The LA Times’ editorial page today hits the right message, calling on China to start playing by the rules:

“The ultimate losers aren’t just U.S. companies but Chinese citizens and their government. Chinese officials have to start living up to their commitments under the WTO.”

We agree. But instead of saluting Intel and others who’ve chosen to shift production to China, which the Times does in its piece, it’s worth asking why those companies don’t stay in the U.S. and export to China. The answer: the rules are stacked against them. 

That’s why the actions the Times praises are sorely needed. The Administration and Congress need to tackle currency manipulation, unfair trade rules, illegal subsidies and other barriers to U.S. exports to China. Not just for U.S. interest, but as the Times points out, for China and its citizens, as well.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 18th, 2007 at 5:15 pm and is filed under Holding China Accountable, Currency Manipulation, Enforcing Trade Laws. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.