From AP via Seattle Times:
U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson confronted mixed signals as he arrived in China today for trade talks, with Beijing announcing a renewed crackdown on pirated goods but also running up a record trade surplus with the United States.
American officials are trying to downplay expectations of breakthroughs from the talks led by Paulson, Washington’s point man on economic ties with Beijing, and Chinese Premier Wu Yi. The talks are billed as the start of a wide-ranging “strategic economic dialogue.”
In a prelude to the visit, Chinese and U.S. companies announced a series of deals, including the purchase by U.S. retailer Home Depot of a chain of Chinese home improvement stores and the sale of GE Aviation jet engines to a Shanghai airline.[Full Text]
