The US-China Business Council is pleased with substantive discussions held between the two countries, but emphasizes progress should include a mechanism for the removal of tariffs and measurable, commercially meaningful outcomes.
WASHINGTON - January 9, 2019 - In response to the US Trade Representative's statement about recent negotiations in Beijing, US-China Business Council (USCBC) President Craig Allen said:
“The US-China Business Council is pleased that the two governments had substantive discussions over the past three days. We look forward to hearing details about the negotiations.
“We urge both governments to use the time remaining in the 90-day negotiating period to make tangible progress on the important issues at the core of the current dispute: equal treatment of foreign companies in China, as well as China’s intellectual property and technology transfer policies. That progress should include a regularized, results-oriented government-to-government dialogue that produces measurable, commercially meaningful outcomes addressing the concerns of American companies.
“In addition, any agreement between the governments should include positive incentives when China produces milestone deliverables, including a mechanism for removing US tariffs and Chinese retaliatory tariffs as progress is made. Removal of these tariffs must be a priority, to address the damage that has been done to American companies that depend on trade with China, and to the US economy as a whole.
“USCBC will continue to work with both governments to ensure these outcomes are realized and tackle additional areas of concern during the remainder of the 90 days and beyond.”
