The Computer & Communications Industry Association applauds today’s action by the United States Trade Representative requesting detailed information regarding China’s Internet restrictions. Using an official process provided for by the WTO treaty, the USTR asked a detailed array of questions on how Chinese information restrictions operate. CCIA has long articulated the need to treat such restrictions as a trade barrier, most recently filing comments this month on foreign trade barriers for the National Trade Estimate.
The following statement can be attributed to Ed Black, President and CEO of CCIA:
“Today the U.S. Trade Representative took a huge first step in the process of holding China accountable for imposing unlawful barriers to international trade. Not only are these measures a concern of freedom of expression advocates worldwide, but they also have massive economic consequences that tend to be felt disproportionately by U.S. Internet companies. Chinese Internet restrictions are not transparent, lack procedures that provide parties due process and are often applied more broadly and arbitrarily against non-Chinese companies—all of which are violations of WTO law that has been agreed to by China. At a time when the U.S. is experiencing a huge trade deficit, aggressively fighting against illegal trade restrictions in such a key export industry is a no-brainer.”