China must serve own car buyers first, says envoy
date: November 14, 2007
SOURCE:Detroit Free Press
By: Katie Merx
With demand for automobiles expected to remain on the rise
in China, there is little
risk of Chinese automakers flooding the U.S.
auto market any time soon, China's
ambassador to the United
States said Tuesday following comments to
the Detroit Economic Club.
"I don't think we will have that capacity for a long
time to come, so the notion of having Chinese-made cheap cars flooding U.S.
market I think is not really a real notion at the moment," Ambassador Zhou
Wenzhong told journalists following his formal comments to the economic club at
the Masonic Temple Theater in Detroit.
Demand for Chinese cars and trucks in China, where less than
1% of people now own vehicles, is expected to be enormous for some time, which
should keep Chinese manufacturers busy with ample demand at home, Zhou said.
Zhou addressed China's
increasing demand for everything from vehicles to energy in his formal
comments, but also said China's
government is taking measures to ensure the country grows responsibly.
Zhou said China
is working vigorously to increase imports from the United States. In response to
concerns about China's
increasing demands on natural resources, he said the government has begun
rewarding regional leaders based on economic growth and environmental
protections.