World champion

There’s no reason for the U.S. to retire from the game of international free trade.

Basketball superstar Michael Jordan was in our nation’s capital last week to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom — and it has us thinking about trade policy.

A legendary player, unrivaled in his time, reaches the peak of his game and then in that moment decides to … retire and play minor league baseball.

That’s basically where the U.S. economy is heading.

The Obama administration has spent years negotiating the Trans-Pacific Partnership. The 12-nation free trade treaty would help fortify the United States at the economic and geopolitical core for the 21st century. Our nation already sits at the center of global trade. We wrote the rules, spread our values and reaped the benefits. We’re the reigning champ, and the TPP would set us up for another century of success.

President-elect Donald Trump wants to tear up the deal. Instead he’s spending his political capital to prevent a single Indiana-based air-conditioner factory from moving to Mexico.

He’s dumping the pros to focus on minor-league dingers.

Now China is preparing to fill the power vacuum.

The rising power has proposed its own multinational trade deal to replace the TPP — the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership. The RCEP would cover half the world’s population and a third of global economic activity, including major economies like Japan and India, but not the United States. Under this deal, Beijing places itself at the center of a new global orientation. Meanwhile, U.S. manufacturers and services would be shut out of a massive open market. That’s bad news for the Texas export economy and the Port of Houston.

And unlike the TPP, countries could take part in this Chinese trade deal without adhering to baseline environmental or labor standards.

China’s economic ambitions don’t stop with the RCEP.

Chinese President Xi Jinping recently wrapped up a weeklong tour of South America, touting his nation’s investment in Latin America and laying the foundation for political leadership if the United States withdraws from its historic role. Goodbye, Monroe Doctrine. Here in Texas, however, business continues as usual.

Texas Transportation Commission is recommending upgrades for Texas ports in anticipation of growing trade. A $500 million refinery is being planned to process Eagle Ford shale oil — the largest new refinery since the 1970s — and export it to Mexico. And Texas-based Boltex Manufacturing Co. just persuaded the Commerce Department to issue preliminary duties on certain steel imports to combat dumping and foreign subsidies. That’s how a rules-based trade system is supposed to work.

Our state is the nation’s top exporter, totaling $251.1 billion last year. Those internationally traded goods supported more than 1 million Texas jobs. Trade with Mexico alone supports 382,000 jobs.

Trump’s much ballyhooed plans to impose tariffs and dump trade treaties would send the whole system crashing down.

“Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships,” Jordan once said.

The Texas congressional delegation needs to work together to protect the modern-day trade network that keeps the Texas economy growing. It will take teamwork and intelligence, but we already know that the U.S. economy has what it takes to be the global winner. There’s no reason to retire now.