On his second day of meetings in Beijing, Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Demetrios Marantis continued discussions on a range of important trade and investment topics, highlighting in every meeting serious U.S. concerns about China's "indigenous innovation" policies.
Ambassador Marantis's meeting with the Vice Chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission, Zhang Xiaoqiang, also covered a number of investment topics, including matters related to initiatives under the Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT). Ambassador Marantis and Commerce Deputy Under Secretary Michelle O'Neill then met with Vice Minister Ma Xiuhong, their Chinese counterpart on the JCCT, and covered a number of JCCT matters.
Ambassador Marantis also met with Vice Minister Yuan Shuhong from China's State Council Legislative Affairs Office. Among other topics, they discussed a recent measure issued by the State Council that should greatly improve the transparency of China's regulatory process. Ambassador Marantis then met with Vice Minister Cao Jianlin from the Ministry of Science and Technology, a lead agency on China's innovation policy, where discussion focused on many facets of the "indigenous innovation" issue.
Ambassador Marantis ended his day at a gathering of U.S. business people from China and the Asia-Pacific to hear their "on the ground" perspectives on China and other Asia-Pacific issues, including APEC and the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
Ambassador Marantis and Vice Minister Cao Jianlin
