国际英语新闻：U.S. to make "significant reform" for export control regime within months: commerce secreta

HONG KONG, May 16 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke said here on Sunday that "concrete proposals" on the export control regime could be expected within the next several months.

"We are very optimistic that we will make a very significant reform for export control regime," said Locke at a press conference.

Locke, leading a big delegation to promote clean energy technologies in China, said "various reports and studies have indicated that some restrictions of export control have inhibited U.S. companies' sale of emerging technologies." "We believe that some of these restrictions we have on the U.S. companies make absolutely no sense."

In August 2009, the U.S. President Barack Obama announced that his administration would conduct a thorough review of the country' s export control regime.

"This effort has been led by Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, along with Secretary of State Hilary Clinton and myself," said Locke.

Locke said that the review will help with "the sale of highly sophisticated technology that might be embedded in some of the machines and devices, like the wind turbines, and the software that might operate these very sophisticated systems."

Locke's 10-day trip in china on May 16-25 was designated to promote exports of leading U.S. clean energy technologies. He was accompanied by senior executives from 24 American companies, including manufacturing giant General Electric, First Solar, a leading manufacturer of solar modules, and Peabody, the world's largest private-sector coal company.

The trip was regarded part of Obama's new National Export Initiative, which is aimed at doubling U.S. exports and creating some 2 million new jobs in the next five years.

The delegation will visit Shanghai and Beijing later this week. During his stay in Beijing, Locke will attend the annual Strategic and Economic Dialogue between China and the United States before heading to Indonesia, the last stop of his Asia trip.