【英语中国】中国积极应对美高官访华

Chinese leaders called for enhanced dialogue and cooperation with the U.S. in meetings with visiting White House officials, signaling Beijing's concern that tensions over currency and other issues are again threatening ties between the world's two key economies.

China and the U.S. 'should not regard each other as rivals,' Premier Wen Jiabao said Tuesday in a meeting with U.S. National Economic Council Director Lawrence Summers and Deputy National Security Adviser Thomas Donilon. 'Currently the mainstay of China-U.S. relations is dialogue and cooperation. The two countries should overcome disturbance and move forward firmly.'

Mr. Summers and Mr. Donilon arrived Sunday for a series of meetings with senior Chinese officials that ends Wednesday. The trip marks the start of several months of active, high-level U.S.-China diplomacy, including expected visits by Mr. Wen and Chinese President Hu Jintao to the U.S.

The officials have a range of thorny issues to deal with, from U.S. frustration over China's currency policy to Chinese anger over U.S. involvement in the South China Sea. Economic and trade issues could come to a head soon with U.S. Congressional hearings on China's currency policies next week and midterm elections looming in November.

So far, China has accentuated the positive in official accounts of this week's meetings, which haven't mentioned the currency.

Vice Premier Wang Qishan, in a separate meeting Tuesday, said the U.S. and China should 'avoid politicizing economic matters.' China and the U.S. 'should strengthen understanding and mutual trust through dialogue and communication,' Mr. Wang told the U.S. officials, according to a Chinese government statement.

Yet there is increasing frustration in Washington that the Chinese yuan has risen less than 0.6% against the dollar since Beijing's high-profile announcement in June that the exchange rate would be more flexible.

And with lawmakers gearing up for U.S. midterm elections in November, observers think it is increasingly likely that Congress will push for legislation to penalize China for tightly controlling its currency. 'On currency, the risks of legislation are definitely rising,' John Frisbie, president of the U.S.-China Business Council, said in an interview Friday.

Chinese officials have consistently said that they won't change key economic policies because of foreign pressure, and argued that the exchange rate has little bearing on the U.S. trade imbalance with China. 'Our exchange rate reform can't be pressed ahead under external pressure,' Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said at a regular press briefing Tuesday.

But senior Chinese officials have tried to address growing complaints by foreign businesses recently that they are facing greater discrimination and barriers to entry in China.

Vice President Xi Jinping, speaking at a forum in southeastern China Tuesday, said foreign companies won't face discrimination in government procurement-a particular concern of U.S. and European businesses recently. China 'will adopt an open and transparent plan to let foreign companies and technological products enjoy equal treatment' in government purchases and construction projects, he said.

On Monday, China's deputy international trade representative, Chong Quan, said Beijing will encourage more imports to narrow its trade surplus. Trade officials have made similar comments before, and it's unclear how the government will follow through.

China's monthly trade surplus in July was the largest since January 2009. Some economists expect the surplus will continue to widen to about $30 billion in August. Although the U.S. is China's second-largest trade partner following the European Union, China's trade surplus with the U.S. accounted for two thirds of the total surplus in July.

'China certainly won't meet the U.S. demands on yuan appreciation,' said Chen Fengying of the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, a government think tank in Beijing. 'China will make some promises in opening up its market, but the U.S. will still be unsatisfied.'

'Contradictions can't be avoided in the China-U.S. relationship, but the overall relationship won't be affected as the U.S. needs China,' Mr. Chen added.

In addition to Mr. Wen and Mr. Wang, who is in charge of trade and financial policy, Mr. Summers and Mr. Donilon met with State Councilor Dai Bingguo, a top foreign-policy official, as well as Li Yuanchao, a member of the Communist Party's ruling Politburo. They are also scheduled to meet President Hu before leaving.

The coming months will present several opportunities for leaders of the two nations to talk through the issues in the relationship. In about two weeks, Mr. Wen travels to New York for a meeting of the United Nations General Assembly, during which he is also likely to meet U.S. President Barack Obama. November will see both a bilateral meeting on U.S.-China trade issues, and the summit of the Group of 20 industrialized and developing economies in Seoul. And U.S. and Chinese officials are discussing a possible visit by Mr. Hu to Washington around January.

