US Trade Officials Meet With Chinese Authorities

By James A. Morrissey, Washington Correspondent

High-ranking US international trade officials met last week with their counterparts in China to lay the groundwork for a December 18 meeting of the US/China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade. These officials warned there are issues with China that present “a number of challenges.” At a press briefing following the meetings, Deputy US Trade Representative Karan Bhata and acting Undersecretary of Commerce Christopher Padilla underscored the importance of US trade with China, pointing out that trade has doubled in the past five years and China now is the second-largest provider of goods to the US market. However, they cited a number of areas presenting a “major challenge,” including product safety, protection of intellectual property rights and China’s overall industrial policy that they say works in favor of Chinese manufacturers at the expense of other manufacturers, including those in the United States.

While they did not specifically mention China’s currency policies, which are a major bone of contention with US manufacturers, they did cite a number of Chinese regulations and policies that need to be addressed. The US officials also said there is a need to deal with protectionism in the United States and some of the legislation pending in Congress, which they say will “adversely affect our bilateral relationship.”

While the high-level meetings of the joint commission rarely result in specific actions, they do provide a forum to bring political and diplomatic pressure on issues of concern to both countries.

October 16, 2007