"Part of what we've been trying to do is get the enforcement side of this tight," Obama told a gathering of House of Representatives Republicans.
"To make sure that if we've got a trade agreement with China, or other countries, that they are abiding with it, that they are not stealing our intellectual property," he said.
Obama promised in his State of the Union address on Wednesday to double U.S. exports in the next five years. But he acknowledged many Americans feared they would suffer rather than benefit from free trade.
"My hope is that we can move forward with some of these trade agreements having built some confidence ... among the American people that trade is going to be reciprocal, that it is not just going to be a one-way street," he said.
Responding to a question about long-delayed trade deals with Colombia, Panama and South Korea, Obama said he understood that further delays could cost U.S. business.
"The European Union is about to sign a trade agreement with South Korea. Which means that right at the moment when they start opening up their markets, the Europeans might get in there before we do," Obama said.
