U.S. – China WTO Accession Deal


THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary


For Immediate Release March 1, 2000



The U.S. – China WTO Accession Deal:
A Clear Win for U.S. High Technology, Greater Openness
And U.S. Interests
March 1, 2000

Information Technology Has Helped Transform the U.S. Economy and Fuel Record Growth. Information technology (IT) has made a crucial contribution to the new economy, helping to fuel record growth, higher wages, and changes in the way business is done. IT accounts for only 8% of total jobs, but has been responsible for nearly one-third of U.S. economic growth. Declining IT prices have lowered the overall inflation rate by nearly one percentage point. Wages in the IT industry are 77% higher than the private sector average.

Access to China’s Growing Market Is Vital to Maintaining U.S. Global Leadership in Information Technology.

Opening China’s Information Technology Market Will Help Integrate China Into The Global Economy and Fuel An Information Revolution in China. The WTO Agreement will make communication tools cheaper, better, and more widely available. It will enable Chinese businesses and consumers to connect with the global economy and advance China’s integration into that economy. It will increase the flow and exchange of information among Chinese and between China and the outside world, in ways that no amount of censorship or monitoring can completely control. This cannot help but promote the right kind of change in China.

China’s Accession to the WTO Will Open China’s High Technology Market to U.S. Firms, While Granting Permanent Normal Trade Relations Would Simply Maintain The Market Access Policies We Already Apply To China. China made significant, one-way market-opening concessions across the wide range of high technology products and services. The United States made no market opening concessions. China will eliminate information technology tariffs by 2005, grant trading and distribution rights by 2003, open its internet and telecom markets to investment and services, and provide stronger protection of intellectual property. This will allow the United States to participate in building China’s information infrastructure. The Agreement also eliminates distortive investment practices such as local content, forced technology transfer and export performance requirements that can displace U.S. jobs. The Only Way to Guarantee the Benefits of This Agreement is for Congress to grant China PNTR.

###

Examples of How The China WTO Accession Agreement
Will Help America’s High-Tech Industries
March 1, 2000

AMERICAN COMPUTER MANUFACTURERS CURRENTLY FACE HUGE BARRIERS WHEN EXPORTING TO CHINA. THIS WILL CHANGE WITH CHINA’S ACCESSION.

CHINA NOW PROHIBITS FOREIGN INVESTMENT IN TELECOMMUNICATIONS: THIS WILL CHANGE WITH CHINA’S ACCESSION



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Women's History Month 2000

The Minimum Wage: Increasing the Reward for Work

New Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit

Meeting with Religious Leaders

Women's History Month

New Public Private Initiative to reduce Weather Related Air Travel Delays

Gun Violence

Agreement with Smith & Wesson

Restoring

Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month

American Red Cross Month

Prescription Drug Plan

U.S. – China WTO Accession Deal

Common Sense Gun Laws

Irish-American Heritage Month

Civilian Research and Development

Patient's Bill of Rights

Joint Statement by President Clinton and Prime Minister Tony Blair of the UK

Vaccines to Developing Countires

Human Genome Project

Information Age

Semi-Finalists for 2000-2001 White House Fellowships

President Clinton Urges Congress to Pass Budget

Congressional Budget Resolution

Save your Vision Week

St. Patrick's Day, 2000

Clinton/Gore actions to Enhance America's Energy Security

Social Security Trustees Report - March 30, 2000

Strengthen America's Energy Security

Report Shows Unprecedented Progress

Proclamation: Cancer Control Month, 2000

National Poison Prevention Week

Education and Sharing Day, U.S.A., 2000

Greek Independence Day

Proclamation: National Child Abuse Prevention Month, 2000

Statement by the President on NPT

Common Sense Gun Legislation

Raising the Minimum Wage

U.S. --China WTO Accession Deal

U.S.- China WTO Agreement

Enforcement of The U.S. - China WTO Accession Deal


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