Humorous item du jour

We SHOULD be more liberal with our trade policies...just like China. Ridiculous.

Jan. 15 (Bloomberg) -- China’s government charged the U.S. with “backsliding” toward protectionism and said it should ensure its companies comply with foreign laws in the aftermath of Google Inc.’s threat to pull out of the country.

The U.S. use of trade remedies against China in 2009 was “unreasonable,” Ministry of Commerce spokesman Yao Jian said at a briefing in Beijing today. China’s officials hope that “multinationals’ parent countries, including Google’s home country, step up oversight of their companies’ overseas’ businesses,” he also said.

The comments signal China’s confidence that the dispute with Google won’t affect foreign companies’ plans, and came as a government report showed foreign direct investment into the country more than doubled last month. Microsoft Corp. Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer said yesterday in a Bloomberg Television interview that he wouldn’t consider exiting the market, citing the nation’s growth.