U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue Meets In Washington

7/12. Representatives of the Unites States and People's Republic of China governments met this week in Washington DC as part of the ongoing talks titled "U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue".

Neither the US nor PRC announced any agreements or commitments regarding cyber security, cyber intrusions, or theft of intellectual property. US participants stressed the importance of these matters in public statements. PRC participants barely mentioned them.

President Obama and members of his administration met in closed session on July 11 with the PRC's Special Representatives to the U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue, Vice Premier Wang Yang and State Councilor Yang Jiechi, and others.

Also, Wang Yang, Yang Jiechi, Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of State John Kerry, and Secretary of the Treasury Jacob Lew delivered speeches on July 10. See, transcript.

The White House news office stated in a July 11 release that President Obama "reiterated concerns about cyber-enabled theft of trade secrets, and welcomed joint efforts to develop rules and norms of behavior in cyberspace."

Biden (at right) stated in his public speech the day before that "the next steps that China needs to take" include "enforcing intellectual property rights".

Also, the Vice President said that "We both will benefit from an open, secure, reliable internet. Outright cyber-enabling theft that U.S. companies are experiencing now must be viewed as out of bounds and needs to stop."

The U.S. Vice President said that a "rule-based economic order cannot sustain an exception the size of China".

Secretary of the Treasury Lew said that "In the world's two largest economies, too much is at stake for us to let our differences come in the way of progress. For the United States, this means an economic relationship where our firms and workers operate on a level playing field and where the rights of those who participate in the global economy, including innovators and the holders of intellectual property, are preserved and protected from government-sponsored cyber intrusion. It means working together to address our common challenges, such as ... conduct in cyberspace. Cooperation on these fronts is absolutely critical to our futures and the world’s future as well."

Secretary of State Kerry said that the SED has added "new working groups on cyber issues and on climate change this year". He also said that "cyberspace and cyber warfare" are "challenges that we face".

Wang Yang (at left) spoke at length at the same event, but said nothing about intellectual property or cyber intrusions.

In contrast, Yang Jiechi did mention cyber security. But, he expressed no commitments.

He said that "China is ready to carry out all dimensional cooperation with the U.S. side to produce as many mutually beneficial results as possible for the benefit of our two peoples. At this round of the S&ED, we hope to enhance coordination and cooperation with the U.S. side on international, regional, and global issues. The two sides should step up macroeconomic policy coordination, deepen communication on regional hotspot issues, work together to tackle such global challenges as climate change and cyber security, promote global economic growth, maintain regional stability, ..." (Emphasis added.)

Yang Jiechi (at right) also said that "At this round of the S&ED, we hope to explore with the U.S. side the enhancement of our dialogue mechanism. We welcome the positive results of the third Strategic Security Dialogue, the Climate Change Working Group, and the Cyber Working Group." (Emphasis added.)

He also said that "With development of its science and technology, China has enhanced its competitiveness in certain areas. However, such growth is limited to certain areas, and there is still a big gap between us and the developed world. There are competitions, but these competitions should be conducted on the basis of mutual respect, and these should be sound competitions."

The White House news office release also stated that Obama "expressed his disappointment and concern with China's handling of the Snowden case."

Neither Wang Yang nor Yang Jiechi said anything about Snowden, extradition, or surveillance in their public speeches.

Both Wang Yang and Yang Jiechi spoke about the importance of US PRC dialogue, communication and debate.

Similarly, the White House news office release stated that Obama "underscored the importance of increasing practical cooperation on regional and global challenges while constructively managing our differences and areas of competition. The President discussed the economic reforms underway in China and their compatibility with policies the Administration is pursuing at home." Obama "also welcomed China's important new commitment to open its economy to U.S. investment in a bilateral investment treaty that it is negotiating with the United States."

This release also states that the parties "agreed on the fundamental importance of denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, and welcomed efforts to deepen cooperation to achieve that shared goal."

Finally, "The President urged China to manage its maritime disputes with its neighbors peacefully, without the use of intimidation or coercion. He added that the United States would continue to speak out in support of international norms such as the protection of universal human rights."

Another point made by VP Biden is his speech was that "History shows that prosperity is greatest when governments allow not just the free exchange of goods but the free exchange of ideas", and that innovation "thrives in open economies and societies".

Yang Yiechi also said that "China is endeavoring to meet what we call the two centenary goals, namely to complete the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects by the 100th anniversary of the Communist Party of China, and to turn China into a socialist modern country that is strong, prosperous, democratic, culturally advanced and harmonious by the centenary of the People’s Republic of China."

(The 100th anniversary of the Communist Party of China will be in 2021. The 100th anniversary of the PRC will be in 2049.)

He said that "China will stay committed to reform on opening up, stick to the path of peaceful development, and the win-win strategy of opening up, be a responsible player in and contribute to the building of the international system. We do this because we want to deliver a better life to our people and help the world -- help make the world a more peaceful, stable, and prosperous place. At this round of the S&ED, we hope to expand and deepen practical cooperation with the U.S. side."

People and Appointments

7/12. Janet Napolitano, Secretary of Homeland Security since 2009, announced that she will resign to become President of the University of California. See, DHS release and statement by President Obama.

More News

7/12. The US and EU completed the first round of Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations in Washington DC. See, statement by USTR Michael Froman and EC release. See also, archived video of news conference conducted by Dan Mullaney (Chief US Negotiator for the TTIP) and Ignacio Garcia Bercero (Chief EU Negotiator for the TTIP). The second round of TTIP negotiations will be held in Brussels, Belgium the week of October 7, 2013.

7/12. The Business Software Alliance (BSA) released a statement regarding commitments made by the People's Republic of China (PRC) regarding strengthening piracy enforcement, adopting procedures to ensure that the state owned enterprises use only legal software, and further reducing market barriers to IT products and services.

Judicial Appointments

7/11. The Senate Judiciary Committee (SJC) held an executive business meeting at which it held over consideration of the nomination of Todd Hughes to be a Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals (FedCir). His nomination is on the agenda for the SJC's meeting on July 18. See also, story titled "Obama Nominates Todd Hughes for Federal Circuit" in TLJ Daily E-Mail Alert No. 2,522, February 8, 2013.

7/11. The Senate Judiciary Committee (SJC) held an executive business meeting at which it held over consideration of the nominations of Colin Bruce (USDC/CDIll), Sara Lee Ellis (USDC/NDIll), Andrea Wood (USDC/NDIll), and Madeline Haikala (USDC/NDAlab). All four are again on the agenda for the SJC's meeting on July 18.

More People and Appointments

7/11. The Senate Judiciary Committee (SJC) held an executive business meeting at which it approved by voice vote the nomination of Stuart Delery to be Assistant Attorney General in charge of the DOJ's Civil Division.

7/11. The Senate Judiciary Committee (SJC) held an executive business meeting at which it approved by a vote of 10-8 the nomination of Todd Jones to be Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. See also, White House news office release.