Bush administration says WTO trade reforms lag in China

Bush administration says WTO trade reforms lag in China

   Bush administration officials told a special commission in Washington Thursday that while China has made progress to modernize trade practices it still has a long way to go.

   U.S. Trade Representative deputy assistant Charles W. Freeman acknowledged to the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission that China has reviewed thousands of laws and regulations, reduced tariffs and has taken steps to correct problems with the administration of its tariff-rate quota system for bulk agricultural products. However, he pointed out that “China’s market for U.S. goods and services is not as open as it should be.”

   U.S. agriculture deputy administrator for international trade policy Patricia R. Sheikh said China’s policy toward U.S. agricultural goods is “often inconsistent and erratic, with new trade problems or barriers emerging even as previous ones are resolved.”

   In China, U.S. agricultural exporters are faced with tariff-quota administrations, unscientific sanitary and phytosanitary barriers, trade restrictive biotechnology regulations, and unclear licensing requirements.

   China joined the World Trade Organization in December 2001. In addition to trade improvements for U.S. agricultural products, the Bush administration recommended that China better enforce intellectual property rights and use criminal penalties and restrictions for exports where wrongdoing is found. The administration also recommended that China create procedures to ensure the public’s right to comment on proposed measures.

   “We have seen that success in this effort is measured incrementally and recognize that this will be a lengthy process, given the complexity of the Chinese economy and its regulatory system,” Sheikh said. “At the same time we remain convinced that as China more fully complies with its WTO obligations, it will become a more consistent and reliable trading partner.”