China's ambassador to the United States says Beijing is willing to resolve the growing trade row with Washington, while at the same time urging American critics, particularly those in the US Congress, to take a more 'global' view of economic relations.
'We are working hard with the US side to make sure that the China-US relationship is mutually beneficial by solving the problems that exist in trade and economic issues,' ambassador Zhou Wenzhong said.
'However, I hope the US Congress sees such problems within the context of the region and globalisation.'
Mr Zhou's remarks, in a speech at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies in Washington on Wednesday, were made as the Democrat-controlled Congress begins to launch a series of punitive measures targeting Beijing for the American trade imbalance with China, which hit a record US$232.5 billion last year.
There are at least 15 bills on the legislature's books seeking to impose sanctions on China for allegedly keeping the value of the yuan artificially low, a tactic that critics say is costing American jobs.
Earlier in the day, Senator Charles Schumer and Senator Lindsey Graham announced they would soon introduce tough new legislation that would force China to change currency policies. In 2005 the two proposed a bill that sought to impose 27.5 per cent penalty tariffs on all Chinese imports if Beijing did not raise the value of the yuan.
