CHINA

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18 April 2006
China's Political, Economic Freedoms Should Be Equal

By Jane Morse
Washington File Staff Writer

Washington -- China's political freedoms should equal the great economic freedoms its people now enjoy, according to two senior U.S. officials.

The two spoke on background and without attribution to foreign media representatives attending an April 17 press briefing in Washington.

"China's economic expansion has been remarkable over the last two decades, and the economic freedoms China's population now enjoys are substantial," one U.S. official said. "But unfortunately, political freedom has lagged in China." (See related article.)

The official said President Bush will continue to make the point to Chinese President Hu Jintao that China's leaders "cannot let their population increasingly experience the freedom to buy, sell and produce while denying them the right to assemble, speak and worship as they choose."

Hu, who will meet with Bush April 20-21, is making his first visit to Washington since assuming all three top posts in the Chinese government -- president, chairman of the Central Military Commission and secretary-general of the Chinese Communist Party. Hu originally had been scheduled to visit in September 2005, but his trip was postponed because of Hurricane Katrina.

The U.S. officials stressed that the two presidents are comfortable with each other, having met five times in 2005. At least four more meetings are planned for 2006.

"These two men know each other well by now, and they can engage, therefore, in in-depth, pragmatic discussion of real issues of concern," the officials said. Hu also will be meeting with Vice President Cheney and members of the U.S. Congress during his visit.

The two U.S. officials described the visit as "a real opportunity for President Hu and the Chinese delegation to speak to the American people…. This is a chance to explain where China is and speak to the American people about where China wants to go."

Hu will spend four days in the United States, beginning April 18 in Seattle. He is also expected to give a speech April 21 at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut.

CHINA'S GROWING INTERNATIONAL OUTLOOK

In the last 25 years, the U.S. officials said, China has evolved from being "a rather self-absorbed nation to one that now understands that it has international responsibilities."

"China has joined us in the struggle against terrorism, proliferation, combating avian flu and other epidemic diseases, and has joined a clean development initiative, among other things," the officials said.

According to the officials, Bush and Hu will likely discuss:

• China's responsibilities as a member of the United Nations Security Council, particularly on the issue of Iran's nuclear ambitions;

• China's role in urging North Korea to return to the Six-Party Talks aimed at ensuring that the Korean Peninsula will be free of nuclear weapons; and

• China's military expansion.

U.S.-CHINESE ECONOMIC TIES

The U.S. officials said the economic relationship between the United States and China "is mutually beneficial," but that more needs to be done to balance those benefits for both sides and both countries.

China is the United States' third-largest trading partner and fastest growing export market, the officials said. But China also has the largest bilateral trade surplus with the United States.

"We have worked hard over the course of this administration to address the problems that have arisen in the bilateral economic relationship," the officials said. "We have done this by urging China to further open its market, by encouraging structural reforms to level the playing field in our trading relationship."

The officials said important steps were taken during the April 11 meeting of the Joint Committee on Commerce and Trade, co-chaired by the U.S. secretary of commerce, the U.S. trade representative and Chinese Vice Premier Wu Yi. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns also participated. (See related article.)

China committed during the meeting to:

• Reopen its market to exports of U.S. beef;

• Require all computer sales to include preloaded legitimate software, which will be an important step forward in the protection of intellectual property rights; and

• Participate in negotiations to join the World Trade Organization's government procurement agreement, which will help open the Chinese government procurement market more fully to American companies trying to sell to the Chinese government.

During his meeting with Hu, Bush also is expected to highlight the continued lack of change in China's exchange rate, the officials said.

For more information on U.S. policy, see The United States and China.

The transcript of the briefing is available on the State Department Web site.

(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)

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