U.S. President Barack Obama says the U.S. will work to resolve outstanding issues so it can move forward on trade agreements with key partners including South Korea, Panama and Colombia.

In a meeting with business leaders in Washington on Wednesday, Obama said that the U.S. cannot sit around and watch other nations sign trade treaties with U.S. partners, as that could lead to missed opportunities for new American jobs.

He said, however, that U.S. partners must “play fair” and that the U.S. will not cede jobs or markets to unfair trade practices in other countries.

Although the U.S. government has reiterated the importance of a swift parliamentary ratification of the Korea-U.S. free trade agreement, it has also raised concerns about what it says is South Korea’s protectionism in the automobile industry.

The U.S. says that differences in automobile trade must first be settled before the Korea-U.S. free trade agreement can be ratified.