U.S., Chinese Discuss Piracy, Trade Barriers
BEIJING -- U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez began a trip to Beijing on Monday to help American entrepreneurs clinch deals and to discuss barriers that have contributed to a soaring and politically touchy Chinese trade surplus.
Highlighting his efforts to increase U.S. exports, Mr. Gutierrez on Monday watched Motorola Inc. sign a contract to supply $1.6 billion worth of mobile phones to a Chinese distributor. He also presided at a ceremony by the home-entertainment division of News Corp.'s Twentieth Century Fox studio announcing a plan to distribute moderately priced DVDs in the piracy-plagued China market. (See related article.)
Around the signings, Mr. Gutierrez held talks with senior Chinese trade officials that he said broadly covered access to the China market, persisting product piracy and unclear government regulations.
Also highlighting efforts by U.S. businesses to expand their presence in China, International Business Machines Corp. may be joining Citigroup Inc. in its bid to take a majority stake in China's Guangdong Development Bank, a person familiar with the deal said Monday. (See related article.)
Americans are worried about record trade imbalances with China -- projected to rise 12% to $228 billion this year. Pressure on the Bush administration over the deficit is expected to increase following the opposition Democratic Party's recapture of Congress in elections last week.
Trying to seize the initiative, Chinese Vice Premier Wu Yi told Mr. Gutierrez: "We welcome the exports of your country. The Chinese market is completely opened to the outside world." Mr. Wu reiterated a long-standing Chinese complaint that American export controls prohibited the transfer of high-technology products, thereby keeping some U.S. goods out of China.
Mr. Gutierrez, who brought along a delegation of 25 American businesses, from heavy equipment makers to architecture firms, stressed that Washington sought more open markets, not protectionism. "Ultimately what counts is results. Both sides are increasing the amount of business they do with each other," he told reporters. He said that American exports this year totaled about $50 billion in products and services and were up 34% this year to date.
Concerns, however, continued over Chinese regulations limiting the retail business of U.S. and other foreign banks and the widespread copying of U.S. goods and other infringements of intellectual property, Mr. Gutierrez said.
"The United States and China will continue to fight piracy. This is a priority for both governments," Mr. Gutierrez said at a signing ceremony for the Fox deal. "We will both work as hard as we have to stamp out piracy."
Deals like the Fox arrangement are part of an effort by American entertainment companies to offer Chinese consumers inexpensive but legal CDs and DVDs as an alternative to cheap pirated ones widely available in China. Such pirated products, Mr. Gutierrez said, are costing American companies "hundreds of millions of dollars" in sales.
Under the deal, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment will begin distributing DVDs through Chinese video distributor Zoke Culture Group, the companies said.
Also signed Monday was the Motorola contract to supply 12 million mobile handsets to Shenzhen Telling Telecom Development Co., executives from both companies said.
A subsidiary of U.S.-based Han's Technologies Inc. also signed an agreement to build and operate seven water supply plants and 13 wastewater treatments plants to the Chinese county of Xiangshan. Terms weren't disclosed.
美国商务部长到访 为促进对华出口加油
美国商务部长卡洛斯?古铁雷斯(Carlos Gutierrez)周一开始了访华之旅，他此行的目的是帮助美国企业达成交易，并与中国讨论阻碍贸易的因素──这些因素导致美国对华贸易逆差不断扩大，并因此引发了政治争议。
古铁雷斯周一参加了摩托罗拉公司(Motorola Inc.)与一家中国分销商签订16亿美元手机供应合同的活动。他还出席了新闻集团(News Corp.)旗下21世纪福克斯家庭娱乐公司(Twentieth Century Fox studio)宣布计划在备受盗版困扰的中国市场发售价格适中的DVD光盘的仪式。这些日程安排反映了他对提高美国对华出口的重视。
古铁雷斯在签字仪式前与中国高级贸易官员举行了会谈。古铁雷斯称，双方就中国市场准入、屡禁不止的产品侵权及有关法律法规不够透明等问题进行了广泛的讨论。
另外，据知情人士周一透露，国际商业机器公司(International Business Machines Corp.)或许会与花旗集团(Citigroup Inc.)联合收购广东发展银行(Guangdong Development Bank)大部分股份。这也体现了美国企业为扩大在中国的市场份额所作的尝试。
相关报导
? IBM料将与花旗合作竞购广发银行
? 花旗在华遭遇“五年之痒”
美国人对不断创下历史新高的对华贸易逆差十分担心，预计今年的逆差额将剧增12%至2,280亿美元。在民主党上周重新夺回国会的控制权之后，预计布什(Bush)政府在贸易逆差方面将面临更大的压力。
中国副总理吴仪与古铁雷斯举行了会晤。吴仪率先向古铁雷斯表示：我们欢迎你们国家的出口商品。中国市场对外部世界是完全开放的。吴仪副总理还重申了中国一贯以来的一个不满：美国禁止高科技产品的出口，导致一些美国商品无法进入中国。
随同古铁雷斯访华的有25家美国企业的代表，他们来自从重型设备生厂商到建筑公司等各个行业。古铁雷斯强调说，华盛顿希望见到一个更加开放的市场，而不是贸易保护主义。他对记者说：最终起作用的还是结果。中美两国增加了相互间的业务量。他说，美国今年的商品及服务出口总额约为500亿美元，今年到目前为止增长了34%。
不过，古铁雷斯说，关注的焦点仍集中在限制美国及其他国家银行在华零售业务的法律法规、仿冒美国商品及其他侵犯知识产权的行为。
“美国与中国将继续打击盗版。这是两国政府的工作重点，”古铁雷斯在21世纪福克斯签字仪式之前说。“双方将共同努力，以消除盗版。”
21世纪福克斯达成的协议是美国娱乐公司为向中国消费者提供低价的合法CD及DVD光盘的努力之一，他们希望以此打击在中国市场随处可见的廉价盗版光盘。古铁雷斯说，此类盗版产品使美国公司损失了“数亿美元”销售额。
21世纪福克斯家庭娱乐公司称，它将通过中国音像发行商中凯文化集团(Zoke Culture Group)开始在中国发售DVD光盘。
摩托罗拉及深圳天音通讯公司(Shenzhen Telling Telecom Development Co.)的高层管理人员表示，双方签订了由摩托罗拉向后者供应1,200万部手机的合同。
总部设在美国的Han's Technologies Inc.旗下的一家分支机构还签订了在中国象山县兴建并运营七家供水站及13家污水处理站的合作协议。协议的具体条款未向外界披露。
