US lawmakers from the House of Representatives on Wednesday
presented a bipartisan legislative package that would extend the
remit of US engagement with China and increase American
competitiveness in the global marketplace.
The package, named US-China Competitiveness Agenda of
2007, is made up of four bills which would expand America's
diplomatic infrastructure in China, increase avenues for small- and
medium-sized American businesses exporting to the China market,
make more funds available for Chinese language teaching in the US
and create new cooperative energy ties between the U.S. and China,
the lawmakers said at a press conference held in the Capital
Hill.
The bill’s sponsors are Representatives Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) and
Rick Larsen (D-Wash.), who co-chair the bipartisan House U.S.-China
Working Group, as well as Representatives Susan Davis (D-Calif.)
and Steve Israel (D-N.Y.). Representatives Davis and Israel are
also members of the House US-China Working Group.
Representative Kirk's legislation, the US-China Diplomatic
Expansion Act of 2007, would see the setting up of a new
consulate in Wuhan as well as 100 smaller diplomatic posts in
cities with more than a million people.
The bill would also prove to be a major injector of cash for
diplomatic efforts tripling their budget, boosting funding for
language exchange programs, increase subventions for rule of law
initiatives and tripling the US contribution to Asia-Pacific
Economic Cooperation.
Kirk is also co-sponsoring three other bills in the US-China
Competitiveness Agenda, including Representative Larsen's
US-China Market engagement and Export Promotion Act of 2007,
Representative Davis' US-Chinese Language Engagement Act of
2007 and Representative Israel's US-China Energy Cooperation
Act of 2007.
The Larsen bill would see American states able to create export
promotion offices in China and link different US Export Assistance
Centers to set up a new nationwide China Market Advocate program
around the country. The bill would also allocate funds for small
businesses to conduct China trade missions and to run Chinese
business education programs.
"We need innovative programs that support our small business
exports and arm them with the tools they need to succeed in China,"
Kirk said.
Introducing the US-Chinese Language Engagement Act,
Representative Davis told reporters that while there are roughly
200 million students learning English in China today, only about
50,000 primary and secondary school students study Chinese in
America.
The Davis bill increases Chinese cultural studies and language
acquisition for elementary, high school and college-age students,
bringing Chinese into the curriculum at every level. Grants would
go towards funding university joint venture programs, virtual
cultural exchanges with Chinese schools and intensive summer
language instruction programs.
"We have more than just a trade deficit with China -- We also
have a knowledge deficit," Kirk said. "We need additional funding
for domestic Chinese language programs, educational exchanges and
Chinese teacher exchanges to fix this knowledge imbalance."
The Israel bill, or the US-China Energy Cooperation Act of 2007,
will set up new grants to fund US-China energy and climate exchange
education programs, along with joint research and development of
energy efficient technologies and renewable energy sources.
(Xinhua News Agency August 2, 2007)
