U.S. Secretary of Commerce Don Evans will arrive in China Sunday on a four-day trip during which he will meet with Chinese officials to discuss trade, including several technology-related items, the U.S. Department of Commerce said Thursday.
Evans’ message will centre on what the U.S. sees as uneven level of competition between the two countries, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce.
“China’s current trade practices are exploiting our open markets and are creating an unfair advantage that is undercutting American workers,” Evans said in a statement. “Americans are willing to compete, on even terms, with China and any other country in the world as long as it is fair.”
Among the items slated for discussion are “rampant piracy” of intellectual property in China, which encompasses a range of products including optical discs, drugs and glass, and “forced transfer of technology from firms launching joint ventures in China.”
Evans’ visit follows recent meetings in Beijing between U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Robert Zoellick and senior Chinese officials and is part of an eight-day trip to Asia. After leaving China he will travel to Tokyo and meet with Japanese trade officials.