US lawmakers from the House of Representatives on Wednesday presented a bipartisan legislative package that would extend the remit of US engagement with China and increase American competitiveness in the global marketplace.

The package, named US-China Competitiveness Agenda of 2007, is made up of four bills which would expand America's diplomatic infrastructure in China, increase avenues for small- and medium-sized American businesses exporting to the China market, make more funds available for Chinese language teaching in the US and create new cooperative energy ties between the U.S. and China, the lawmakers said at a press conference held in the Capital Hill.

The bill’s sponsors are Representatives Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) and Rick Larsen (D-Wash.), who co-chair the bipartisan House U.S.-China Working Group, as well as Representatives Susan Davis (D-Calif.) and Steve Israel (D-N.Y.). Representatives Davis and Israel are also members of the House US-China Working Group.

Representative Kirk's legislation, the US-China Diplomatic Expansion Act of 2007, would see the setting up of a new consulate in Wuhan as well as 100 smaller diplomatic posts in cities with more than a million people.

The bill would also prove to be a major injector of cash for diplomatic efforts tripling their budget, boosting funding for language exchange programs, increase subventions for rule of law initiatives and tripling the US contribution to Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation.

Kirk is also co-sponsoring three other bills in the US-China Competitiveness Agenda, including Representative Larsen's US-China Market engagement and Export Promotion Act of 2007, Representative Davis' US-Chinese Language Engagement Act of 2007 and Representative Israel's US-China Energy Cooperation Act of 2007.

The Larsen bill would see American states able to create export promotion offices in China and link different US Export Assistance Centers to set up a new nationwide China Market Advocate program around the country. The bill would also allocate funds for small businesses to conduct China trade missions and to run Chinese business education programs.

"We need innovative programs that support our small business exports and arm them with the tools they need to succeed in China," Kirk said.

Introducing the US-Chinese Language Engagement Act, Representative Davis told reporters that while there are roughly 200 million students learning English in China today, only about 50,000 primary and secondary school students study Chinese in America.

The Davis bill increases Chinese cultural studies and language acquisition for elementary, high school and college-age students, bringing Chinese into the curriculum at every level. Grants would go towards funding university joint venture programs, virtual cultural exchanges with Chinese schools and intensive summer language instruction programs.

"We have more than just a trade deficit with China -- We also have a knowledge deficit," Kirk said. "We need additional funding for domestic Chinese language programs, educational exchanges and Chinese teacher exchanges to fix this knowledge imbalance."

The Israel bill, or the US-China Energy Cooperation Act of 2007, will set up new grants to fund US-China energy and climate exchange education programs, along with joint research and development of energy efficient technologies and renewable energy sources.

(Xinhua News Agency August 2, 2007)