global economic power. it is one that is pulling a critical role in nursing the world economy back to health. it goes without saying that president hu has been an important partner in the developing relationship between china and the united states. over the years, i have had the pleasure of taking many trips to china. it started more than 20 years ago and each time i visit china,, iawed as to how fast china has grown since the previous visit. under the leadership of president hu and his predecessors and colleagues, during th

thank you, representative ron kirk. i think you are doing a fantastic job terrorist i would ask you if you would not mind working with the treasury the part -- fantastic job. i would ask you if you would not mind working with the treasury department. if they are coming hard -- coming down hard on banks scared every time i talk to a banker, they tell me they have to go back -- banks. every time i talk to a banker, they tell me they have to go back early from a break. he is stifling banks. in turn, they cannot lead to businesses. could you somehow let the president knows to have the treasury kind of -- >> i will share your comments. i will tell you, and i will use one of my lessons i learned as a mayor pivot to what i think as one of the bigger success stories. the first challenge was to stabilize the banking system. the asset recovery program has worked spectacularly well. the money has been paid back. police say the banking industry. we kept america from -- we save the banking industry. white america from bankruptcy. --

we'll hear from secretary john donovan and trade representative ron kirk. a couple of live events to tell you about today. house democrats are meeting in cambridge, maryland. we will have the news conference at 11:30 a.m. eastern. shortly after that at 12:15 p.m. eastern, more from the annual winter meeting of the u.s. conference of mayors. >> madam speaker, the president of the united states. >> by congressional invitation, the president outlines his legislative agenda for the next year and reflects on the previous in the annual state of the union. watch at the c-span feel library, all searchable on your computer -- the c-span video library, all searchable on your computer any time. you're watching c-span, bringing you public sex and public affairs. every morning it is bringing you politics and public affairs. weekdays, watch coverage of the house, and weeknights on the weekend you can see our signature interview programs. on saturdays, the communicators. on sundays, newsmakers, q&a, and prime ministers questions from the british house of commons. and watc

trade representative ron kirk, and, of course, well known to all of us in this room, china's vice premier. i applaud and i thank all three of you for the important work. [applause] >> secretary locke is a strong supporter of balance and constructed u.s.-china commercial relations. we are really fortunate to have him representing our commercial interest here, and around the globe and fortunate to hear his remarks today. ladies and gentlemen, please join me in welcoming secretary of commerce, gary locke. [applause] >> thank you very much for the introduction and i'm very, very honored and very pleased to be here representing president obama and his administration, and to see so many familiar faces who have helped make the relationship between the united states and china the critically important one that it is today. i also know that there will be an introduction of some of our, and speakers who have contributed much to u.s.-china relations over the years. but i would like to acknowledge some of them who were in the audience today, and ask them to all stand. but we have witnessed some of the

i am now pleased to introduce to you ambassador ron kirk, the u.s. trade representative and mayor of dallas from 1995 to 2001. he was a strong member of this organization, including heading our committee on economic policy. as u.s. trade representative, he looks at trade as a jobs- creating teller of the economic recovery for our nation. mr. ambassador, we appreciate your focus on job creation, as well as on trade policies that assist small and medium-sized businesses. please join me in welcoming our good friend and supporter, ambassador ron kirk. [applause] >> well, thank you for the warm introduction, but thank you again for your extraordinary leadership of your city but also your great devotion to the u.s. conference of mayors. it is always one of the highlights of my year when i have an opportunity to come back and be with our fellow mayors. my staff at ustr tells me that just about every other conversation i it begins with "when i was mayor." i think you can embrace the notion that once a mayor, always a mayor. they look like they're about to br

then, ron kirk and the housing secretary talked about the economy and jobs. >> president obama traveled into new york or he visited a general electric plant. the president's appearance include a tour of the facility with the ceo who helped the new council on jobs. this replaces the president's advisory board headed by paul volcker. he spoke to workers and officially announced the appointment. >> i know that is not for me. that is for our special guest. i know we have any number of members from the congressional delegation. i would like to thank our representatives. thank you for your help. welcome to the other guests. welcome to the birthplace of ge more than 100 years ago. [applause] i like to think that this is where capitalism and innovation was born. we are proud of this site and we are proud of all of you. this was one of the few businesses in the world to have positive earnings every year during the crisis. we did this because we are an exporter and we are a high-tech story. we have 4000 employees that work on power generation, water, renewable energy. in the capital region, we ar

trade representative ron kirk and housing secretary shaun donovan.hat's live starting at 12:15 eastern, again, on c-span. and live right here on c-span2, president obama will make remarks at a general electric plant in schenectady, new york. he'll be joined by the company's ceo who was just named to be the chair of the president's new council on jobs and competitiveness. we'll have the president's remarks starting at 1:05 p.m. eastern here on c-span2. >> this weekend on american history tv on c-span3, the first age of terror, domestic terrorism of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. learn of the century-old traditions of preparing for presidential and military horse-drawn funeral quezons and howard university professor greg carr explains how former slaves escaped and started new lives. experience american history tv on c-span3 all weekend, every weekend. see the complete schedule online at c-span.org/history or you can press the schedule alert button and have our schedule e-mailed to you. >> tuesday, president obama delivers the state of the unio

thank you, representative ron kirk. i think you are doing a fantastic job terrorist i would ask you if you would not mind working with the treasury the part -- fantastic job. i would ask you if you would not mind working with the treasury department. if they are coming hard -- coming down hard on banks scared every time i talk to a banker, they tell me they have to go back -- banks. every time i talk to a banker, they tell me they have to go back early from a break. he is stifling banks. in turn, they cannot lead to businesses. could you somehow let the president knows to have the treasury kind of -- >> i will share your comments. i will tell you, and i will use one of my lessons i learned as a mayor pivot to what i think as one of the bigger success stories. the first challenge was to stabilize the banking system. the asset recovery program has worked spectacularly well. the money has been paid back. police say the banking industry. we kept america from -- we save the banking industry. white america from bankruptcy. --