Locke urges China to lift investment restrictions

骆家辉呼吁中国减少在华投资限制

U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke urged the Chinese government on Wednesday to lift investment restrictions on foreign companies operating in the country.

In a speech at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington D.C., Locke expressed concerns over Chinese political transparency and intellectual property right protections in China.

"Now, a lack of transparency and lax intellectual property protections all indirectly make it less appealing for foreign companies to invest in China," Locke said.

Locke singled out China's revised foreign-investment catalogue, saying that the new catalogue did not meet the promises China made last year to lift prohibitions on industries dominated by U.S. firms.

But Locke also admitted that Chinese investment benefits the U.S. economy. China's foreign direct investment (FDI) "is good for American workers and good for American businesses," he said.

Locke made the remarks ahead of the annual U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue, which will be held on May 9-10 in Washington, DC.

According to the report jointly released by Asia Society's Center on U.S.-China Relations and the Kissinger Institute on China and the United States, China's outbound FDI will reach US$1 to $2 trillion by 2020 and will bring huge economic benefits to the U.S. The report also warned that the U.S. "may squander immense opportunities for employment and investment gains through political fear-mongering."

美国商务部长骆家辉4号呼吁中国政府减少对美国公司在华投资的限制。

美国商务部长骆家辉在华盛顿伍德罗威尔逊中心发表演说，批评了中国的政策透明度和知识产权保护力度的不足。

“目前，缺乏透明度和知识产权保护的松懈使得外国公司在中国的投资环境吸引力下降。”骆家辉表示。

骆家辉提到了中国最新修订的外商投资产业指导目录，认为该目录没有兑现去年中国所承诺的开放一些美国公司强项的投资领域。

但骆家辉同时也承认美国经济受惠于来自中国的投资。中国的对外直接投资“对美国工人是好事，对美国企业也是好事。”骆家辉说道。

骆家辉的此番演讲发表于中美战略经济对话前夕，本轮对话将于5月9-10日再华盛顿举行。

美国智库亚洲协会和基辛格中美关系研究所周三发布了一份起迄今止最为全面的中国对美直接投资的报告，报告显示2020年中国对外直接投资将高达1万至2万亿美元，可能给美国带来巨大经济利益。报告警告，如果美国在政治上宣扬恐华，会导致美国措施增加就业和投资的良机。