Gutierrez: Open markets will stop protectionism

US Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez said on Monday that China and the US must work together to curb the threat of protectionism, but stressed that Beijing opening its markets was the key factor in this, AFP reported. Speaking in Beijing one day before the start of the twice yearly US-China Strategic Economic Dialogue, Gutierrez steered clear of issues such as China's growing trade surplus and Washington's hope for faster renminbi appreciation. Instead, he focused on product safety and intellectual property, arguing that China is at "watershed moment" in terms of ensuring local companies produce safe products. US Secretary of Health and Human Services Mike Leavitt, who is in Beijing to sign agreements on product safety, said that the two countries are now working well together after a series of safety scandals during 2007 shook consumer confidence in Chinese goods.