US Must 'Resist Demonizing China': US Trade Official

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, August 22, 2003

US Must 'Resist Demonizing China': US Trade Official

With Asia-Pacific economies "where the future is," a top US trade official said Thursday in Honolulu that the United States must "resist demonizing China" on trade issues as it did with Japan.

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With Asia-Pacific economies "where the future is," a top US trade official said that the United States must "resist demonizing China" on trade issues as it did with Japan.

Grant Aldonas, under secretary for international trade at the US Department of Commerce, said at an East-West Centre luncheon that China has been more open on some issues than either Japan or South Korea. "China is willing to meet us more than halfway," he said.

He emphasized that this message must be better communicated in Washington, particularly to Congress, to avoid problems of the past. "We can't slip into the category of pointing fingers at them. It may not be China, it may be the home front."

The United States is refocusing attention on the Asia-Pacific, he said. "At the end of the day, the strongest and most dynamic growth rate is still in the Asia-Pacific region. We know where the future is. We have to make sure we are deeply anchored."

While multilateral trade agreements still "deliver the most," he said the United States will continue to negotiate bilateral agreements. The United States now has free trade agreements with Singapore and Chile. Talks on a free trade agreement have moved ahead with Australia, a strong US partner in the war on terrorism and the war in Iraq. The United States is also discussing trade issues with other countries including Jordan and Bahrain, he said.

Asked about the growing international perception that politics and trade have become more connected since the September 11 terrorist attacks, Aldonas said these issues have been given a "lot of thought."

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