Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The United States is studying whether it can legally challenge Chinese Internet restrictions that hurt Google and other US companies operating in China, but direct talks with Beijing might yield faster results, the top US trade official said yesterday
"We are still dialoguing not just with Google, but with other Internet providers, to make sure we fully understand what is happening in China," US Trade Representative Ron Kirk said in remarks at the National Press Club.
At the same time, US trade officials are "trying to make our own determination whether we believe in fact this is not WTO compliant and if the best resolution is to go forward and file an appeal," Kirk said.
A case challenging censorship practices that affect Google and other Internet providers who operate in China would be the first of its kind at the WTO.
A US free speech group known as the First Amendment Coalition had been urging such a case for years before Google threatened to leave China in January due to hacking incidents and Web restrictions.
Kirk said trying to resolve the issue through bilateral forums such as the US-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT) was "much more preferable than the uncertain path of what can be a two-, three-, four-year legal battle in the WTO."
US companies cannot wait that long for a solution in the current economic environment, although the United States will not hesitate to go to the WTO when that is the only solution it has left, Kirk said.
Kirk noted Google and China have been in "very intense negotiations" since the company's threat to leave.
On another matter, Kirk said the United States also hoped to persuade China to change "indigenous innovation" rules favoring companies that develop the intellectual property for new products in China.
The government procurement policy is intended to spur Chinese companies to be more innovative, but the United States argues it is essentially a trade barrier that does not reflect how products are developed in the global economy.
"This was one of the prime topics of concern" in preparatory talks with the Chinese for two upcoming high-level bilateral forums, the US-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue this spring and the JCCT next fall, Kirk said.
"Our objective is just to get the government's thumb off the scale," Kirk said.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments