Us commerce chief seeks trade boost with china
| China's Commerce Minister Bo Xilai (L) shakes hands with U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez during a meeting in Beijing on Monday, Nov. 13, 2006. Gutierrez is visiting China in search of business opportunities and possible partnerships with Chinese companies. |
| Nov. 13 - U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez opened a visit to China on an upbeat note on Monday, saying the two countries had a "very positive foundation" as he seeks to promote U.S. business and close a gaping trade gap.
Gutierrez said his fourth trip to China as the top U.S. commerce official showed "the importance that we place on our relationship." "We are working off a very positive foundation," he told Chinese Commerce Minister Bo Xilai at the first of several meetings with senior Chinese officials. But Gutierrez, leading a delegation of over two dozen U.S. executives looking to expand business, has also said that he wants Beijing to do more to balance trade relations. "While China is more open than before, much progress must still be made to provide fair access to American exporters and businesses," he said in a statement issued before his arrival in Beijing. In September, the United States' overall trade deficit narrowed but its bilateral deficit with China continued to expand, according to U.S. figures issued last week. Imports from China increased 3.3 percent to a record $27.6 billion, and the U.S. trade deficit with that country grew 4.6 percent to a record $23.0 billion. The year-to-date trade deficit with China reached $166.3 billion, keeping at a pace to easily outrun last year's record of $202 billion. The executives accompanying Gutierrez include representatives of Westinghouse Electric, which has been pressing to win tenders for China's new generation of nuclear power plants, and Eli Lilly and Co., the pharmaceutical group.
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