Press Releases

Today, U.S. Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02) released the following statement about today’s meeting between Chinese President Hu’s and Members of Congressional Leadership. Larsen is the co-chair of the bipartisan U.S.-China Working Group (USCWG).

"I am pleased President Hu had the opportunity to meet with Members of Congress during his visit to the United States.

“The US-China relationship is the most important bilateral relationship in the world and it’s critical President Hu hears from Members about those issues that are of particular importance to them.

“The U.S and China play key roles in ensuring peace and stability in Asia. Both countries must continue to work to keep the Korean peninsula free of nuclear weapons. In particular, China must do all it can to ensure North Korea renounces its recent provocative actions and takes immediate steps to eliminate its nuclear weapons program.

“Economically, the U.S. and China must continue to work together to improve access to the Chinese market for U.S. companies. At the top of the list is breaking the link between Chinese government procurement and domestic innovation. This puts U.S. companies at a disadvantage and unfairly tilts the playing field toward domestic Chinese companies. China must move forward on protecting intellectual property rights. Last year, the US software industry lost $8 billion as a result of China's lack of IPR protection, translating to as many as 60,000 U.S. jobs lost. Additionally, Congress will need to see continued appreciation in the value of the RMB. The Chinese currency has appreciated about 3 percent against the US dollar since June 19 – positive movement that must continue.

“I look forward to continued dialogue between the US and China on these issues."

###