Foes of trade with China were often critical of that country's record on human rights. But he worries that unless other countries joined the effort, it might not be effective. The April crisis over the US military reconnaissance plane that made an emergency landing on Hainan Island exacerbated relations between the two countries and came at a time when concern was mounting about the huge US trade deficit with China. American officials have encouraged this expansion of trade in hopes that the US will eventually win its fair share of the consumer market in the world's most populous country. Many trade analysts argue that China could prove to be a significant market for US exports in the future.
China is one of the world's fastest growing economies.
It is projected that by the year 2005, China will have more than 230 million middle-income consumers. If achieved, this would likely make China the world's largest market for consumer goods and services and a major market for luxury goods. China's trade surplus with the US has provided a cash infusion there that has helped Beijing build its industrial base, lifted the incomes of millions of China's citizens, and furnished additional funding to upgrade its military. China has also welcomed billions of dollars of investments by corporate giants such as Eastman Kodak, Motorola, BP Amoco, General Motors, and Bank of America. John Foarde, vice president of the US-China Business Council in Washington, says there is very little evidence so far that the Hainan Island incident has disrupted the two countries' intertwined business ties.