Washington, D.C. – The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative presented to Congress today the 2015 annual report on China's compliance with its World Trade Organization (WTO) obligations. The report is statutorily mandated by Congress and highlights the status of China's policies and practices in the areas of trade and investment.
As this year’s report notes in its Executive Summary, since China acceded to the WTO fourteen years ago and began implementing the numerous commitments that it made, the data confirm a dramatic expansion in trade and investment among China and its many trading partners, including the United States. U.S. goods exports to China have increased 545% since 2001, and services exports have increased 733% in that time.
The report describes the various ways the Administration is working to hold China to their WTO commitments, including in key areas like intellectual property rights enforcement and the protection of trade secrets; China’s industrial policies and support for state-owned enterprises; services; agricultural policies; and transparency.
The report also provides comprehensive information on the status of the trade and investment commitments that China has made through the U.S.-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade and the U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue. Outcomes achieved through those dialogues in 2015 can be found here.
Looking ahead, the report commits the United States to the continued vigorous pursuit of outcome-oriented dialogue and enforcement of U.S. trade rights:
In 2016, the Administration will continue to vigorously pursue increased benefits for U.S. businesses, workers, farmers, ranchers and service providers from our trade and economic ties with China. The Administration will use all available tools to achieve these objectives, including the pursuit of productive, outcome-oriented dialogue in both bilateral and multilateral settings, as well as the vigorous use of enforcement mechanisms, where appropriate.
The complete report can be found here.
