Telecommunication gear
Chinese companies also are expected to sign a $560 million contract with
Motorola for telecommunication equipment and a $300 million contract with
Microsoft for software, it said.
Other deals include a $350 million contract with GE Energy for power
generation equipment and $306 million with General Motors, $110 million with
Ford and $80 million with Daimler Chrysler for autos.
Terex Corp. is signing a deal to sell $150 million of heavy-duty construction
trucks.
Wu will travel next to Memphis, Tennessee, where additional contracts for
purchases of U.S. cotton, soybeans and poultry are expected to be signed,
consulate spokeswoman Xiaomei said.
Wu is due in Washington on April 11 for a meeting with U.S. Trade
Representative Rob Portman (news, bio, voting record) and Commerce Secretary
Carlos Gutierrez.
In the face of last year's $202 billion trade deficit with China, the Bush
administration has been pushing Beijing to open its market to more U.S. goods
and services and crack down on piracy and counterfeiting estimated to cost
American companies billions of dollars in lost sales every year.
The large software purchase could be to fulfill a commitment Beijing has made
to ensure government offices and state-owned enterprises only use legitimate
software.
Portman told reporters on Wednesday he hoped next week's meeting would
produce enough progress on piracy and market access concerns to satisfy members
of Congress.
"We are still negotiating with the Chinese about what potential progress we
can make. We won't know of course until the meeting is over ... I think we have
an opportunity to have a fairly productive meeting," he said.