U.S. Secretary of Commerce John Bryson and U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk will co-chair the 22nd session of the U.S.-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT) with Chinese Vice Premier Wang Qishan on November 20-21 in Chengdu, China. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack will also take part in the discussions to address key agricultural trade concerns.
Established in 1983, the JCCT is the main forum for addressing bilateral trade issues and promoting commercial opportunities between the United States and China. The JCCT holds plenary meetings on an annual basis, while a number of JCCT working groups meet throughout the year in areas such as intellectual property rights, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, and medical devices, information technology, tourism, environment, and statistics.
“The JCCT is a key venue for ensuring that our bilaterial trade relationship move in a positive direction to provide maximum benefits for American workers and businesses,” Kirk said. “Through this year’s JCCT, we are pressing China for concrete and measurable results on a number of significant issues including China’s policies on intellectual property rights, investment and innovation, as well as a range of sector-specific industrial policies.”
U.S. goods exports to China were $92 billion in 2010, up 468 percent since 2000, according to USDA.
