Alex Wong spoke about reciprocity and the CCP's opposition to the idea on the Federal Newswire China Desk Podcast on Nov. 14. Wong is Vice Chair of the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC) and a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute.
"I'd like to highlight that reciprocity is not a new concept. We knew that that study would reveal that they were not being reciprocal, that they were not abiding by the agreements that they had made in the world trading system. They [CCP] are anti-reciprocity, and we have to recognize that and formulate a proper response.", said Alex Wong.
On the China Desk podcast for Nov. 14, Alex Wong and Carolyn Bartholomew, Chair of the USCC, discussed reciprocity in regards to US-China relations. The America First Policy Institute defines reciprocity as "the CCP and anyone tied to it should have no access to any institution or opportunity in America beyond that which we have access to in China."
Bartholomew highlighted how there was an imbalance between what Chinese companies can do in America versus what American companies can do in China: "If they can do things here and we can't do them there, there's something wrong." She cited an example from the 1990s when Chinese restricted American companies from using e-commerce until Chinese companies could match them.
Wong said this lack of reciprocity led to a review of China's compliance with reciprocal principles. He noted, "The term 'dual circulation' was adopted by Xi Jinping to insulate China from any dependencies on the world while deepening dependencies of the world on China."
Rep. Mike Gallagher endorsed pursuing reciprocity in U.S.-China relationships aligning with recent legislation called True Reciprocity Act of 2023 introduced by bipartisan U.S. senators.
In Oct., Senators Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) and Chris Van Hollen (D-Maryland) introduced a bill to address disparities in the treatment of journalists, businesses, NGOs, and officials in China compared to the U.S. The bill also accuses China of violating World Trade Organization agreements related to intellectual property, nontariff barriers, joint ventures, and subsidies.
The bill defines reciprocity as "the mutual and equitable exchange of privileges between governments, countries, businesses, or individuals."
