Online Gambling Bans Belie US and China Free Trade Commitments

US and Chinese representatives on the highest level told reporters covering their meetings that the two agreed on the importance of free and unobstructed trade, all while each acts to block competition and access to the online gambling industry.

Cabinet-level officials from the US met with their equivalents from China in what is being called the Strategic and Economic Dialogue, and announced both countries consider free trade and honoring international commitments to be in their best interests. This came as shocking news to the online gambling industry, which finds the two nations among the most repressive in trade, and least likely to live up to agreed rules.

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner stated after the meetings that the two countries discussed currency policy and the need to maintain fair competition across national borders. Each side assured the other that the government is dedicated to improving trade conditions and rejecting protectionist measures.

"The United States and China are among the biggest beneficiaries of the global trading system and share a common interest in ensuring that global trade and investment remain open and rules-based," Geithner said.

Meanwhile, both the US and China act hypocritically in their policies toward online gambling. The US faces a series of disputes with the European Union and Antigua over its failure to honor free trade in services commitments in regard to online gambling.

China has instituted the Great Firewall of China to censor the Internet, with online casinos a prime target. The US may begin implementation of the UIGEA online gambling ban in December unless legislative or judicial attempts to stop the process are successful.

Observers from the online casino industry were amazed that the words put forth for public relations by the two superpowers lie so far from the actual actions each has taken and continues to take.