Government to Government Signings
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Establishing a U.S.-China Commercial Match-Making Program (CMP) Update between the U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service of the U.S. Department of Commerce and the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT): The CCPIT, with offices in most large Chinese cities, has been cooperating with the Commerce Department to facilitate exports by U.S. SMEs. In 2005, ITA and the Commercial Service (CS) entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the CCPIT to formalize our cooperation. The MOU has since been renewed every other year, most recently in November 2011 under the name China Matchmaking Program (CMP). The central feature of the MOU is that the CCPIT provides core CS services in 16 large, fast-growing cities offering good prospects for U.S. exports but less known in the U.S. business community than the major centers where our CS employees are located. This MOU expires every two years. Secretary Pritzker signed the most recent renewal on behalf of the Commerce Department on December 20, 2013.
Memorandum of Understanding between the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) and China’s Ministry of Commerce in Support of Intellectual Property Rights Training: The goal of this MOU is to increase the capacity and commitment of Chinese government agencies, courts and legislature to ensuring that IP is adequately protected and enforced. USTDA is offering a series of four technical workshops and a U.S.-based training program that will share U.S. experience in order to help China further strengthen the protection of intellectual property. The workshops will be part of a larger program of assistance that is supported across the U.S. government, including USTR and the Department of Commerce’s Patent and Trademark Office.
Memorandum of Understanding between the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) and China’s National Energy Administration (NEA) in Support of U.S.-China Energy Cooperation Program (ECP): This MOU will establish a work plan between USTDA and NEA that will cover a broad range of energy activities over the next year in support of ECP. Subjects of joint interest under the MOU may include, but are not limited to: clean transportation (clean fuels), decentralized energy and combined cooling, heat and power, industrial energy efficiency, shale gas, renewable energy, smart grid and microgrid, and other fields as mutually determined. USTDA intends to continue contributing funding for feasibility studies, consultancies, study tours, workshops and related project development work on clean and efficient energy best practices, as identified in continued consultation with ECP, the NEA, and other Chinese government agencies.
Work Plan on the Foreign Direct Investment Statistics for United States – China Statistics Working Group: The Statistics Working Group (SWG), under the Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT), is a highly cooperative effort through which the United States and China discuss technical statistical issues to achieve a better mutual understanding of the official statistics that each country uses. This work fosters a better understanding of the economic ties between the United States and China and helps each country understand bilateral economic statistics. During the10th SWG meeting held in Washington, DC, in November 2013, both sides agreed that it would be valuable to expand cooperation to include bilateral statistics on foreign direct investment (FDI). The focus of the FDI reconciliation project is to identify causes of and quantify discrepancies in bilateral statistics on China’s direct investment in the United States.
Commercial Signings
- The U.S.-China Energy Cooperation Program (ECP) and China’s Institute of Electronics (CIE) signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Green Data Centers Standards Development. Aligned with the scope of collaboration led by the U.S. Department of Energy and the People’s Republic of China Ministry of Industry and Information Technology on IT-based smart solutions to improve energy efficiency, the ECP and the CIE agreed on a three-year work plan (2013-2017) for U.S. and Chinese companies to carry out regular industry-to-industry consultation on the development of green data center related industry standards. The consultation will include demonstrative green data center energy efficiency projects that use U.S. products and reflect U.S. best practices. These consultations will provide input from U.S. and Chinese companies for use in China’s green data center energy efficiency related policy and industry standards development.
- The Energy Cooperation Program (ECP) along with China’s Low Carbon International Alliance led by Huaneng Carbon Asset Management Company and the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology’s Center for International Economic and Technological Cooperation signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the clean air industrial emission reduction technical assistance program. The objective of this collaboration is to accelerate the deployment of U.S. best-in-class energy efficiency and emission reduction technologies in China, in line with the country’s ambitious emission reduction efforts. The prioritized areas include industrial energy efficiency, emission control technologies and carbon management services and financing for a range of sectors, including industrial boilers, power generation, cement, water efficiency, distributed energy and combined cooling, heat and power. The effort will initially focus on Hebei Province and begin in January 2014 with the goal of developing demonstrative projects that will support U.S. technology deployment and best practice sharing through collaboration with Chinese users and industry regulators.
- Honeywell and Shanghai New Changning Group signed a Memorandum of Strategic Cooperation, which establishes a partnership to deploy electricity demand side management (DSM) technologies in the Changning District of Shanghai. The partnership will explore building a pilot virtual plant (VPP) in the Changning District, using Honeywell’s latest auto-demand response (Auto DR) technology and Attune Advisory Service. The project is will help enhance the reliability, stability and efficiency of the grid and reduce the energy and operations costs of the individual facilities.
- OSIsoft and China Southern Grid (CSG) Electric Power Research Institute signed a Project Agreement under which OSIsoft and CSG will work together on a smart grid technology pilot project to showcase the capabilities, data integration, data management and the value of OSIsoft’s PI System, the industry standard in enterprise infrastructure, for management of real-time data and events. The project is funded by USTDA for $800,000, and with 50% cost-sharing. The project is a high priority for CSG and represents a tremendous opportunity to share U.S. expertise and technology.
- Terex and the China State Administration of Work Safety (SAWS) signed a Memorandum of Understanding concerning the execution of a safety executive training program geared towards Chinese construction SOEs. Terex is an American manufacturer of a broad range of heavy equipment for a variety of industries. The project is a significant policy advocacy milestone with a Chinese entity, and represents a potential benefit to the U.S. economy, with the possibility of $75 million in U.S. export growth over the next three years.
- Henningson, Durham & Richardson (HDR) and Huachengboyuan (Beijing) Architecture Design & Urban Planning Co. signed a Teaming Agreement under which HDR and Huachengboyuan Architecture Design & Urban Planning Co. will supply architectural planning and concept design advisory services for the Beijing International Medical Center. HDR states that the Beijing International Medical Center would be the largest healthcare, education, and research center in the world. The agreement is valued at $780,000, all of which is U.S. export content. The project would support an estimated 10 U.S. jobs.
- IAE Aero Engines and ICBC Financial Leasing Co. Ltd. signed a Definitive Agreement under which IAE International Aero Engines AG will supply ICBC Financial Leasing Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), with V2500 engines to power 17 firm and three option A320 series aircraft. The project is valued at $311 million and is expected to generate approximately $77 million in U.S. export content.
- Lockheed Martin and The Reignwood Group signed a contract that provides the business framework for the future development of Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) technology leading towards the final design and building of the world’s first 10 Megawatt (MW) OTEC Pilot Plant. Lockheed Martin Corporation is a global leader in developing OTEC as a next generation source of renewable energy. The contract sets the stage for the follow-on building of the world’s first generation 100MW OTEC Utility Scale Production Plant in China. The overall project value is estimated at $500 million, of which $300 million is U.S. export content. The project could potentially support 1,000 U.S. jobs.
