US trade chief Susan Schwab says she will make a three-day visit to China starting on Sunday to further strengthen bilateral economic relations in efforts to help cut the US' record trade deficit, and push the Asian nation to curb intellectual property thefts.
Schwab said late on Wednesday that during a meeting with Chinese Commerce Minister Bo Xilai (
"China is likely to be a major beneficiary of a successful Doha round and is certain to a major loser if the Doha round fails. We have a shared interest in seeing a successful Doha round," she said on the sidelines of meetings with Southeast Asian trade ministers.
WTO
The 149-nation WTO suspended negotiations in the global trade liberalization talks last month, largely over differences on farm tariffs and subsidies.
Schwab hailed initial efforts by the Chinese to crack down on the theft of US copyrights and patents, including a commitment to require that all personal computers sold in China have factory-installed operating programs as a way of reducing the pirating of US computer software.
US companies claim that intellectual property thefts in China are costing them billions of dollars in lost sales annually.
"That is an important step in the right direction," she said. "We still have some issues that still need to be addressed. Some related to China's commitment under the WTO, obligations that have not been fulfilled. Issues related to intellectual property rights that are still quite problematic. Issues related to auto parts."
Schwab declined to say if she will push China to allow the yuan to rise in value against the dollar as a way of lowering the US trade deficit but said that as bilateral trade has grown, China clearly has benefited.
"US exports to China have gone up 20 percent or more per year for the last several years. Obviously China's exports to US have gone up rapidly as well," she said.
`Good news'
"Clearly this is a trading relationship that benefits the Chinese. So there is some good news in terms of the strength of the bilateral trade relationship and we'll talk about that," Schwab said.
The US trade deficit with China soared to US$202 billion last year, the biggest imbalance ever with a single country.
Some US manufacturers contend China is unfairly depressing the value of the yuan by as much as 40 percent to make their goods cheaper and more competitive against US products.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft