Commerce Targets High-Tech Exports to China Following JCCT
The Obama administration is committed to opening the Chinese private marketplace for U.S. high-tech products, said the Commerce Department in a Dec. 29 briefing on the outcomes of the Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade. The briefing touted intellectual property protection gains and plans for more improvement, among a long list of other achievements. U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman joined Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker to praise progress at the JCCT after the event wrapped up on Dec. 18 (see 1412190020).
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
If your job depends on informed compliance, you need International Trade Today. Delivered every business day and available any time online, only International Trade Today helps you stay current on the increasingly complex international trade regulatory environment.
The U.S. aims to speed up approvals processes for deep water oil/gas exploration equipment, said Commerce in the briefing. “As part of their implementation of the Action Plan, and as set forth and consistent with existing applicable U.S. regulations, the United States agreed to review applications from qualified Chinese companies that meet the requirements for [verified end-user] authorization in a timely manner upon receipt of necessary information,” said Commerce, adding that the U.S. will implement revisions to multilateral export control regulations. “The two sides agreed to continue to strengthen cooperation in end-user visits in accordance with the provisions of the End-Use Verification Understanding.”
U.S. and Chinese officials made gains in review processes for pharmaceutical trade during the JCCT, said Commerce. “China will accelerate the studying and pushing forward of the reform of the medical device and pharmaceutical regulatory review and approval system, and will make great efforts to eliminate the drug application backlog within 2-3 years,” said Commerce. “China will implement measures that allow a drug not marketed in foreign countries to conduct clinical trials in China at the same time it is conducting clinical trials in another country. Applicants can submit evidence of marketing approval of a pharmaceutical product in another country (i.e. certificate of pharmaceutical product) when applying for the drug license after completing clinical trials.” Both countries agreed to also continue to work together on trade issues related to the Lacey Act Amendment and geographical indications, as well as food and drug safety.