US-China Green Technology Transfer Strained By Circular Reasoning

Last month (October 22nd 2009) The Economist had a special report about the relationship between China and the US. In the article 'The price of cleanliness' the circular reasoning is pointed out that makes solving the environmental challenge in China very difficult:

"Technology transfer will also be a thorny issue. China resents the idea of American clean-energy companies taking advantage of China’s predicament to profit from their expertise. But American companies will not be keen to hand over advanced technologies without adequate protection for their intellectual-property rights. China’s lack of attention to this area is bitterly resented by many American businesses, not just high-tech ones."

Read James Miles' article for The Economist article here.

In other words: China lacks trust that US will transfer their patented green technology; US lacks trust China is protecting US green IPRs; etc.; etc. Wood absorbs water; water rusts metal; metal breaks up earth; earth smothers fire; fire burns wood; etc.; etc.

UPDATE:
China also wants Japan to transfer its patented green technology. Kyodo News International reports via iStockAnalyst, read here: "[Chinese Vice Premier] Li [Keqiang] requested that Japan accelerate the transfer and promotion of environment-related technology to China, while promising that China will ensure that the intellectual property rights of Japanese companies are protected. Japan and China are scheduled to hold a first working-level meeting on intellectual property rights in Tokyo on Nov. 19."