USCBC Bulletin

Event Wrap Up
WASHINGTON, DC May Issues Briefing on Trade Enforcement & China Featured Timothy Reif, general counsel of the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR), and James Bacchus, chair of the Global Trade & Investment Practice Group of Greenberg Traurig, LLP and former chair of the Appellate Body of the World Trade Organization. June US-China Business Council (USCBC) 36th Annual Membership Meeting See below Representatives Kirk and Larsen on US-China Engagement Featured US House Representatives Mark Kirk (R-IL) and Richard Larsen (D-WA), co-chairs of the US-China Working Group. Assistant Secretary Sandalow on US-China Climate Change Sandalow, US assistant secretary for Policy and International Affairs, met with USCBC members after returning from discussions with US and PRC officials in Beijing.	BEIJING May China Operations Conference See below US-China Clean Energy Forum and Banquet Senator John Kerry, chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Representative Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) spoke at an event co-hosted by USCBC and the American Chamber of Commerce in China. Attendees also heard expert presentations on eight initiatives to promote energy efficiency and green technologies. June US-China Working Group Luncheon Roundtable Featured US Representatives Kirk and Larsen, President of the National Committee on US-China Relations Stephen Orlins, and several other members of US government, nongovernmental organizations, and multinational corporations that do business with China.	Breakfast with William M. Daley Daley, vice chair of JPMorgan Chase & Co. and former co-chair of President Barack Obama's election campaign and transition into the White House, spoke with members of the US business community in China and shared his thoughts on US-China trade relations, Obama administration priorities, and various economic concerns. SHANGHAI May Workshop on Business Tax and High- and New- Technology Enterprise (HNTE) Certification Procedures Featured Shanghai Commerce Commission Foreign Affairs Office Deputy Director Shen Qing, Shanghai Science and Technology Commission HNTE Certification Office Deputy Director Zhang Jianbo, and a representative of the Shanghai Tax Bureau's Indirect Tax Department. The officials reviewed tax policies and answered questions about recent changes to PRC business tax and HNTE processes.

USCBC Hosts China Operations Conference in Beijing

USCBC's China Operations Conference, held in Beijing on May 20, addressed current issues important to US businesses in China, including China's economic stimulus spending, business operations amid the economic downturn, and the Obama administration's China policy.

He Fan, assistant director of the Institute of World Economics and Politics under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, delivered the keynote address on China's economic recovery. David Dollar, then country director for China and Mongolia at the World Bank, gave a luncheon address on China's response to the global economic recession. Roberta Lipson, CEO of Chindex International, Inc., spoke on China's healthcare reform plans, and Gary Wan, director of Business Development for Asia Pacific Strategic Support at Caterpillar (China) Investment Co. Ltd., spoke on infrastructure development.

Attendees also heard presentations on high-tech investment and conducting government affairs in China from US Information Technology Office President and Managing Director John Chiang and USCBC Vice President of China Operations Robert Poole, respectively.

USCBC Unveils Board Election Results

Andrew Liveris, chairman and CEO of the Dow Chemical Company, was reelected as USCBC's chair for a second one-year term. The following new directors were also elected:

• Jeff Clarke, vice chairman of Operations and Technology, Dell Inc.
• William M. Daley, vice chairman and head of Corporate Responsibility, JPMorgan Chase & Co.
• Michael L. Ducker, president, International, FedEx Express
• David N. Farr, chairman, CEO, and president, Emerson
• Evan G. Greenberg, chairman and CEO, ACE Ltd.
• James W. Griffith, president and CEO, the Timken Co.
• C. Douglas McMillon, president and CEO, Wal-Mart International
• Richard L. Mucci, chairman and CEO, New York Life International

Also reelected to the USCBC board were directors William N. Dudley, president and chief operating officer, Bechtel Group, Inc.; William R. Rhodes, senior vice chairman, Citigroup Inc.; and Keith E. Williams, president and chief executive officer, Underwriters Laboratories Inc.

In addition to the re-election of Liveris as USCBC chair, the board appointed the following officers:

• Vice Chairs: Muhtar Kent, chairman and CEO, Coca-Cola Co., and Robert A. McDonald, chief operating officer, Procter & Gamble Co.
• Secretary-Treasurer: Keith E. Williams, president and CEO, Underwriters Laboratories Inc.
• Counsel: Andrew Shoyer, partner, Sidley Austin LLP

USCBC's 36th Annual Membership Meeting

USCBC members gathered in Washington, DC, for the organization's 36th Annual Membership Meeting. USTR Ambassador Ronald Kirk delivered the keynote speech on "US-China Trade Relations Today and Tomorrow," in which he pledged to work with China to further open its markets to US goods, services, and investments. Kirk said that the United States is "seeking to grow better-paying jobs here at home" by "opening markets around the world to US goods and services." He also noted that China plays a central role in the international economy and that USTR will coordinate economic engagement with China through the Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade and the Strategic and Economic Dialogue. USTR will focus on the enforcement of trade agreements, primarily through dialogue and negotiation, but also through dispute settlement when necessary, so that American businesses and exporters are on a level playing field with their Chinese counterparts.

Companies listened to presentations on the latest business trends in China at the conference. FedEx Chief Economist Gene Huang reviewed recent economic data, emphasizing positive trends in China's economic recovery and the effects of various PRC government policies. Senior Partner and Managing Director for Boston Consulting Group David Michael provided an overview of China's stimulus package, focusing on how the package and related policies could affect US companies. National Practice Leader of Organization Effectiveness for Watson Wyatt Worldwide Ilene Gochman shared recent human resources trends and company best practices, highlighting the drop in voluntary turnover rates that has occurred as a result of the global economic downturn.

The meeting concluded with a luncheon panel, during which three senior executives that recently returned from China-based positions offered their views of China's current operating environment. Keith Davey, recently retired from Ford Motor Co., John E. Montgomery, recently retired from Hercules Asia-Pacific, and William E. Taylor of ITT Corp. provided perspectives on challenges faced and lessons learned from operating businesses in China.

USCBC President John Frisbie delivers opening remarks.	Gene Huang, chief economist, FedEx Corp., presents his views on China's economic recovery.	US Trade Representative Ronald Kirk delivers the keynote address.
Nearly 100 USCBC business executives, USTR officials, and members of the media listened to Kirk's remarks.	Kirk and Joann Piccolo, vice president, Global Government Affairs, Tyco Electronics.	Keith Davey and Frisbie.

Photos by sardari.com