Protest On China Policy

外国企业纷纷开始就中国日渐高涨的保护主义提出警告，说中国的大规模经济刺激计划和一系列新的监管规定歧视非中国公司。周一，中国美国商会(American Chamber of Commerce in China)成为最新一个提出警告的组织，称保护主义是其今年最关心的问题之一。中国美国商会在其2009年白皮书中说，这个问题涉及的范围很广，有些地方领导人极力让刺激资金流向当地，而一些全国性政策也优先照顾中国公司。中国美国商会主席华金声(John Watkins)说，当涉及最终决策时，人们往往会保护自己当地的产业。他说，反对保护主义是一个至关重要的目标。在外商产生这种担忧之际，中国正在大力敦促其他国家保持市场开放。周一，中国和美国官员主持了一系列美中两国公司之间的签约仪式。这种仪式很大程度上具有象征意义，主要意图是表明拥有巨额对美贸易顺差的中国也在购买外国产品。中国官员也在更为直白地对外国批评之声加以反击，说中国是保护主义的受害者。中国高层官员指责西方国家向世界贸易组织(WTO)提出的反倾销诉讼，以及美国国会议员试图在7,870亿美元经济刺激计划中加入“只买美国货”条款的做法。“只买美国货”的限制最终被取消。外国公司现在认为，“只买中国货”的保护主义正在抬头。人们关注的一个重点是中国规模达5,850亿美元的刺激计划。这方面的问题很大程度上缘于中国没有加入世界贸易组织的政府采购协议(Agreement on Government Procurement)。这个协议禁止歧视投标政府项目的外国公司。中国美国商会在报告中说，这本来是一个很好的时机，中国可以借此显示自己决心成为国际经济体系中的成熟一员，并将信守这一承诺。部分问题在于，经济刺激资金所投入的正是一些中国明确对外国公司加以区别对待的产业。以中国国有的铁路系统为例，它今年将从政府新增开支中获得逾20亿美元，而铁路官员不久前接受采访时明确表示，京沪高铁等项目不允许采用外国技术。他们说，此举旨在扶持本国企业的发展。中国欧盟商会(European Union Chamber of Commerce in China)主席伍德克(Joerg Wuttke)说，这反映出商业组织的意见正在占据上风，它们在左右政府的行动。他说，这些公司想垄断市场，减少竞争。对外国公司的限制已不仅限于内部规定。上周，中国通过了新的邮政法，禁止外国公司在华从事信件快递服务，这对美国的联邦快递集团(FedEx Co.)和德国的敦豪环球速递(DHL Worldwide Express Inc.)无疑是个沉重打击，这两家公司多年来一直在为阻止这一规定的出台进行着游说。中国还保留了一些公开限制外商投资汽车化学及信息技术等重点领域的规定。外国公司也通过所在贸易协会对中国实施新电信标准的方式提出抱怨。由于担心破坏同中国政府的关系，外国公司很少愿意公开发表怨言。中国政府多年来一直推迟发放3G牌照，而现在，中国公司在获得3G合同方面远远领先于外国公司。分析师们也表示，某些保护主义举措是中国分散性政治结构的必然产物，许多中国公司同样身受其害。中国一些省份人口上亿，许多省份就像单独的小国家，它们都制定有禁止省外采购的规定。不少省份还列出了必须在省内购买的产品名单。Ian Johnson相关阅读美国参议员麦凯恩：中美两国必须避免保护主义 2009-04-09中国称否决汇源收购案是为保护竞争 2009-03-26WTO就贸易保护主义提出警告 2009-03-27促进合作 摒弃保护主义 2009-03-25


Foreign businesses are beginning to warn against rising protectionism in China, saying that the country's massive stimulus program plus a raft of new regulations are discriminating against non-Chinese companies.On Monday, the American Chamber of Commerce in China became the latest group to sound the alarm, saying protectionism was one of its major concerns this year. In its 2009 White Paper, AmCham said the problem ranged from regional leaders trying to channel stimulus money locally to national policies that favor Chinese companies.'There is the temptation, when it comes down to the final decision, to protect your local industries,' AmCham Chairman John D. Watkins Jr. said. Fighting protectionism, he said, was a 'critical goal.'The concerns come as China pushes ahead with its offensive to keep open foreign markets. On Monday, Chinese and U.S. officials are due to preside over a series of signings between U.S. and Chinese companies. Such signing ceremonies are largely symbolic, intended mainly to show that China, which runs a huge trade surplus with the U.S., is buying foreign products.Chinese officials also have more explicitly turned the tables on foreign critics, claiming their country is a victim of protectionism. Senior Chinese leaders have pointed to antidumping cases brought to the World Trade Organization by Western countries and efforts by members of Congress to insert 'buy American' clauses in the $787 billion U.S. stimulus package. The restriction eventually was removed.Foreign companies are now saying that 'buy China' protectionism is rising. One key concern is China's $585 billion stimulus program. The problem largely lies in China's failure to join the World Trade Organization's Agreement on Government Procurement. This bars discrimination against foreign companies bidding on government projects.'This would be an ideal moment for China to demonstrate that it is committed to being a mature member of the international economy and live up to that pledge,' AmCham said in its report.Part of the problem is that China's stimulus money is being spent on industries where China explicitly discriminates against foreign companies. China's state-owned railway system, for example, is due to get more than $2 billion in new spending this year and officials there said in a recent interview that some of the projects -- a high-speed line from Beijing to Shanghai, for example -- are explicitly not allowed to use foreign technology. The reason is a desire to build up Chinese companies into national champions, the officials said.'It's a reflection that business groups are getting the upper hand and coaching the government,' says Joerg Wuttke, president of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China. 'These companies want to create monopolies or oligopolies and have less competition.'The restrictions go beyond internal regulations. Last week, China passed a new postal law that bans foreign companies from delivering express mail inside China, a blow to FedEx Corp. of the U.S. and Germany's DHL Worldwide Express Inc., which have lobbied for years against the new rules. China also maintains rules openly limiting foreign investment in key sectors, such as autos, chemicals and information technologies.Foreign companies -- which rarely like to complain publicly for fear of souring ties with the Chinese government -- have also complained through their trade associations of how China handled a new telecommunications standard. Beijing delayed issuing third generation (3G) wireless licenses for years, and now Chinese firms have pulled far ahead of foreign companies in winning contracts.Analysts say, however, that some protectionism is inherent in China's decentralized political structure -- and affects many Chinese companies as well. Many of China's provinces, which have as many as 100 million inhabitants, are run like individual countries, with rules banning purchases outside the province. Many provinces have lists of products that must be bought inside the province.Ian Johnson