"China needs the United States, but the United States also benefits very substantially from our rapidly expanding economic relationship with China. The benefits of this relationship are hard to capture in any one statistic, but remember this. The US is on track to export more than 100 billion dollars of goods and services to China this year. Our exports to China are growing at twice the rate of our exports to the rest of the world. These exports are supporting hundreds of thousands of jobs across the nation in all sectors."
Secretary Geithner also said that while China presents enormous economic opportunities for the US and for the world, its size, the speed of its ascent and its policies are a growing source of concern in the US. In this context, he outlines the two principle objectives of the US economic relationship within China.
"The first is to expand opportunities for the US companies to export and sell to the Chinese market. Our second objective is to promote reforms that will reduce China reliance on export led growth and encourages a shift to domestic consumption and investment."
Geithner says the US hopes China will do more to address their concerns, from the exchange rate to the treatment of intellectual property. He says the US understands China's objectives including more access to US high technology products and greater investment opportunities in the US. Geithner says the United States is willing to make progress on these issues, but it needs to see more reforms from China first.
Geithner compliments China on running a very effective and ambitious course of financial reforms over the last thirty years, which gives him confidence that further changes will be made.
"China's rise offers us the opportunity of dramatic growth in demand for things Americans create and produce. But it also will force us to raise our game. We should welcome both the opportunity and the challenge."
SS, CRI news, Washington.