U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has urged Congress to swiftly ratify three pending free trade agreements (FTA) with South Korea, Panama and Colombia.

Clinton made the call during a speech at the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition Conference in Washington on Tuesday. She said the expansion of trade is one of five ways for the U.S. to enhance its overseas competitiveness.

She said passing the trade deals is critical to U.S. economic recovery, adding that the three nations are important partners in strategically vital areas.

Clinton said that the U.S.-South Korea FTA is expected to lead to the growth of the U.S. economy by at least ten billion dollars each year.