Ambassador to China Nominee Tells Senators IPR, Agricultural Market Access Among Priorities
Intellectual property rights (IPR) protection and opening up the Chinese market to U.S. beef, chicken and dairy products will be among the priorities of Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad if confirmed to serve as U.S. ambassador to China, he told members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee May 2. Branstad said he hopes that his longtime relationship with current Chinese President Xi Jinping will help him convince Xi to cooperate with the U.S. on “these critical issues, where China has not adequately addressed the protection of these important intellectual property rights.” In remarks (here) during Branstad’s confirmation hearing, committee Chairman Bob Corker, R-Tenn., called out China for its “outright theft” of intellectual property as “something that has to end.” He added: “The discriminatory trade and investment practices, in addition, are just a few of the areas of rising tension in the relationship between the United States” and China.
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Branstad also pledged to negotiate for greater access of U.S. dairy, poultry and beef exports to China. He said he has had “very frank discussions” with Chinese Minister of Agriculture Han Changfu on agricultural market access issues. “This is an area, especially when it comes to agriculture products, that I’ve had a lot of experience in, and I hope that, because Xi Jinping has some experience in that background, too, that it’s an area, maybe where we can make some connection,” Branstad said. Xi was the director of the Feed Association of Shijiazhuang Prefecture in China when he led a trade delegation to Iowa in 1985.
Although China officially lifted its ban on U.S. beef in September (see 1609260025), U.S. officials have since cited U.S. beef market access to China as an ongoing issue (see 1611230036). The U.S. filed a dispute with the World Trade Organization over Chinese antidumping and countervailing duties on imports of U.S. broiler chickens in June 2016 (see 1606020063), which Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., highlighted during Branstad’s confirmation hearing. “If they’re going to join the world community through things like the WTO, they need to play by the rules, and I hope that you will prioritize opening the Chinese market for poultry, whether it’s from Georgia, Iowa, or Delaware,” Coons said.