摘要
中美两国自1979年建立外交关系以来,双边经贸交往一直保持增长的势头。
It has been repeatedly pointed out by Chinese and US leaders that to develop a long-term, stable and healthy relationship between China and the United States is in keeping with the fundamental interests of both the Chinese and the US people. This has been proved by our practices of many years in the past. Last November, Chinese President Jiang Zemin made a successful visit to the United States. This visit has created a situation of active development of Sino-US relations unseen for many years before. It is our belief that the coming visit to China by US President Clinton will surely promote the further development of Sino-US trade and economic relations under the atmosphere of continuous improvement.A review of the Sino-US economic and trade relations during the recent 20 years will give us a splendid picture of mutual benefit and cooperation between China and the United States filled with various indicators of trade and investment.Since the late 1990s, marked progress has been achieved in Sino-US trade, with the average annual growth rate between 1990 and 1997 standing at 22.6 per cent, much bigger than the growth rate of 15.9 per cent China saw in its foreign trade as a whole during this period of time. The proportion of Sino-US trade against China's total volume of foreign trade also expanded continuously during these years, growing to 15 per cent in 1997. Of China's total exports, exports to the United States accounted for 18 per cent. By now, China has become the sixth largest importer of US farm goods, and the biggest importer of civilian aircraft from the United States. US technology is highly reputed the world over. By accelerating its modernization construction, China has created a bright future for the United States to export its technology. The United States is now the second biggest trade partner of China, while China has grown into the fourth biggest trade partner of the United States.With the in-depth development of China's drive of launching reforms and opening to the outside world, direct investment in China by US companies has been growing year by year, with the fields of their investment expanding continuously. By the end of 199J7, the total number of projects involving US investment amounted to nearly 25,000, with actual US investment standing at about US$17.5 billion. Arranged in the order of countries, the United States ranks first in this aspect. So far as the structure of industries invested in by US companies is concerned, most of the investment has gone to high-tech industrial projects. Compared with direct investment in the Chinese mainland by other countries and regions, investment by US companies, especially its transnational corporations, has been characterized by fast development of projects, wide coverage of fields, attention to long-term interests, excellent economic returns, and high management level. As a result, they are widely welcome in China. The Motorola Co. Ltd in Tianjin and the Procer & Gamble Co. Ltd in Guangzhou, for instance, have become typical examples of success of US investment in China. In addition, the Sino-US General Motors Co. Ltd and the Pan-Asia Automobile Technology Co. Ltd in Shanghai which involved a total investment of about US$1.6 billion has become the biggest Sino-US joint venture launched so far in China.Chinese enterprises began to set up joint ventures in the United States near the end of the 1970s. By the end of 1997, the total number of foreign trade companies that had been approved to set up joint ventures in the United States exceeded 500, with their total investment nearing US$500 million. At the same time of reaping economic benefits, the various ventures launched by China in the United States have contributed to creating job opportunities for local US residents.At the same time when achievements are being made in various fields of economic and trade cooperation, China and the United States hold different views on some economic and trade issues due to various reasons. Viewed as a whole, however, development and cooperation stand outas the main stream.The prospects for Sino-US economic and trade cooperation are broad. In the coming 10 years, China will investment about US$800 billion in infrastructural construction, including the construction of airports, harbours, power stations, expressways, and urban infrastructural facilities. With the in-depth development of China's efforts to carry out reforms and open to the outside world, the Chinese market will become widely open to the outside world. US enterprises will enjoy every opportunity to display their talents at such a stage.There is, however, one point that is worth of mentioning here. One important guarantee to the healthy development of Sino-US economic and trade relationship lies in China's joining the World Trade Organization as a developing country. It is our firm belief that the Sino-US economic and trade relationship during the 21st century will be one of cooperation in a more active and diversified way.
