"President Xi's visit is an important opportunity to send very positive signals about China's commitment (to economic reforms), including its position on the BIT negotiations," Froman said at an event at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington D.C.-based think tank. 

 

"We're encouraging China to continue to work on its offers, its negative list, as an important indication of how serious they're about economic reforms," Froman said, referring to China's revised negative list that outlines sectors³ closed to foreign investment. 

 

The two countries exchanged the revised negative list offers in the latest round of talks on the investment treaty earlier this month, according to the Office of U.S. Trade Representative. 

 

China's revised negative list "is better than its original" and "represents serious effort by senior Chinese leaders", but the two sides still need to cover "a substantial distance from the kind of high standard agreement necessary to achieve our mutual⁴ objectives", the top U.S. trade official said. 

 

In order to conclude the BIT, the two sides will need to reach agreement on a negative list "that is limited, narrow, and represents a substantial liberalization of the Chinese economy", Froman said. 

 

"We look to President Xi's visit and our other upcoming engagements with China to send a clear signal about its commitment to reform through the BIT negotiations," he added.

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