China offers a large and growing market for U.S. businesses. However, the Chinese government engages in harmful trade and investment practices that prevent U.S. companies from competing on a level playing field against Chinese domestic competitors.

 

Business Roundtable strongly supports the following reforms for liberalizing the Chinese market and ensuring fair treatment of foreign companies in China. These reforms present new trade rules, enhancing World Trade Organization rules, focused on: increased market access; nondiscriminatory treatment in the application of Chinese laws, regulations, and policies; protections against intellectual property theft and technology transfer; curbing of competition distorting subsidies; and liberalized trade in the digital economy.

 

When U.S. companies can access global markets and compete fairly, the United States wins. The Administration should use the priorities outlined in this document to guide their objectives for trade negotiations with China. Progress against these objectives, rather than a temporary reduction in the trade deficit, should be the measure of success. Moreover, we should work with our allies to seek sustained progress, since it will take a large group of trading partners to drive this level of change. Finally, we should pursue these objectives through negotiations and consider trade and investment sanctions as a last resort if negotiations fail to address our concerns.