US pledges transparent, open investment environment

Chinese Commerce Minister Chen Deming said here Wednesday that the United States has reaffirmed its welcome for Chinese investments and pledge to maintain a transparent and open investment environment.

Chen made the remarks at a press conference after the conclusion of the plenary session of the 23rd Session of China-U.S. Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT), which was co-chaired by Chinese Vice Premier Wang Qishan, acting U.S. Commerce Secretary Rebecca Blank and U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk.

The U.S. side welcomes Chinese investments and has pledged to promote high-tech exports for civilian purposes to China and process China's applications for such imports in a timely manner, Chen said.

The U.S. government, he added, has also vowed to continue to consider further relaxing its control on exporting dual-use products to China, and strengthen cooperation on the civilian use of high technology in the nuclear energy sector.

At the meeting, the two sides held discussions on U.S. concerns about China's intellectual property rights protection, technology transfer, government procurement, agricultural trade and strategic emerging industries.

The two sides signed two documents, namely a memorandum of understanding in support of China-U.S. trade cooperation and the second phase report on the statistical discrepancy of merchandise trade.

They also achieved a variety of consensuses on promoting bilateral trade and business ties.

At a separate news conference, Kirk highly praised the unique and successful role played by the JCCT in advancing China-U.S. economic engagement through addressing differences and resolving obstacles hampering the development of bilateral trade and economic relations.

For her part, Blank said that this JCCT meeting was strategically important as it was held at a time of government transitions in the two largest economies of the world. It provided a platform for building a stronger bilateral relationship, she added.

Established in 1983, the JCCT is a platform for China and the United States to promote trade relations and address issues of mutual concern.