Outgoing Commerce secretary challenges China to further reforms

Outgoing Commerce secretary challenges China to further reforms    Outgoing U.S. Commerce Secretary Don Evans told a group of business leaders in China Wednesday that the Chinese government must do more to ease constraints against American companies seeking to develop operations in the country.
   “When China’s leaders fail to produce results on the points of friction in our trading relationship, their failure only empowers those critics within the U.S. political system who seek to roll back our level of economic engagement,” warned Evans in a speech Wednesday before the American Chamber of Commerce and the U.S.-China Business Council in Beijing.
   Evans outlined several key areas for reform, including enhancing China’s intellectual property rights protections and market access for non-Chinese distribution services.
   “It’s very important that U.S. companies are able to take advantage of China’s recent opening of the retail, wholesale, and commissioned agent sectors,” Evans said. “We are especially concerned that China’s forthcoming direct selling regulations will undercut the opening of this sector to U.S. companies.”