U.S. $124 billion trade deficit with China last year -- Ascending Light

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Date Posted: 07:07:35 06/23/04 Wed
Author: Weird_Enigma
Author Host/IP: 172.144.231.26
Subject: U.S. $124 billion trade deficit with China last year
In reply to: Weird_Enigma 's message, "China economy in overdrive" on 11:42:40 05/29/04 Sat

U.S. to press China on Corning dispute

Follow WTO rules, commerce chief urges

ELAINE KURTENBACH

Associated Press

BEIJING - U.S. Commerce Secretary Don Evans plans to press Chinese officials over a trade complaint against optical-fiber maker Corning Inc., calling on Beijing to ensure the case is handled in line with World Trade Organization rules.

The complaint that Corning hurt Chinese producers by selling fiber at unjustifiably low prices is among a series of recent anti-dumping cases brought by China. The Corning, N.Y.-based company denies the accusations.

Evans said Tuesday he would take up that case and other issues in meetings with Chinese Deputy Prime Minister Wu Yi and other officials.

"I am concerned about the recent anti-dumping filing against Corning," he told reporters. "I will be saying that we expect the process not only to be open and transparent, but that we expect their laws to be consistent with their World Trade Organization obligations."

Later Tuesday, the Chinese government announced it would extend its investigation of optical-fiber imports by six months. In a notice posted on its Web site, the Ministry of Commerce cited the "special and complicated nature" of the case.

Corning once thrived in North Carolina, with the company or its subsidiaries employing more than 4,000 people in 2001. Grateful communities welcomed the economic diversity and the high-paying jobs the fiber-optics giant brought.

That picture has radically changed, however, as the company and the sector dealt with the economic downturn and the drastic drop-off in orders. In 2002, Corning mothballed its optical-fiber plant in Midland in Cabarrus County, a facility that once employed 900 people. A Corning spokeswoman told the Observer as recently as this month that it remains unclear when the plant would reopen.

In Hickory, a Corning subsidiary saw its work force drop from roughly 3,500 in 2001 to around 1,200 last year.

The visit by Evans and U.S. Labor Secretary Elaine Chao, which began Monday, comes amid a dispute over anti-dumping duties imposed by Washington on Chinese-made furniture. It is one of 17 U.S. anti-dumping orders on Chinese products.

Chinese furniture makers have protested the duties of up to 198 percent on wooden beds, desks and other items, which were announced after a U.S. Commerce Department ruling Friday. They could take effect next week.

Washington also has proposed anti-dumping duties on Chinese-made color televisions.

A Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Zhang Qiyue, said China hopes such disputes can be handled through "dialogue and negotiation ... instead of anti-dumping investigations and other protective measures."

Evans urged Beijing to help "break down trade barriers" that he said contribute to America's trade deficit with China.

The United States recorded a $124 billion trade deficit with China last year, an all-time high with any country.

Evans also called on China to do a better job protecting patents and other intellectual property, saying violations hurt both Chinese and foreign companies.

Such efforts need to be stronger, "not just at the central government level but at the provincial level and at the city level," he said.

China's thriving industry in product piracy routinely violates copyrights, trademarks and patents on movies, designer clothes and other goods, despite promises by Beijing to crack down.

Evans and Chao visited an auto parts factory run by Milwaukee-based Johnson Controls Inc. to highlight what they said were mutual advantages from increased trade.

The factory supplies seats and other auto interior components to Beijing Hyundai Motors Co. It uses products supplied by U.S. manufacturers including Dow Chemical Co.

"A plant like this shows the worldwide economy in which we all operate," Chao said. .

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Staff writer Adam Bell contributed to this article

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