US-China surplus to top US$200b

China's trade surplus with the US is likely to exceed US$200 billion this year, roughly US$40 billion more than in 2004, said US Trade Representative Rob Portman. Speaking at a China-US relations forum in Beijing, Portman warned that bilateral trade tensions had not evaporated because of the textile deal brokered last week, and pointed to intellectual property rights as another sticking point. "Americans today are greatly concerned about China's role in the world economy and whether China is playing by the rules," he said.