China yesterday criticized a revised US regulation which
tightens controls over high-technology exports to the country.
By imposing restrictions on more categories, Washington has
ignored China's efforts at enlarging imports from the United
States, which will negatively affect the process of balancing
two-way trade, Yao Shenhong, a spokesman for the Ministry of
Commerce, said yesterday.
He was responding to the latest US rule on dual-use high-tech
exports to China, published by the US Department of Commerce last
Friday.
According to the regulation, the licensing requirements are
expanded to a list of items covering 20 product categories and
associated technologies and software, which the US government
defined as those that "could contribute to China's military
modernization".
Items subject to the new military end-use controls include
aircraft, avionics and inertial navigation systems, lasers,
depleted uranium, and some telecommunications equipment for space
communications or air defense. The list was compiled by the US
state, commerce and defense departments.
A US rule last year targeting China requires licenses for many
items not previously controlled, and affected 47 categories of
high-tech products.
China has been striving to narrow its trade surplus with the
United States by importing more high-technology products.
"The new regulation increases the costs for Chinese firms
involved in high-technology trade and hurt their confidence in
conducting trade with the US," Yao said.
The new rule imposes "irrational barriers" to bilateral trade,
without considering Chinese views, he added.
US Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez said in a press
statement on Friday that "this new rule strikes the right balance
in our complex relationship with China".
"It is a common-sense approach that will make it easier for US
companies to sell to pre-screened civilian customers in China,
while at the same time denying access to US technology that would
contribute to China's military. The steps we are taking today are
good for national security, and for American exporters and
jobs."
The American Chamber of Commerce, representing US businesses,
claimed in a report published earlier this year that the draft rule
would not effectively advance US policy objectives and would
instead have the undesirable effect of needlessly penalizing US
businesses.
(China Daily June 20, 2007)