Transport issues take stage at U.S.-China meeting

Transport issues take stage at U.S.-China meeting U.S. and Chinese officials meeting in Beijing as part of the regular Strategic Economic Dialogue convened the first meeting of a new Transportation Forum and agreed to establish working groups on railway technologies, urban congestion, innovative financing, transport of hazardous goods and coordination of assistance for natural disasters.
   The working groups will meet during the upcoming year to assess goals and objectives for a second Transportation Forum to be held in the United States, the Treasury Department said.

Jiafu

   Industry participants included Bruce Carlton, president of the National Industrial Transportation League, and Capt. Wei Jiafu, chief executive of China Ocean Shipping Co.
   The meeting also covered topics such as improving airspace capacity in both countries, estimates for growth in U.S. freight rail demand, and China’s plans to expand freight rail capacity and further modernize coastal and river marine terminals, according to the NIT League’s weekly newsletter. Rail technologies discussed included positive train control and electronic braking.
   Carlton relayed transportation professionals' desire for both national governments to develop a “comprehensive and coherent national policy and leadership on the issue of freight transportation,” adding that “failure to add capacity, reduce congestion and devise a fair means to pay for public infrastructure investments will act like an air brake on economic recovery and expansion.”

Carlton

   He told officials that industry wants a holistic, multimodal system that gives shippers enhanced transport flexibility, and warned against economic regulation of transportation, which he characterized as a persistent problem in Asia, according to the newsletter.
   The Strategic Economic Dialogue is a formal, Cabinet-level framework established two years ago by presidents George W. Bush and Hu Jintao for prioritizing issues of mutual concern for the two governments to work on. The two sides met earlier this year in Annapolis, Md.
   “Protectionist sentiments grow during periods of economic downturn. We recognized this, and reiterated our commitment to fight protectionism, because open trade and investment are in the best interest of our people,” U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said in closing remarks. “Both nations reiterated the importance of completing a successful Doha round and meaningful progress toward that goal by the end of this year. The Chinese economy, like the U.S. economy, depends on global trade, and China is stepping up its efforts to promote global growth and stability.”
   At the Beijing meeting, the two sides also signed an agreement outlining the scope of voluntary partnerships between U.S. and Chinese entities on ecological projects and announced seven initial EcoPartnerships, including one between the Port of Seattle and Dalian Port for developing a model for “green” port operations.
   Officials also said they will cooperate to combat trade of products associated with illegal logging by exchanging import and export data on wood and wood products. They will also co-host an international workshop this month on “Policies on Trade in Timber and Timber Products.”
   A joint statement also strengthened cooperation on product and food safety protocols and allowed China to comment on U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission regulations to implement the 2008 Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act.
   In an effort to support trade during the current financial crisis, the United States and China announced that their respective export-import banks would make an additional $20 billion available to finance trade, particularly for creditworthy importers in developing economies. The money is in addition to more than $38 billion in annual financing for exports from the United States and China.
   The U.S. Export-Import Bank is prepared to provide $12 billion and the Export-Import Bank of China up to $8 billion to finance export of goods and services from both countries.
   Meanwhile, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency and the U.S. Export-Import Bank said they would support public-private partnerships to improve energy efficiency in Chinese businesses. China committed to identify suitable energy efficiency projects and the U.S. and Chinese export-import banks will facilitate financing for the projects that involve U.S. exports.
   Both governments also held a meeting of experts to discuss rules of origin issues, and agreed to hold another such dialogue before the next SED to guide future cooperation. ' Eric Kulisch