Commerce Secretary Embraces Trade Negotiations With China
BEIJING -- Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez urged continued negotiation -- rather than confrontation -- with China on ways to address its yawning trade gap with the U.S., saying China's leaders are moving forward with measures to address major complaints such as counterfeiting.
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China expert Daniel Rosen, a professor at Columbia University, explains to Dow Jones Online's Paul Lin what's at stake in pending high-level U.S.-China trade talks.
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Mr. Gutierrez, speaking yesterday after meetings with officials including Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and Minister of Commerce Bo Xilai, admitted he still needs more concrete results if he is to quiet domestic critics of his approach. The U.S. trade deficit with China is on track this year to far exceed last year's record $202 billion, while the Democratic victory in last week's congressional elections creates new political pressure to address trade concerns.
"The important thing is that there is a great deal of understanding of what needs to be done" among top Chinese officials, Mr. Gutierrez said. "Obviously the proof always is in the results, and we know that we have a lot of work to do to continue to deliver results."
Mr. Wen expressed hope that negotiations could help avoid a more serious breakdown in trade relations. "Facts prove that consultation and dialogue are the right way to settle bilateral economic and trade frictions. Trade protectionism will only harm the common interests of both sides," the official Xinhua news agency quoted him as saying during his meeting with Mr. Gutierrez.
Reducing piracy and counterfeiting in China has become a major goal of U.S. and European trade policy. Mr. Gutierrez pointed to cooperation between Chinese and U.S. law enforcement on cases involving counterfeit drugs, favorable rulings from Chinese courts on the trademarks and patents of U.S. companies, and new enforcement actions against the piracy of DVDs, CDs, and college textbooks.
The Bush administration has faced pressure from lawmakers to file a case at the World Trade Organization against China's intellectual-property practices. Mr. Gutierrez said the U.S. isn't ruling out that option, but he emphasized that "our preference is to solve issues through dialogue."
Mr. Gutierrez, in an interview, said he also continued to lobby China to grant improved access to markets like financial services, film and retail.
古铁雷斯支持以对话解决对华贸易问题
美国商务部长卡洛斯?古铁雷斯(Carlos Gutierrez)敦促继续通过谈判、而不是对抗来解决美国对华贸易逆差不断增大的问题。他还表示，中国领导人已经在采取措施来解决盗版等令美国感到严重不满的问题。
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? 中国或放宽对好莱坞影片进口限制
古铁雷斯是在周二与总理温家宝、商务部部长薄熙来等中国官员会晤之后讲上述这番话的。他同时也承认，要想平息来自美国的压力，他还需要看到中国拿出更具体措施来。美国对中国的贸易逆差今年有望轻松超过去年创下的历史最高水平2,020亿美元。民主党上周在国会中期选举中大获全胜将给中美贸易带来新的政治压力。
古铁雷斯说，“重要的是中国高层领导人对于需要采取什么样的措施有着深刻的了解。显而易见，结果说明一切，我们知道要想扩大成果还有许多工作要做。”
温家宝也在会晤中谈到希望用谈判的方式来避免两国贸易关系出现更严重的摩擦。新华社引述温家宝在与古铁雷斯会面时的讲话说，“事实证明磋商与对话是解决经贸摩擦的正确方法，贸易保护主义只会损害双方的共同利益。”
打击盗版和假冒产品是美国和欧盟对华贸易政策的一个重要目标。从手包到汽车零部件，假冒仿制商品在中国随处可见。据行业团体的估计，中国市场上近90%的软件、唱片和DVD都属于盗版产品。盗版大行其道使得正版商品在中国难以打开销路。
不过，古铁雷斯还是指出了中国近期所取得的一些积极成果，如中美两国执法部门在打击假药方面展开的合作，中国法院对美国企业提起的商标及专利诉讼作出有利于起诉方的判决，对盗版DVD、CD和高校教科书采取了新的执法行动等。
美国的一些国会议员已经在施加压力，要求布什政府向世界贸易组织(WTO)投诉中国的知识产权问题。古铁雷斯称，美国并不排除这样做的可能性，但同时强调说，会优先考虑通过对话来解决问题。
古铁雷斯称，中国领导人确实已经意识到了加强知识产权保护的必要性。他在谈到中国政府今年早些时候出台的保护知识产权十四点方针时表示，“应该承认中国正以坚决的态度来处理这一十分复杂的问题。他们正在按计划行事。我们需要强调的是希望中国能够加快步伐，更加积极主动一些。”
古铁雷斯在接受采访时称，将继续劝说中国放宽对金融服务、零售以及电影业的市场准入。例如，中国目前每年允许引进及在影院上映的外国电影的数量仅为20部，美国希望中国能够取消进口外国影片的限制。不过古铁雷斯指出，一位中国官员向他表示，这种局面将逐步得到改变。古铁雷斯称，这个表态令他为之振奋。
Andrew Batson
