As the U.S. and other countries face a global economic downturn, a "protectionist wind looms," said a report released by the CEA. "The consequences of a reversal of an open-market global system would be disastrous for the United States and developing nations," the report said. "Trade is not a zero-sum game."

The 2,300-member trade group warned that much of the growth in electronics and IT spending will come outside the U.S. in coming years.

Without free trade, the U.S. could lose tens of thousands of jobs created through free trade in recent years, the group said. "We firmly believe that's the bottom line," said Sage Chandler, CEA's senior director of international trade.

Imports from China alone support more than 60,000 U.S. jobs, the CEA report said.

The CEA report estimated that 70 percent of the world's IT and communications technology spending -- some $3 trillion -- will happen outside the U.S. between 2008 and 2011. The trade group expects consumer electronics spending to increase by $42 billion, reaching $700 billion, between 2008 and 2009, and much of that growth will come from countries such as Russia, China and India, the report said.