Opinion

China hopes not to be excluded in US exports control reform

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-05-18 09:16

BEIJING - China hopes the United States will not exclude China when it loosens its export restrictions, Yao Jian, a spokesman with the Ministry of Commerce said here Monday.

Yao's remarks came after the United States said over the weekend it might change its exports control regime.

The United States should treat all countries equally and not discriminate against China in its export policies, Yao said at a press conference.

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US Commerce Secretary Gary Locke said in Hong Kong Sunday "concrete proposals" for changes in the exports control could be expected within the next several months.

Locke said the review will help with "the sale of highly sophisticated technology that might be embedded in some of the machines and devices like wind turbines, and the software that might operate these very sophisticated systems."

The United States' 1979 Export Administration Act limits the export sales of commercial high-technology goods to China. It is considered one of the causes for the trade imbalance between China and the United States.

Reform of export restrictions may help the US expand exports and create jobs, Yao said.

It would also ease the US trade imbalance and expand Sino-US cooperation, Yao added.

Trade volume between China and the United States in the first four months of this year increased 25 percent to US$107.18 billion.

As imports are growing twice as fast as exports, China's trade surplus will continue to fall this year, after witnessing a sharp decline from US$290 billion of trade surplus in 2008 to US$190 billion in 2009, Yao said.

Locke, who is leading a delegation to promote clean energy technologies in China, will visit Shanghai and Beijing later this week.

Locke will meet his Chinese counterpart, Chen Deming, China's Minister of Commerce, in Beijing Sunday on the eve of the start of the Sino-US strategic and economic dialogue.

The talks will cover issues of common concern, including bilateral economic and trade cooperation, opposition of trade protectionism and the role of Sino-US cooperation in tackling the global crisis, Yao said.