Gary Locke: We are seeking level play field of trade

Gary Locke, U.S. Ambassador to China, had an online communication with Chinese netizens at the Qiangguo Forum, People’s Daily Online, on the afternoon of April 13, 2012.

People’s Daily Online: Not long ago, the United States announced to set up the Interagency Trade Enforcement Center to monitor the trade actions of foreign countries including China. Can you introduce it to us?

Locke: We are trying to level the play field for U.S. companies that want to sale into Chinese market and want to invest here. America is one of the most open economies in the world. Almost no sectors that are off limits to Chinese investment. But in many cases and many sectors in China, foreign participation is limited to less than 50 percent. Many cases for foreign companies cannot invest or even cannot start business in many sectors here in China. So we are seeking a more level play field.

The reality is that only about 3 percent of all the goods coming from China into the United States are subject to this type of penalties. Roughly the same percents of the U.S. goods coming into China are subject to the penalties. So most of the goods flowing between our two countries are not subject to the penalties.

Both countries need to make sure that no country, no company of either country, is selling goods into each other at low normal market prices.