(COMTEX) China defends commitment to WTO rules after U.S. House passes bill urging com
liance ( AP WorldStream )
BEIJING, Oct 30, 2003 (AP WorldStream via COMTEX) -- China insisted Thursday
that it harbors a "serious attitude" toward honoring its World Trade
Organization commitments, one day after the U.S. House of Representatives passed
a resolution urging Beijing to follow the rules.
Zhang Qiyue, a spokeswoman for China's Foreign Ministry, defended Beijing's
position, saying her government had taken "comprehensive measures - legislative
and administrative - to honor China's obligations."
That includes revising more than 3,000 regulations to conform with WTO rules,
she said without giving details.
"We hope that the U.S. Congress ... can recognize the effort made by the Chinese
side and appreciate the serious attitude held by the Chinese side," Zhang said
at a regular briefing.
The sponsor of the nonbinding resolution, Republican Rep. Phil English of
Pennsylvania, said the House wanted to send "a strong signal to China that
Americans have lost their patience with Beijing's recalcitrance regarding its
WTO obligations."
"From our perspective, China's violation of virtually every aspect of global
trade rules warrants strong retaliation," English said.
The resolution also demands that China reform its banking sector and calls on
the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush to continue discussions
about the country's fixed exchange rate, which critics say makes Chinese exports
unfairly inexpensive.
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao also assured U.S. Commerce Secretary Don Evans of
China's commitment during Evans' visit this week, which ended Wednesday, Zhang
said.
The Bush administration has complained that China is dragging its feet on
fulfilling market-opening promises it made when it joined the WTO in 2001.
Those commitments include lowering trade barriers against American manufactured
goods and farm products and allowing U.S. telecommunications companies, banks
and other service companies to compete in China for business.
American manufacturers say China's currency, the yuan, is deliberately
undervalued, giving Beijing a trade advantage when competing with U.S. companies
because their exports are so much less expensive. It also contributes to job
loss in factories, they say.
Companies also accuse Chinese authorities of tolerating rampant piracy of
movies, software and music.
By AUDRA ANG
Associated Press Writer= ap_topic:Business;ap_topic:Politics;ap_topic:General;
Copyright 2003 Associated Press, All rights reserved
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KEYWORD: BEIJING
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