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Washington Seeks Fairer US-China Trade Relations | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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Washington launched the first round of trade talks with China since Donald Trump took office in an unusually blunt manner Wednesday, demanding more “fair, equitable and reciprocal” relationship, with more access to American made goods and services.

“If this were just the natural product of free market forces, we could understand it, but it’s not,” Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said. He also insisted change was necessary.

“So it is time to rebalance our trade and investment relationship in a more fair, equitable and reciprocal manner,” Ross said in the opening ceremony of the one-day meeting between the world’s top two economies.

Noting the more than 200 percent surge in Chinese exports to the United States in the last 15 years, creating a trade deficit of $309 billion last year.

The talks are a continuation of the process undertaken by the previous two administrations, which the Trump administration has rebranded as the US-China Comprehensive Economic Dialogue (CED).

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the talks with the Chinese delegation led by Vice Premier Wang Yang would focus on concrete steps to provide greater access and a “level playing field” for US companies to the world’s second largest market.

“We need to work together to maximize the benefit for both sides. But this is only possible if there is a more fair and balanced economic relationship between the US and China,” reported AFP cited Mnuchin.

“It means addressing the imbalances cause by the Chinese intervention in its economy,” he said, adding: “A more balanced economic relationship will create prosperity for our two countries and the world.”

During his campaign, Trump attacked China for unfair trade practices, but his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at his Florida resort in April prompted a change of rhetoric and the launch of a 100-day economic cooperation plan.

Wang said the key point about the meeting is the two countries are “having dialogue, not confrontation.”

“We don’t need to defeat each other in handling differences,” he cautioned, stressing that “confrontation will immediately damage the interests of both” countries.

Wang quoted a passage from Trump’s 2009 business advice book “Think Like a Champion” — which in turn was quoting industry pioneer Henry Ford — saying, “Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.”

“China is ready to work together.”