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CBR May-June 2008 - Healthcare

USCBC Bulletin

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Event Wrapup

Washington

December

Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Working Group Update

Featured US interagency IPR officials; special thanks to Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP for hosting this event.

January

Luncheon Honoring PRC Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) Yang Jiechi

Featured Vice Minister Yang, PRC Ambassador to the United States Zhou Wenzhong, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Thomas Christensen, and other MOFA officials.

Issues Luncheon

Featured US Department of Commerce (DOC) Undersecretary for International Trade Franklin L. Lavin, who discussed the current state of US-China commercial issues.

Washington: Reception with PRC Provincial and Local Commercial Officials

Featured a delegation of senior provincial- and local-level commercial officials from Dalian, Liaoning; Guangzhou, Guangdong; Jinshan, Shanghai Municipality; Fujian; Jiangsu; and Shandong. Special thanks to Steptoe & Johnson LLP for hosting this event.

February

Forecast 2007 Reception and Conference

See p.15

Discussion with Ira Kasoff, DOC

Featured Kasoff, the new deputy assistant secretary for Asia in the Market Access and Compliance division of DOC's International Trade Administration; Cheryl McQueen, director of the Office of the Chinese Economic Area, DOC; and Nicole Melcher, Kasoff's predecessor.

Discussion with David Loevinger, Minister-Counselor for Financial Affairs, US Embassy, Beijing

Featured Loevinger, the US Department of the Treasury's financial attaché in Beijing, who spoke on recent financial meetings in Beijing between US and PRC officials.

Minneapolis, MN

February

Roundtable Discussion: Business Trends in China and US-China Trade Politics in Washington, DC

Featured the US-China Business Council's (USCBC) Vice President for China Operations Robert Poole and Washington, DC-based Vice President Erin Ennis. Special thanks to Cargill, Inc. for hosting this event.

St. Louis, MO

February

Roundtable Discussion: Business Trends in China and US-China Trade Politics in Washington, DC

Featured Emerson COO Ed Monser, USCBC President John Frisbie, and Poole. Special thanks to Emerson and Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. for hosting this event.

Beijing

January

Luncheon: DOC's Christopher Padilla on Export Controls

Featured Padilla, assistant secretary for Export Administration, Bureau of Industry and Security, DOC. Cosponsored by USCBC and the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) China.

Aviation Forum

USCBC hosted an aviation forum to discuss reforms of, and improved market access to, China's aviation sector. Andrew Steinberg, assistant secretary of Transportation for Aviation and International Affairs, and Li Jiangmin, director of the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) Department of International Affairs and Cooperation, spoke at the event. The forum brought together officials from CAAC, the General Administration of Customs, Ministry of Communications, National Development and Reform Commission, Ministry of Commerce, and MOFA. Cosponsored by the Boeing Co., FedEx Corp., Northwest Airlines Corp., Polar Air Cargo, Inc., United Airlines, Inc., and UPS.

February

Briefing on the Strategic Economic Dialogue with Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) Officials

Featured Christine Bliss, assistant USTR for Services; Timothy Stratford, assistant USTR for China; Victoria Espinel, assistant USTR for IPR and Innovation; Claire Reade, chief counsel for China Enforcement; Eric Altbach, deputy assistant USTR for China; Amy Celico, senior director for China; and Ann Main and Daniel Bahar, directors for Services and Investment, respectively. Cosponsored by USCBC, the US Information Technology Office, and AmCham China.

Upcoming Events

Washington

Luncheon with He Yafei, PRC Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs

March 6, 2007

Issues Luncheons

March 15, 2007
April 19, 2007
May 17, 2007

34th Annual Membership Meeting

June 5, 2007

For more event information, see www.uschina.org

USCBC Hosts Washington Reception and Forecast 2007 Conference

USCBC held its Forecast 2007 reception and conference on February 7 and 8, respectively, in Washington, DC. More than one-third of USCBC's member companies were represented; nearly half came from outside of Washington. Guests from the US government, PRC embassy, and academia also attended the reception and luncheon.

The evening reception featured remarks by Representatives Joseph Crowley (D-NY) and Mark Kirk (R-IL), PRC Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission Zheng Zeguang, and Assistant US Trade Representative (USTR) for China Tim Stratford. Rep. Rick Larsen (D-WA) and Rep. Geoff Davis (R-KY) also attended the event.

The conference assembled panels of renowned China experts and opinion leaders who offered prognostications for the bilateral relationship in the year ahead. Harry Harding, director of Research and Analysis at the Eurasia Group, highlighted the growing complexity of the US-China relationship and the need for a more coordinated approach in US engagement with China. Brookings Institution Visiting Fellow Cheng Li provided an overview of the crucial 17th Chinese Communist Party Congress, which will take place later this year, and analyzed the new roster of potential powerbrokers within the PRC leadership.

Jonathan Anderson, chief economist for Asia Pacific, UBS AG, forecast a stable PRC economy in 2007 with slightly higher inflation and roughly 6 percent appreciation of the renminbi against the US dollar. Anderson also noted that inflation and imports would rise over the next three to four years as demand picks up and capacity tightens. USCBC Vice President for China Operations Robert Poole discussed key operational issues facing US companies in China, which include retaining qualified employees, reinforcing government relations staff, and managing domestic media coverage. Brian Pomper and Beau Schuyler, founding partners of Parven Pomper Schuyler Inc. and former Democratic congressional staffers, concluded the morning session with a snapshot of the new Democratic Congress and its implications for China-related trade legislation.

The conference concluded with a luncheon address by Deputy USTR Karan Bhatia on the Bush administration's approach to the US-China trade relationship in 2007. Bhatia also emphasized the importance of the Strategic Economic Dialogue. For Bhatia's remarks, see www.uschina.org.

PRC Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Yang Jiechi and USCBC President John Frisbie at the January 5 luncheon in Yang's honor.

Sponsors and speakers at the Aviation Forum, January 29 in Beijing. Photo by Julie Walton

Representatives Mark Kirk (R-IL) and Geoff Davis (R-KY) at USCBC's Washington Reception

Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-NY)

Ford Motor Co. Manager of Government Affairs for Asia Pacific and Africa Gina Capalbo; PRC Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission Minister Zheng Zeguang; and Zheng's wife Mme. Hua Mei

Harry Harding, director of Research and Analysis at the Eurasia Group

Cheng Li, Brookings Institution visiting fellow

Jonathan Anderson, UBS chief economist for Asia Pacific

Brian Pomper and Beau Schuyler, founding partners of Parven Pomper Schuyler Inc. and former Democratic congressional staffers

Deputy USTR Karan Bhatia and USCBC President Frisbie during the Q&A following Bhatia's luncheon address

Photos by sardari.com

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