Panel Urges U.S. To Press China On Trade Policies
- An independent congressional commission is urging U.S. lawmakers and the Bush administration to pursue new ways to combat what it calls China's "mercantilist" economic policies, arguing that they have contributed to its growing trade surplus with the U.S. and have led to rising job losses.
In a report set for release today, the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission says the U.S. risks squandering a "historic opportunity" to influence Chinese trade and economic policies. The bipartisan panel, established by Congress when China joined the World Trade Organization in 1999, stresses the need to exert pressure on Beijing to revalue its currency and to live up to its WTO commitments.
"We're not saying our economic relationship with China is irretrievably bad. We're saying it's being badly managed by the administration," said Richard D'Amato, a former Democratic Senate aide who serves as the commission's vice chairman.
Some lawmakers have prodded the Bush administration for months to press China on its currency, arguing that the yuan is pegged at an artificially low rate against the dollar, giving Chinese exporters an unfair advantage. In response, the administration has opened low-level talks with Beijing but has turned away requests to declare that China is actively manipulating its currency. The administration says it prefers to work the issue out in cooperation with China rather than through confrontation, given that China also is coping with an outdated banking system and has been focused on trying to cool a rapidly expanding economy.
The commission is urging that Congress amend legislation to make it easier for the Treasury Department to find that China has manipulated its currency, and to push for a revaluation. Chinese officials are taking gradual steps to make the yuan more open to market forces, but say they won't be rushed.
The panel also urges Congress to direct the U.S. Trade Representative's Office to investigate China's use of government subsidies and tax incentives for its manufacturers. U.S. trade officials should also move to file more complaints against China in the WTO, particularly on the country's lack of intellectual-property protections, the panel concluded.
Josette Shiner, the trade office's lead China negotiator, defended the administration's approach. "We filed the first ever WTO case against China, and we're actively engaged with them on solving problems and leveling the playing field for American exporters," she said.
Roger Robinson, the commission's chairman and a former Reagan adviser in the 1980s, said the commission has found "a very receptive audience" among lawmakers. The panel's last report, in 2002, was somewhat more alarmist in tone but spurred little action.
Mr. Robinson said that the U.S.'s mounting trade deficit with China and concerns over the shrinking U.S. manufacturing base have increased Congress's interest. "I strongly believe that a number of our recommendations will be acted upon," he said.
William Reinsch, a panel member and current head of the National Foreign Trade Council, gave his overall support to the report but criticized it as "simplistic," saying the general drift was that "we are right; China is wrong."
美国会独立委员会敦促就贸易政策向中国施压
美国国会一独立委员会日前敦促国会议员及布什(George W. Bush)政府采取新的措施来应对中国的经济政策。该委员会认为，这些被其称之为“重商主义”的经济政策导致中国对美国贸易顺差不断扩大及美国就业机会大量流失。
在一份定于今天发布的报告中，美中经济和安全审议委员会(U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission)表示，如果华盛顿不立即采取行动，美国将可能坐失影响中国贸易和经济政策的“历史机遇”。该委员会还特别强调，必须对北京施压要求其重估人民币币值并履行其入世承诺。美中经济和安全审议委员会是在1999年中国加入世界贸易组织(WTO)时由美国国会组建的两党连立的一个委员会。
美中经济和安全审议委员会没有立法权限，但其建议会在大选年引起一定的反响，特别是目前美国就业机会的丧失以及中国对美国出口大幅增长，在美国一些以制造业为主的地区正不断成为人们关注的焦点。
该委员会副主席、前民主党议员助理Richard D'Amato说，“我们并不是说美国与中国的经济关系已糟到了无可救药的地步。我们的观点是，政府对美中经济关系处理失当。”数月来，一些国会议员已敦促布什政府对中国就其汇率问题施加压力，称人民币被人为地以较低的汇率与美元挂钩，从而使中国出口商获得不公平的贸易优势。作为回应，布什政府已就此问题与北京举行了低级别会谈，但对于认定中国正在蓄意操纵其货币的要求并未作出响应。
该委员会还敦促美国国会修改现行立法，以利于财政部(Treasury Department)更容易地找到中国操纵其货币的证据，也便于要求国际货币基金组织(International Monetary Fund)或世界贸易组织对此问题重新进行评估。一些经济学家对竭力促使中国重估人民币币值的做法提出质疑，认为这么做会引发亚洲经济动荡。中国政府官员目前正在逐步采取措施使人民币更加市场化，但他们不会被外来的压力所左右。
该委员会同时敦促国会要求美国贸易代表办公室(U.S. Trade Representative's Office)以及商务部(Commerce Department)调查中国对其厂商提供政府补贴和税收优惠的问题。另外他们认为，美国贸易官员还应该在世界贸易组织中对中国进行更多的投诉，特别是就中国对知识产权缺乏保护的问题。
该委员会主席、原里根政府顾问罗杰?罗滨逊(Roger Robinson)说，该委员会报告中所列举的结论已在国会的一些委员会中引起了共鸣。但即便如此，现在还很难说国会是否很快会采取行动，将该委员会的建议变成法律。此前，该委员会曾于2002年发表过措辞更加危言耸听的报告，但当时在国会山几乎没有引起什么反响。
罗滨逊表示，与2002年相比，由于美国对华贸易逆差不断扩大以及人们对美国制造业的萎缩日益担心，目前国会对美中经济关系显得更加关注。他说，“我完全相信我们的一些建议不久便会付诸实施。”
该委员会另一委员、美国国家对外贸易委员会(National Foreign Trade Council)负责人William Reinsch总体上对该报告持支持态度，但认为它过于简单化：说来说去，该报告的主旨就是：“我们是对的，中国是错的。”
