Leading Business Group Calls for Expanded Engagement with China

WASHINGTON, DC, January 14, 2009 - The US-China Business Council (USCBC) and its member companies today launched an initiative to help inform key decisions on the United States' trade agenda with China in the coming years.

"America's constructive relationship with China is vitally important to our economic health," USCBC Chairman Andrew Liveris said. Liveris, chairman and CEO of The Dow Chemical Company, continued, "USCBC and its nearly 250 companies are in a unique position to promote the real-world, positive perspective on engagement with China, demonstrating the day-to-day value that Americans derive from this critical and mutually beneficial relationship."

"America's current economic challenges may cause temporary shifts in US trade with China, but the long-term trends are clear—and the need for a clear-headed, stable approach to China is more important than ever," said USCBC President John Frisbie. "USCBC's initiative describes in plain English the facts about US trade with China, how we can best advance our economic and commercial interests, and what should be done to resolve the existing irritants."

The briefing document is available at www.uschina.org/public/documents/2009/china_policy_recommendations.pdf and will be circulated to the incoming presidential administration, new members of the US Congress, and throughout the United States through USCBC member companies.

"The United States has an opportunity to build on 30 years of engagement to promote an enduring and constructive relationship with China," Liveris said. "To reach that goal, we need policies that are based on facts, not fears, and that bolster and build upon the strengths of US companies."

The USCBC (www.uschina.org) is the leading organization of US companies engaged in business with the People's Republic of China. Founded in 1973, the USCBC provides extensive China-focused information, advisory, and advocacy services, along with events, to roughly 250 US corporations operating within the United States and throughout Asia.