US hails trade ties with China

Though there are many problems in US-China trade, economic cooperation has maintained good momentum and the United States will continue to strive for strong and stable trade ties with China, said US Secretary of Commerce Donald L. Evans on January 13.

Evans made the remarks at a press conference in Beijing after attending a Sino-US roundtable conference on Intellectual Property Rights in Beijing.

Bush Administration is committed to further enhancing the US-China political and economic relationship and continues the dialogue between the two countries' leadership, he said.

Evans, the 34th US Secretary of Commerce, said there were many problems in US-China economic and trade relationships, such as IPR protection, anti-subsidy, capital flow and exchange rates of Renminbi, or the Chinese currency.

However, the two sides should focus on the general situation that the bilateral trade relationship was witnessing "great progresses."

On the IPR issue, Evans said the US has already raised and will continue to put forward its concern to China.

But while attending the roundtable conference on IPR, the US senior trade official spoke highly of China's efforts in that aspect, saying that China has started a campaign "to educate the Chinese people, the municipal government and all local government and individuals what an important issue the IPR is."

He appreciated China's levying of export tariffs on textile products, contributing the deficit in US-China trade to the two economies' structural difference.

The US economy and job creation is very "promising and healthy," he acknowledged.

The US official also urged China to continue fulfilling its commitment made upon its accession to the World Trade Organization.

Evans arrived here Tuesday afternoon as guest of US Ambassador to China Clark T. Randt. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and Vice-Premier Wu Yi met with him late Thursday.