Progress Made on U.S.-China Trade, but Currency Roadblock Remains
December 17, 2010 at 05:00 AM EST
The United States and China this week wrapped up a two-day meeting on trade that was aimed at cooling rising tensions between the two nations. Still, despite the progress, currency valuations and trade tariffs will continue to be a fixture of both countries' foreign policies. The U.S. trade deficit with China this year could top $270 billion, surpassing the 2008 record of $268 billion. U.S. policymakers blame China's undervalued currency and government subsidies for the imbalance. China's disregard for intellectual property rights and bias towards its own domestic companies are also major points of contention. In a rare show of conciliation, China during Wednesday's trade talks agreed to loosen some of its trade restrictions and better enforce intellectual-property rights on the Mainland -especially to curtail rampant software piracy that costs software makers an estimated $7.9 billion a year in lost revenue.