A Few Details on the US-China "Phase One" Trade Deal

Simon Lester andHuan ZhuLast Friday, the U.S. Trade Representative's Office released a "fact sheet" about the U.S. - China trade deal that it had just announced. Reports suggest that the deal will be signed in early January, with the text released some time after that. A full analysis of the deal will have to wait until then, but in this post, we offer some comments on the details set out in the fact sheet.The first issues mentioned are intellectual property and technology transfer. The fact sheet addresses these as follows:• Intellectual Property: The Intellectual Property (IP) chapter addresses numerous longstanding concerns in the areas of trade secrets, pharmaceutical-related intellectual property, geographical indications, trademarks, and enforcement against pirated and counterfeit goods.• Technology Transfer: The Technology Transfer chapter sets out binding and enforceable obligations to address several of the unfair technology transfer practices of China that were identified in USTR’s Section 301 investigation. For the first time in any trade agreement, China has agreed to end its long-standing practice of forcing or pressuring foreign companies to transfer their technology to Chinese companies as a condition for obtaining market access, administrative approvals, or receiving advantages from the government. China also commits to provide transparency, fairness, and due pr ocess in administrative proceedings and to have technology transfer and licensing take place ...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - Category: American Health Authors: Source Type: blogs