Chinese ambassador stresses smoother trade on visit to St.Louis
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
February 2, 2010
by Tim Logan
ST. LOUIS -- The region's effort to become a hub for Midwestern trade with China
is moving in the right direction, but it hinges on the U.S. boosting exports to
China and on breaking down trade barriers between the two nations, Chinese
Ambassador Zhou Wenzhong said Monday.
Any successful hub project will depend on robust two-way trade, Zhou told a
group of St. Louis-area business leaders at the Regional Chamber and Growth
Association, and China welcomes that trade as a way to boost its own consumer
economy and ease the trade imbalance between the two nations.
"The way to reduce the deficit is not for the U.S. to limit imports from China,
but rather for the U.S. to expand exports to China," he said. "That's been our
argument all along. I think that has been accepted by more and more people
here."
But for that to work, Zhou said, the U.S. will need to "liberalize" some of its
export controls and allow more goods to be sold in China. He also urged a
"friendly environment for Chinese investment (in the U.S.), without
politicizing transactions that are completely commercial in nature."
Zhou acknowledged that progress on the cargo hub project is moving "maybe a bit
slower than anticipated," when talks began nearly two years ago, but said the
weak economy has been a factor.
Another factor, said Steve Perry, a China-trade expert who has been hired by
local business leaders to help shepherd the deal, was delays in getting the
local China Hub Commission off the ground and in persuading Gov. Jay Nixon to
help fund the project.
But state-level enthusiasm has picked up. Nixon joined a delegation to the
Chinese Embassy in Washington in the fall and was returning the favor Monday
night with a state dinner for Zhou in Jefferson City. Tuesday, members of the
Legislature will meet with the ambassador.
Meanwhile, the hub project continues to try to build its business case. A study
on Lambert's air cargo potential is under way, and another trip to China is
planned in March, to promote business opportunities in St. Louis.
That's the kind of thing the region should do more of, Zhou said, if it wants
to make the cargo hub succeed.
"You need to do more promotion in China," he said.
