Shen Danyang, spokesman for the Ministry of Commerce, speaks at a news conference on March 17, 2012. [Yang Jia/china.org.cn]

China has welcomed the U.S. decision to relax the limitations on its high-tech exports to China, but hopes the U.S. will undertake real steps to support this move, said Shen Danyang, spokesman for the Ministry of Commerce at a news conference on April 17.

His remark came after U.S. president Barack Obama and several U.S. officials on different occasions have stated that Washington has been in the process of amending its policies on exports of high-tech products to China.

Forty-six of the 141 high-tech items China would like to import, will be allowed to enter the Chinese market, U.S. Ambassador to China Gary Locke said last month during a trip to Shanghai.

The ambassador also told reporters that the U.S. embassy will lead a business delegation to Shanghai in May and hold talks with Chinese firms who are interested in purchasing U.S. high technologies.

"We have noticed that some American officials have stated or hinted that they have considered rethinking the policies that ban China from buying U.S. high-tech goods. And we have also noticed that the U.S. is carrying out a reform on its export regulation system that will enable the export of more high-tech goods to China,"said Shen.

"But so far we haven't seen any further tangible actions being taken,"he said.

In March, Minister of Commerce Chen Deming said that it was not the first time that he heard the U.S. say it would relax restrictions on high-tech product exports to China, but so far he hasn't seen any concrete measures taken by the U.S. to fully address the issue.

"Washington has promised to ease the limitations on high-tech exports to China many times, but it was seemingly only paying lip service as no substantial changes were made,"said Zhou Shijian, a senior researcher at the China-U.S. Relation Research Center affiliated with Tsinghua University.

He Weiwen, co-chair of the China-U.S.-Europe Research Center of China International Trade Society, pointed out that the U.S. has long perceived China as a potential rival and lacks trust in the China-US trade relations.

Commenting on the U.S. decision to allow more high-technology exports shipped to China, he said he doubted its sincerity.

"So far, at least, the U.S. hasn't taken any real action to propel trade with China,"he said.

Contact the writer of this story at: hes@china.org.cn.