国领导人在与到访的美国白宫官员会晤中，呼吁增强中美双方的对话和合作，暗示中国政府担心在汇率和其他事务上的紧张关系将再次威胁全球两大主要经济体的关系。

周二中国国务院总理温家宝会见美国白宫国家经济委员会主任萨默斯（Lawrence Summers）和总统国家安全事务副助理多尼隆（Thomas Donilon）时说，中美两国不应视对方为对手，“当前中美关系的主流是对话与合作，两国应排除干扰，坚定不移地向前迈进。”

萨默斯和多尼隆周日抵达中国，将与中国高级官员进行一系列会晤，周三结束访华行程。这一行程标志着中美两国为期几个月积极、高级别外交活动的开始，其中包括温家宝和中国国家主席胡锦涛料将访问美国。

官员们将处理一系列棘手的事务，从美国对中国外汇政策的失望，到中国对于美国插手南海问题的愤怒，不一而足。由于美国国会将于下周对中国外汇政策举行听证会，而且美国中期选举即将在11月进行，因此经济和贸易事务尤其紧急。

迄今中国在官方报导中一直强调本周会晤的积极性，会晤尚未提及汇率问题。

根据中国政府声明，中国国务院副总理王岐山在周二举行的另一个会议上说，中美两国应“避免经济问题政治化”。王岐山对美国官员表示，中美要“通过对话交流，增加理解和互信”。

自从中国政府在6月高调宣布人民币汇率将更加灵活后，人民币兑美元仅上涨不到0.6%，美国政府对此越来越感到失望。

美国议员正在为11月美国中期选举作准备，观察家认为，美国国会很有可能争取立法，制裁中国严格管控人民币汇率的行为。美中贸易全国委员会（U.S.-China Business Council）会长傅强恩（John Frisbie）上周五在接受采访时说，就汇率来说，立法的可能性无疑正在增强。

中国官员一贯表示，不会迫于外国压力而改变主要经济政策，并认为汇率对美中贸易失衡没什么影响。中国外交部发言人姜瑜在周二例行新闻发布会上说，人民币汇率形成机制改革不可能在外部压力下推进。

但是中国高官已开始试图解决在华外企近来与日俱增的怨言，他们抱怨现在进入中国市场面临的差别待遇有所增加，障碍也更多了。

周二中国副主席习近平在中国东南部举行的一个论坛上发言说，外资企业不会受到中国政府采购的差别对待，这是欧美企业最近特别关心的一个问题。他表示，中国在政府采购和建设项目方面，将采取公开透明的办法，让外资企业及其技术产品享受平等待遇。

周一，中国国际贸易谈判副代表崇泉说，北京将鼓励更多的进口，以减少贸易顺差。中国贸易官员之前曾发表过类似的言论，不清楚政府将如何贯彻执行。

今年7月，中国出现自2009年1月以来最大的月度贸易顺差。有些经济学家预计中国的贸易顺差会持续扩大，到8月将达到300亿美元左右。虽然美国是仅次于欧盟的中国第二大贸易伙伴，但是中国对美国的贸易顺差占到7月总顺差的三分之二。

中国现代国际关系研究院的陈凤英说，中国当然不会答应美国提出的人民币升值要求，中国会在市场开放方面做出一些承诺，但美国仍是不满意。该研究院位于北京，是中国政府的智囊团。

陈凤英表示，中美关系不可避免会出现矛盾，但是两国整体关系不会受到影响，因为美国需要中国。

除会见了温家宝和负责金融贸易政策的王岐山以外，萨默斯和多尼隆还会见了负责外交政策的高官、国务院委员戴秉国以及中共政治局委员李源潮。此外，他们还计划在离开之前与中国国家主席胡锦涛会晤。

未来几个月里，中美两国领导人将有几次机会充分探讨双边关系问题。差不多两周之后，温家宝将赴纽约参加联合国大会，期间还可能会晤美国总统奥巴马(Barack Obama)。11月还将举行中美贸易问题双边会谈以及首尔二十国集团(G20)峰会。胡锦涛可能于明年1月左右访美，现在美国和中国官员正在讨论此事。