The annual trade talks between China and the United States have produced "positive outcomes," with a host of bilateral agreements signed, visiting Chinese Vice Premier Wang Qishan said on Wednesday.

Announcing a joint statement after the conclusion of the 21st Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT) meeting in Washington, D.C., Wang said the two sides had candid exchanges of views on China-U.S. economic cooperation.

The JCCT, a mechanism established in 1983, has served as an important platform for both countries to promote trade and address issues of mutual concern.

"We reached many agreements and produced positive outcomes," Wang said at a press conference joined by U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, Trade Representative Ron Kirk and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.

The two countries signed a host of economic cooperation documents covering a variety of areas such as investment promotion, agriculture, examination, inspection and quarantine, energy, water conservancy and trade statistics.

The two countries agreed to explore the possibility of establishing a bilateral cooperation framework on Intellectual Property Rights (IPR), said the statement.

They will also continue to work to ensure the openness, fairness and transparency of business and investment environment and be open to foreign investment, it added.

China reaffirmed that, in compliance with its own quarantine requirement, it will resume the import of American beef, deboned and bone-in, under the age of 30 months. It will also lift the avian influenza bans on the states of Idaho and Kentucky.

China is committed to carrying out special campaigns to fight IPR infringements and counterfeit products, and actively advancing software legalization, according to the statement.

The U.S. side addressed Chinese concerns and promised to continue to advance its reform of the export control regime and give serious consideration to the views and opinions of the Chinese side in this process.

The U.S. also promised to observe WTO rules and exercise caution when using trade remedy measures.

"The U.S. will seriously consider the concerns of the Chinese side on market economy status and will be ready to enhance communications and exchanges with the Chinese side on this matter so that we can accelerate the process of recognizing China as a market economy," said the statement.

"The two sides, through candid exchanges and dialogues, have enhanced mutual understanding and trust and laid the groundwork for intensive, in-depth, close economic cooperation between the two countries," said Wang.

"This will surely go a long way to promote the positive, cooperative and comprehensive cooperation between China and the United States for the 21st century," he added.

The JCCT meeting has achieved "tangible" and "positive" results, said Kirk, U.S. trade representative, adding that this will help sustain the "remarkable relationship" between the two countries.

China and the United States have developed close ties in trade and economic cooperation in recent decades. Since the beginning of China's reform and opening-up some 30 years ago, China-U.S. trade has increased by over 120 folds.

According to Chinese statistics, from January to November this year, bilateral trade reached $346.9 billion, surpassing that for the whole year of 2008.

(Xinhua News Agency December 16, 2010)