BEIJING, May 11: A Chinese business delegation has signed deals worth 4.3 billion dollars with US firms, a move to showcase willingness to reduce China's yawning trade surplus, state media said on Friday.
The mission, headed by Vice Minister of Commerce Ma Xiuhong, signed 27 contracts in San Francisco on Wednesday for US high-tech and information products, the China Daily reported.
Chinese computer giant Lenovo Group inked orders for $1.3 billion with Microsoft Corp to buy Windows, Office and other software suites for its personal computers, the report said.
The deals were sealed ahead of a much-anticipated round in the Strategic Economic Dialogue between the two nations, to be held in Washington later this month.
The China Daily quoted local media as saying California Lieutenant Governor John Garamendi applauded the contracts as an “important step in furthering the deep relationship between this state, this country and China.” China has sent such buying missions to the United States from time to time to highlight its determination to narrow its trade surplus with the United States, which hit $232 billion last year according to US data.
When Chinese President Hu Jintao visited the United States in April last year, Chinese enterprises sealed about $16 billion in deals on products ranging from soya bean to aircraft.
The delegation members this time are expected to buy more US products, such as electronics, machinery and agricultural products worth around $16 billion again, the China Daily said.
Meanwhile, China's monthly trade surplus more than doubled in April to nearly $17 billion (euro13 billion), the government said on Friday, adding to pressure on Beijing ahead of closely watched talks with Washington on its swollen trade gap.
The April trade gap of $16.88 billion (euro12.55 billion) was below February's $23.7 billion -- the second-highest level on record -- but in line with steady increases in monthly trade surpluses over the past year.
Chinese and US trade envoys are due to meet May 23-24 in Washington for talks on Beijing's surpluses, currency controls, product piracy and other contentious issues.
Some US lawmakers are pushing for punitive tariffs on imports of Chinese goods if Beijing fails to ease currency controls that critics say keep its currency undervalued, giving exporters an unfair price advantage and adding to China's trade surpluses.Washington is hoping the “strategic economic dialogue,” led by Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Chinese Vice Premier Wu Yi, helps to mollify critics and avert disruption in trade ties.
Chinese President Hu Jintao made an unusual personal lobbying effort for the talks this week, expressing hopes for “positive progress” in a phone call with US President George W. Bush.
