(MCT) — WASHINGTON — In his first major speech as secretary of state, John Kerry on Wednesday didn’t mention Syria even once or delve deeply into other urgent world crises. Instead, he focused on defending his department’s budget and encouraging international trade, especially with Asia.

“We can be complacent, or we can be competitive. As new markets bloom in every corner of the globe — and they will, with or without us — we can be there to help plant the seeds, or we can cede that power to others,” Kerry said, speaking to local politicians, students and faculty at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville.