Although a China-US Free Trade Agreement may be timely, is it wise?
Bilateral trade talks are typically launched in the spirit of lofty goals and mutual enthusiasm, but the reality is often something else, especially if the trade partner is the United States.
With the US, the process can be frustrating and even ugly, because Congress has the final word on all trade agreements. A US Trade Representative may put in a star performance as chief negotiator, but he can only initial the final document before turning it over to Congress.
Over the past 20 years, the US has entered into 20 FTAs, including four this year, and several multilateral agreements, but they have had a minimal impact on US' overall trade position as they are mainly with small countries. Yet each agreement was subject to intense scrutiny and inexcusable delays which left both sides wondering whether it was worth the time and effort.
President Barack Obama finds himself in a dilemma on the issue of trade. He values the importance of trade and sees exports as vital to boosting the US economy. Yet, he cannot ignore the protectionist forces within the Democratic Party, especially organized labor, which strongly opposes most trade agreements.
The Obama administration's single trade initiative is the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which includes nine Asian countries. The US already has FTAs with four of the partner nations, so why is it necessary to do an additional trade agreement? If the economic future is with Asia, why exclude China and Japan, the region's two largest economies?
Robert Zoellick, who launched a series of FTAs when he was the US Trade Representative for the George W. Bush administration, hit the nail on the head when he said, "trade agreements are more about politics than economics".
Obviously the Obama administration sees the Trans-Pacific Partnership as a geopolitical strategy that will serve to enhance America's position in Asia and provide something of a protective shield for Asian countries who may feel threatened by China's growing influence in the region.
Bilateral trade agreements aim to open markets, lower tariffs and remove trade barriers, but China is already opening its markets. Last year, US exports to China totaled more than $100 billion.
Wei Jianguo, former deputy minister of commerce and now head of the China Center for International Economic Exchanges, rightly points to the complimentary benefits that FTAs bring to participating countries and asks, "Why shouldn't we consider establishing a FTA between the world's two largest economies?" But he too recognizes the "political considerations" that would come into play.
Today the challenge is more about contentious trade disputes than market access. The US' trade laws, such as the anti-dumping and countervailing duties, are directed at non-market economies, which make China a primary target. Such actions are well suited for US domestic industries which rely on Congressional support of petitions to the Department of Commerce and the International Trade Commission that call for imposing import duties to protect US producers.
And that is how the game is played in Washington, where anxiety about China's economic strength is the breeding ground for political mischief and controversy that will likely doom any chance of gaining Congressional approval for a China-US FTA.
However, despite this, going through the process is worth the effort, as it will demonstrate China's willingness to participate in establishing and playing by the rules that govern international trade, countering US worries that China's giant State-owned enterprises have an unfair advantage in the global economy. The mere announcement of bilateral trade negotiations demonstrates a mutual commitment to taking the higher ground in improving trade relations that is certain to deliver political benefits to both countries.
The author is a former US congressman and an expert on international trade and investment. He is an executive vice-president at APCO Worldwide.
主站蜘蛛池模板： 处处吻动漫高清在线观看| 日本口工全彩无遮拦漫画大| 免费a级毛片18以上观看精品| 野花香高清在线观看视频播放免费| 国产精品亚洲一区二区无码| 亚洲欧美综合区自拍另类| 精品国产乱码久久久久久1区2区 | 欧美成人午夜视频在线观看| 人妻体内射精一区二区| 精品久久久无码人妻字幂| 国产18禁黄网站免费观看| 足本玉蒲团在线观看| 国产成人无码AⅤ片在线观看| 老司机精品免费视频| 国产精品第一页爽爽影院| 中文字幕乱码一区二区免费 | 人人澡人人澡人人澡| 精品久久久久久无码专区不卡| 四虎永久在线精品国产馆v视影院| 韩国公和熄三级在线观看| 国产成人女人毛片视频在线| 亚洲伦理中文字幕| 国产精品内射久久久久欢欢| 911亚洲精品| 国产麻传媒精品国产AV| 99re国产精品视频首页| 外国毛片在线观看| japanese国产在线观看| 女人笫一次一级毛片| 久久福利视频导航| 最近中文字幕大全高清视频| 亚洲乱码国产乱码精品精| 欧美国产精品不卡在线观看| 亚洲成a人片在线观看久| 欧美添下面视频免费观看| 亚洲欧美日韩精品久久亚洲区色播| 永久在线免费观看港片碟片| 亚洲精品无码专区在线在线播放| 爱情岛在线视频免费观看网址| 亚洲视频国产精品| 波多野结衣一区在线|