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| US Secretary of Commerce John Bryson (C) addresses Chinese Vice Premier Wang Qishan during their meeting in the 22nd session of the China-US Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT) in Chengdu, the capital of China's southwestern province of Sichuan, on November 21 |
"Many in the United States, including the business community and the Congress, are moving towards a more negative view on our trading relationship," Bryson said during the two-day talks, which began Sunday in the southwestern city of Chengdu.
"We must produce concrete, meaningful results in areas including improving protection of intellectual property rights, non-discriminatory innovation policies and additional opportunities for American investors."
The atmosphere at the meeting was expected to be frosty as US lawmakers, under increasing pressure to spur jobs growth as they enter an election year, heap blame on Chinese trade policies for their economic woes.
US President Barack Obama said recently that Beijing had not done enough to allow its yuan currency to reach a fair market value and called on a now "grown up" China to act more responsibly -- provoking an angry response from China's state-run media.
Last month, the US Senate passed legislation that would punish China for alleged currency manipulation, raising hackles in Beijing, where Chinese media warned it could spark a trade war between the two countries.
Vice Premier Wang Qishan, China's top official on financial affairs, said the Asian country had made "positive progress" in addressing US concerns, with Washington arguing that China undervalues the yuan to make its exports cheaper.
He called on the Americans to "avoid politicisation of economic issues" -- a thinly veiled reference to strident US criticism of China's currency policy.
"An unbalanced recovery is better than a balanced recession," Wang told the meeting.
Wang said he hoped the US side would "make substantive progress" in relaxing controls on high-tech exports to China and "exercise caution" in taking action against Chinese shipments, a key driver of the world's second-largest economy.
He also called on the United States to ensure a level playing field for Chinese companies investing in the world's economic superpower.
US and Chinese officials will hold talks on Monday morning before giving separate media briefings in the afternoon.
