Page 20 - THE SOUTH CHINA BUSINESS JOURNAL
P. 20
C. Today
And reforms were forthcoming. Mr. Waterman put it thought, Mr. Waterman said, "Obviously, the tariffs are
this way: highly counterproductive and something that, across
the business community, we're agitating against."
Business the world over, governments the
world over, thought it made sense [for China Peroration is a big word for what would best be
to join the WTO]. And in fact, it did. Many described as quiet - quiet but candid - talk among
of the benefits that continue to accrue to friends. And yet it is apt. After rejecting the notion
American and other foreign companies to of containment in favor of simply pushback, Mr.
this day are derivative of the reforms that Waterman concluded:
China made, in particular, from 2001 to 2006:
increased transparency, increased market I think, again, overall, certainly the [U.S.]
access, a lot of sector-specific ... openings business community is very open to and
that were very, very positive and continue to embraces competition, and I think so does the
reverberate to this day. country writ large. I don't think our history-. I
don't think we have any problem buying foreign
DISAPPOINTMENTS AND FRUSTRATIONS products. I don't think we have ... any issues
buying a better product from somewhere else.
But this is 2018, and we have also had years of It's really a question of "How" - how China is
frustration and disappointments in trade and in other competing. What are the rules?
areas as well. And those disappointments were not
the sum total of problematic Chinese policies, either And we have some real issues there, and
for American business leaders or U.S. Government hopefully China will move forward with
officials. the reforms, the long-promised reforms,
long stalled reform... that it has promised
NO TO TARIFFS BUT... to do, because they're in China's interest.
Unfortunately, what we're seeing when we
Therein lies the challenge for the United States look at standards and competition policy and
and indeed for the world. And while Mr. Waterman security policy, cyber security, we're seeing a
was clear that some change was inevitable, he was China that's moving...data policy...we're seeing
equally clear that for the Chamber and U.S. business a China that's moving not toward greater
write large, the tariffs the Trump Administration integration, but toward closing, unfortunately.
has imposed are the wrong way to go. (Indeed,
the Chamber has a website on the issue, www.
thewrongapproach.com.) In one elaboration of that
18 AmCham South China
And reforms were forthcoming. Mr. Waterman put it thought, Mr. Waterman said, "Obviously, the tariffs are
this way: highly counterproductive and something that, across
the business community, we're agitating against."
Business the world over, governments the
world over, thought it made sense [for China Peroration is a big word for what would best be
to join the WTO]. And in fact, it did. Many described as quiet - quiet but candid - talk among
of the benefits that continue to accrue to friends. And yet it is apt. After rejecting the notion
American and other foreign companies to of containment in favor of simply pushback, Mr.
this day are derivative of the reforms that Waterman concluded:
China made, in particular, from 2001 to 2006:
increased transparency, increased market I think, again, overall, certainly the [U.S.]
access, a lot of sector-specific ... openings business community is very open to and
that were very, very positive and continue to embraces competition, and I think so does the
reverberate to this day. country writ large. I don't think our history-. I
don't think we have any problem buying foreign
DISAPPOINTMENTS AND FRUSTRATIONS products. I don't think we have ... any issues
buying a better product from somewhere else.
But this is 2018, and we have also had years of It's really a question of "How" - how China is
frustration and disappointments in trade and in other competing. What are the rules?
areas as well. And those disappointments were not
the sum total of problematic Chinese policies, either And we have some real issues there, and
for American business leaders or U.S. Government hopefully China will move forward with
officials. the reforms, the long-promised reforms,
long stalled reform... that it has promised
NO TO TARIFFS BUT... to do, because they're in China's interest.
Unfortunately, what we're seeing when we
Therein lies the challenge for the United States look at standards and competition policy and
and indeed for the world. And while Mr. Waterman security policy, cyber security, we're seeing a
was clear that some change was inevitable, he was China that's moving...data policy...we're seeing
equally clear that for the Chamber and U.S. business a China that's moving not toward greater
write large, the tariffs the Trump Administration integration, but toward closing, unfortunately.
has imposed are the wrong way to go. (Indeed,
the Chamber has a website on the issue, www.
thewrongapproach.com.) In one elaboration of that
18 AmCham South China
