House Lawmakers Tie Relaxing of Tech Export Controls To Stronger IP Rights In China

Hu's in the House: House Lawmakers Met With China's Hu Jintao In An Hour-Long Discussion Thursday. Photo: Speaker Boehner's Office.

A Thursday report in the Washington Post says that House lawmakers want to tie the relaxing of technology export controls to China to the establishment of stronger intellectual property protections over there.

China’s President Hu Jintao met for an hour with House Speaker John A. Boehner, R-Ohio, Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. and a number of other House lawmakers.

China has long pressed the United States to loosen its restrictions on dual use technologies, but Congress has to approve any such decision.

Hu brought the subject up again during the Thursday morning meeting with the House lawmakers.

The Post reported that the lawmakers said after the meeting that the relaxing of the restrictions could be part of a broader agreement that includes an agreement on beefing up intellectual property enforcement in China.

Several feature stories in the Wall Street Journal and New York Times in the run-up to Hu’s visit to the United States this week have illustrated how China’s so-called indigenous innovation policies have hurt U.S. businesses.

Indigenous innovation refers to the establishment of government procurement rules in China that give preference to technologies originated and owned  by local companies in China — even though the members of those local companies may have learned everything from a U.S. company and then quit to start a rival that offers identical products at cut-rate prices.

During this visit, China has committed to dropping those local preferential rules.

Editor’s Note: Don’t miss the Intellectual Property Breakfast Club Event on Tuesday, January 8th, “China and Intellectual Property,” for FREE at Clyde’s of Gallery Place in Washington from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Register athttp://ipbreakfast.eventbrite.com.