Locke urges level playing field for US firms

By Wan Zhihong (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2009-07-15 17:08

US companies need to be treated fairly in China, US Commerce Secretary Gary Locke said today in an exclusive interview with China Daily.

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For instance, he pointed to occasions where the distribution of Chinese stimulus money was limited to Chinese companies making goods in China. While the central government’s policy does not actually include those restrictions, Locke said that often local government officials interpret the rules this way and therefore end up hurting US companies and the Chinese workers they employ.

While it is natural that most countries will favor domestic production in a recession, Locke said, “We just want to make sure there is a level playing field for the US companies to compete.”

Locke said this includes stronger intellectual property protections, which would help encourage innovation both within and outside China’s borders.

He also said that it was important to help US companies better share their technology, products, and services with Chinese companies to help them develop more modern, environmentally friendly policies and goods.