mr. speaker , i thank the gentleman for yielding me time .  mr. speaker , i rise today to stress the importance of our country 's participation in the world trade organization .  right now , it seems this resolution is destined for rejection .  but addressing it today does give us a much-needed opportunity to focus on the wto and how the u.s. can maximize its membership for the benefit of u.s. firms , workers and farmers .  the success of u.s. participation in the wto should be measured by our ability to liberalize markets and set fair trade rules for all wto members .  clearly , the united states has benefited greatly from its wto membership and plays a leading role in shaping the way the world trades today .  since the creation of the wto , u.s. exports and overall trade have expanded significantly , with a $ 283 billion or 64 percent increase in u.s. manufacturing exports ; a $ 139 billion or a 70 percent increase in u.s. services exports ; and an $ 18 billion or 39 percent increase in u.s. agricultural exports .  once wto agreements are set and commitments are made , however , it is crucial that the u.s. ensure that the countries involved live up to their part of the deal .  this is where we have fallen short .  here , the u.s. has several concerns , such as china 's failure to follow through with its commitments to ensure that domestic and foreign firms can distribute products within that country as of december 2004 ; many countries have failed to meet their trips commitments and have not effectively enforced intellectual property rights and the protection of data privacy ; there is concern regarding the establishment of standards , licensing and customs barriers , including the eu 's customs procedures and its proposed new chemical regulations ; and there is concern about the continued proliferation of many agricultural barriers , such as the unscientific barriers to many agricultural products in europe , china and elsewhere .  the united states should continue to insist that all wto members implement the wto agreements in a timely and comprehensive manner .  like many of my colleagues , i hope the wto will successfully conclude the doha development round and continue to contribute to the dynamic global marketplace as a growth engine for wto member economies .  however , in the doha development round , many developing countries expressed concerns regarding implementation of some commitments , and they have sought extensions and delays .  here , technical assistance and support for capacity building are critical tools needed to advance implementation goals .  i will continue to work with my colleagues on the committee on ways and means and in the congress to ensure that the u.s. provides technical support and capacity building measures to assist developing countries in meeting their wto commitments .  if trade is to be a tool of development and growth for our developing-country trading partners , we must play a central role in helping the wto facilitate compliance with member obligations .  i stress this today because i want our new ustr ambassador portman to know that this is and should always be a priority for the united states at the world trade organization .  