WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos M.
Gutierrez and
U.S. Trade Representative Susan C. Schwab announced today the 18th
U.S.
– China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT) will be held the week
of December 10 in Beijing, China. The JCCT, a high-level
government-to-government dialogue, identifies and works to resolve
bilateral
trade issues to expand trade opportunities. Secretary
of Agriculture Mike
Johanns will also participate in the JCCT.
“I
look forward to this important JCCT meeting. We have a number of trade and
economic issues to address. While U.S. exports to China are
growing, many barriers remain,” said Gutierrez. “We will be working with our
counterparts in China to continue delivering results
for American workers, businesses, farmers and ranchers, and expanding access to
the Chinese market.”
“The JCCT is a vital forum that deals with the
nuts-and-bolts of
trade,” said Schwab. “It has helped the U.S. and China address and resolve challenging
trade issues in the past, and we are looking for it to do so this year
as well.”
Commenced in 1983, this 18th plenary JCCT session
will be
co-chaired on the U.S. side by Commerce Secretary
Gutierrez and USTR Schwab and on the Chinese side by Vice Premier Wu
Yi. The
JCCT, the bilateral venue for the U.S. and China to address
trade and market
access issues, has over a dozen working groups and
sub-groups that meet
throughout the year to work on a range of trade
and investment issues.
Recent accomplishments of the JCCT include: China’s
agreement to
preload legal operating system software on all computers produced
or
imported into China, thereby addressing one aspect of business software
piracy and helping U.S. software manufacturers; a commitment by China
to submit
an offer to the WIPO (World Intellectual Property
Organization) Internet
Treaties; and, development of guidelines to
promote bilateral technology trade
that help U.S. exporters while
maintaining U.S. security.
In addition to the JCCT, Treasury Secretary Henry M.
Paulson, Jr.
leads the U.S.
side
of the Strategic Economic Dialogue (SED) with China, a forum
designed to provide an overarching discussion of ongoing bilateral
economic
issues, cross-cutting issues and long-term strategic
challenges.
