Yesterday, Rep. Rick Larsen (WA-02) and Rep. Charles Boustany (LA-07), chairs of the Congressional U.S.-China Working Group, met with Chinese Vice Premier Wang Qishan to discuss the U.S.-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT) and other issues. Following the meeting, Representative Larsen released the following statement:

"Vice Premier Wang, Representative Boustany and I had a very positive and constructive dialogue about the issues facing the U.S. and China. 

“Representative Boustany and I made it clear to the Vice Premier that Congress must see results from the JCCT and the summit between Chinese President Hu Jintao and President Obama taking place in January.

"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.

"China must move away from isolated one-time announcements of business deals and move toward a more consistent set of purchases of U.S. products that will reap long-term benefits for both countries.

“We discussed the need for peace and stability in Asia and the importance of keeping the Korean peninsula free of nuclear weapons. 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.

"In my view, Vice Premier Wang understands that Congress is watching this relationship very closely and is looking for results on many fronts."

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