On March 6th, in Beijing, China's Minister of Commerce, Chen Yuming, criticized the U.S. for its unilateral export restrictions on China since 2007, calling them unfair and harmful to both sides. He argued that these measures have not only intensified trade tensions but also negatively impacted American exporters and manufacturers, hindering the U.S. government's efforts to boost employment and restore economic growth.
Speaking at a press conference during the Third Session of the 11th National People's Congress, Chen noted that President Obama had previously announced an ambitious goal of doubling U.S. exports within five years, aiming to make the U.S. the world’s largest trade exporter. While China acknowledged the U.S. intent to rebalance its economy, Chen warned that continued export restrictions on a major emerging economy like China would make it difficult to achieve balanced trade relations.
He questioned the logic of discussing trade surpluses and deficits if bilateral trade was not free or fair, emphasizing that such imbalances were not solely China's fault. Chen also highlighted that current U.S. controls on Chinese exports are "very strict," tracing back to the post-1949 "Basic Agreement" and subsequent trade restrictions imposed on 19 countries, with additional restrictions on China introduced in 2007.
Recent Sino-U.S. trade tensions have escalated, with the U.S. Department of Commerce imposing temporary anti-dumping duties ranging from 132.74% to 349% on Chinese magnesia carbon bricks. Earlier this month, the U.S. also issued a preliminary countervailing duty ruling on two cases involving Chinese copper plates and phosphates.
According to China's government work report, the external environment remains highly complex and uncertain. The global recovery is still fragile, and trade protectionism is on the rise. In 2009 alone, over 100 trade disputes involved Chinese products, totaling around $12 billion—double the amount from the same period the previous year.
Despite these challenges, Chen Yuming emphasized that the overall trend of mutual benefit and win-win cooperation between China and the U.S. remains unchanged. Both nations have established internal mechanisms to address trade issues, including a joint study released on March 4th titled "Study on the Statistical Differences of Sino-US Trade in Goods," which aimed to clarify long-standing discrepancies in trade data.
Chen also clarified common misconceptions about China's trade surplus. While China recorded a trade surplus of $290 billion in 2008, this represented a small fraction of its total foreign trade volume of over $2.5 trillion. Moreover, 73% of the surplus came from the U.S., while China runs trade deficits with most neighboring countries and over 50 developing nations.
In line with its broader trade strategy, China aims not only to stabilize exports but also to promote balanced development through increased imports of advanced equipment, components, and raw materials. It has called on developed countries, including the U.S. and Europe, to ease restrictions on Chinese goods.
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