The US-China Economic and Security Review Commission will hold a two-day public hearing on February 3 and 4, 2005 to consider China and the WTO: Assessing and Enforcing Compliance. The hearing will examine China's record of compliance with its WTO commitments and explore options for using U.S. trade laws and WTO mechanisms for addressing continuing trade problems, including China's undervalued currency and weak enforcement of intellectual property protections.

Senators Robert Byrd (D-WV), Mike DeWine (R-OH), Byron Dorgan (D-ND), Mary Landrieu (D-LA), and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Representatives Bob Ney (R-OH), Sander Levin (D-MI) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) are scheduled to lead off the hearing with remarks before the Commission during the opening session on Thursday, February 3. The Commission will then hear from senior officials of the Commerce and State Departments, the Government Accountability Office, prominent trade attorneys and economists, and representatives of business and labor organizations.

Particular areas of focus will include China's exchange rate practices, protection of intellectual property rights, the U.S. Government's use of available China-specific safeguard measures, and issues related to textile and agricultural trade. The hearing will also assess the implications on our trade with China of the WTO's ruling against the Continued Dumping and Subsidies Offset Act of 2000 (CDSOA, also known as the Byrd Amendment), the U.S. law providing for the distribution of antidumping duties to injured industry parties, and the related problem of large-scale uncollected dumping penalties.

China 's WTO accession agreement set out an array of commitments to lower tariff and non-tariff barriers that limited market access opportunities for the U.S. and other trading partners. It also gave WTO members the ability to use special safeguard provisions to mitigate surges in imports from China of textiles and other goods. The hearing will examine China's progress in meeting its market access commitments and evaluate the use and effectiveness of available trade tools, including the WTO dispute resolution mechanism, antidumping actions, and safeguard measures.

The full hearing agenda is attached .