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Letter to the editor

China official counters concerns with charm

He says China has product safety issues under control.

By KRIS HUNDLEY, Times Staff Writer
Published December 7, 2007

Battling public concern over the safety of everything from Chinese-made toys to toothpaste, the No. 2 official with the Chinese embassy in Washington, D.C., came to Tampa on Thursday on a diplomatic mission.

Zheng Zeguang launched a charm offensive that mixed scoldings with a strong dose of reality.

"The two strongest economic engines in the world are China and the U.S.," said Zheng, speaking at an international trade meeting sponsored by the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce. "But China will have to take the lead because of the slowdown in this country."

The meeting, held at the University of Tampa, attracted about 100 people.

China, which opened its economy to the world in the late 1970s, has experienced double-digit growth for the past five years. Though U.S. exports to China have risen steadily, they are far outweighed by U.S. imports of Chinese-made electronics, toys, apparel and furniture.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the U.S. trade deficit with China was more than $232.5-billion in 2006 and $187.6-billion through the first nine months of 2007.

Zheng, deputy chief of mission at the embassy, said neither protectionism nor tariffs were the correct response to the trade imbalance.

"If you build walls, prices go up," said Zheng, who encouraged U.S. companies to export more goods to the increasingly affluent Chinese market. "I hope the U.S. businesses can get a bigger share of this market. If not, their European and Japanese competitors won't be shy."

Florida particularly could benefit from increased Chinese tourism. "They'd like to see the beaches and play golf, which is more popular among the young elites," Zheng said. "They are big spenders."

As the biggest overseas owner of U.S. treasury bills, China is also seeking to invest part of its massive foreign exchange reserves abroad, Zheng said. A recently formed $200-billion investment fund could create jobs or factories in the United States.

Though Zheng thinks American consumers are unlikely to boycott Chinese-made goods in light of recent scandals - "they are too mature" - he said his government takes safety issues seriously. He claimed that 100 percent of all Chinese food exports are now being inspected. He blamed some safety concerns on problems with faulty foreign design, rather than Chinese manufacturing. And he emphasized that when corruption is uncovered in China, it is quickly punished.

Indeed, last summer the head of China's FDA was executed days after being found guilty of taking bribes. With a nervous laugh, Zheng said, "Corrupted officials have to be punished no matter how high an office they are holding."

Zheng, a schoolteacher turned diplomat, said China is well aware of the challenges associated with its red-hot economic growth. He said the government is putting a new focus on quality over speed. It has made a commitment to reduce energy consumption by 20 percent over the next five years. And it intends to plant more trees and reduce its dependence on coal.

Taking a gentle jab at conspicuous U.S. consumption, Zheng said, "We realize we cannot dream the American dream of every household having four cars."

Kris Hundley can be reached at hundley@sptimes.com or (727) 892-2996.

[Last modified December 6, 2007, 22:52:13]