USCBC BULLETIN

Event Wrapup

WASHINGTON

January

Briefing Featured former US Trade Representative (USTR) General Counsel John Veroneau

Briefing Featured Undersecretary of Commerce for International Trade Franklin Lavin

Forecast 2006 Reception and Conference See below

February

Issues Luncheon Featured Senate Finance Committee International Trade Counsel Stephen Schaefer

Visa Policy Briefing Co-sponsored by USCBC, the National Foreign Trade Council, and the US-India Business Alliance, the briefing featured Wanda Nesbitt, principal deputy assistant secretary for Consular Affairs, and Mike Glover, deputy special representative for Business Affairs in the Economic Bureau.

NEW YORK

February

Roundtable Discussion Featured Assistant USTR for China Tim Stratford and USCBC Vice President Erin Ennis

BEIJING

January

Luncheon: Reflections on Trade, China, and US Competitiveness Co-sponsored by USCBC and AmCham-China, the luncheon featured Senator Max Baucus (D-MT), the ranking member of the Senate Committee on Finance.

Luncheon: Bringing Balance Back to US-China Relations Co-sponsored by USCBC and AmCham-China, the luncheon featured Representatives Mark Kirk (R-IL) and Rick Larsen (D-WA), the co-chairs of the congressional US-China Working Group.

BEIJING AND SHANGHAI

February

Welcome Receptions USCBC President John Frisbie introduced new Vice President of China Operations Robert Poole to members and US and PRC government officials.

Upcoming Events

WASHINGTON

March

Luncheon with USTR General Counsel James Mendenhall and Assistant USTR Tim Stratford

BEIJING

March

Luncheon with Vice Minister of Commerce Ma Xiuhong

April

Expected visit of PRC President Hu Jintao to the United States

June 5

33rd Annual Membership Meeting and Welcome Reception for the Incoming USCBC Chair (see below)

Forecast 2006 Reception and Conference

The US-China Business Council (USCBC) launched its annual Forecast conference with an evening reception on January 24 with guests from Congress, the executive branch, the PRC embassy, and roughly 100 USCBC member-company representatives. The reception featured brief remarks by PRC Ambassador Zhou Wenzhong, US Representative Brian Baird (D-WA)—a member of the congressional US-China Working Group—and Deputy Secretary of Commerce David Sampson. Senator Norm Coleman (R-MN), co-founder of the new Senate China Working Group, was also present.

The conference kicked off the next morning with a talk on prospects for US-China relations by David Lampton, dean of the faculty and director of China Studies, the Johns Hopkins University's Paul H. Nitze School for Advanced International Studies. Rohit Kumar, counsel and policy advisor to Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN), and Angela Ellard, majority staff director and counsel, House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Trade, continued the program with a discussion of Congress and China trade politics.

Erik Britton, director of Economics, Oxford Economics USA, then discussed The China Effect: Assessing the Impact on the US Economy of Trade and Investment with China, a new report released by the China Business Forum. Next, Mustafa Mohatarem, chief economist, General Motors Corp., spoke on China's economy in 2006 and what it means for companies. Kenneth DeWoskin, partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, delved into key operational issues for companies in China, including intellectual property rights. Delivering the luncheon keynote address, Ambassador Karan K. Bhatia, deputy US Trade Representative (USTR), described the administration's China trade agenda for 2006.

USCBC Appoints New Vice President of China Operations

USCBC, publisher of the CBR, welcomed Robert W. Poole as its new vice president of China operations on February 6. Poole brings a strong background in China business, particularly financial services, and government affairs. Poole was with First National Bank of Chicago as its chief representative in Beijing in the 1990s. He continued to handle the bank's China business after his return to the United States. More recently, Poole has been based in Beijing doing consulting work in various industries, broadening his exposure to the issues USCBC members face. He is a former chair of the Foreign Bankers Association in Beijing and is well-versed in engaging with China's government departments and enterprises. Poole replaces Pat Powers and is based in Beijing.

Highlights from the Forecast 2006 Reception and Conference

Sen. Norm Coleman and USCBC President John Frisbie	Deputy Secretary of Commerce David Sampson and PRC Ambassador Zhou Wenzhong
Elizabeth Keck of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.; Richard Johnson of Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz; and Albert Keidel of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace	Frisbie and Forecast speakers Rohit Kumar, Angela Ellard, and David Lampton
Forecast speakers Erik Britton, Mustafa Mohatarem, and Kenneth DeWoskin	Ambassador Karan K. Bhatia, deputy US Trade Representative