Forecast 2017
On January 25, 2017, the US-China Business Council hosted Forecast 2017, a half-day program featuring comprehensive projections for the Chinese business and political environment in the year ahead.
This annual event joined leading China business analysts and policymakers to discuss challenges and offered an opportunity for companies to learn more about what may be ahead just five days into the new Trump administration and what Congress’s priorities will be, as well as other key issues that companies will contend with in China in 2017 and beyond.
USCBC members may access reports and speaker presentations here.
Topics and speakers at Forecast 2017 included:
China’s 2017 Economic Forecast
Bart Oosterv
eld
Managing Director, Chief Credit Officer, Americas
Moody’s Investors Service
US Election Outcomes and the Impact on US China Policy
Stephen Moore, Distinguished Visiting Fellow, Project for Economic Growth at The Heritage Foundation, and advisor to the Trump campaign. Mr. Moore will discuss what to expect in US-China economic and trade relations in the year ahead.
Luncheon Discussion
Angela Ellard, Chief Trade Counsel and Trade Subcommittee Staff Director at the House Ways & Means Committee, who will discuss what may be an active legislative year on trade and related issues.
Shane Warren
International Trade Counsel
United States Senate Committee on Finance
China’s Political Landscape and 2017 Leadership Changes
Bruce Dickson
Professor of Political Science and International Affairs, and
Chair, Department of Political Science
George Washington University
Balancing US-China Trade and Commercial Issues: What are the United States’ Best Options?
Jeff Layman
Partner and Chief Representative, Beijing Office
Baker Botts LLP
The Honorable John Veroneau
Partner, Covington & Burling, and
former Deputy US Trade Representative
President Trump or Candidate Trump? How a New Administration May Affect Bilateral Trade
During a time of transition to a new administration, President-elect Donald Trump’s statements about the US-China commercial relationship raise questions about its future trajectory. The top questions on many minds is whether President Trump will embrace the rhetoric of Candidate Trump to impose a 45 percent tariff on Chinese imports and label China currency manipulator; and if so, what the implications will be.
The US-China Business Council (USCBC) was pleased to partner with member law firm K&L Gates to discuss the election and its implications for US-China relations. USCBC Vice President Jacob Parker joined David Tang, K&L Gates Asia Managing Partner, and other senior legal counsel from K&L Gates to brief USCBC members and the firm’s clients.
Briefing on Recent US-China Cybercrime Dialogue
The US-China Business Council hosted a briefing with Jordana Siegel and Naomi Wilson of the US Department of Homeland Security to talk about the US-China Cybercrime Dialogue, held on December 8 in Washington. Siegel is the director of International Strategic Affairs in the Office of Cybersecurity and Communications; Wilson is director of Asia-Pacific Policy, and both have been actively engaged on these issues. The dialogue included engagement on China’s cybersecurity law, which is relevant to companies in a variety of sectors.
Shanghai Program: Trademark Rights in China: Briefing with SAIC Trademark Department
The US-China Business Council hosted a briefing at the Shanghai office of USCBC member law firm Jones Day with the Shanghai Administration of Industry, and Commerce Trademark Office on China’s trademark law enforcement, looking at local implementation of trademark law, and how to protect trademark rights in China. Gu Huirong, Deputy Director of Trademark Supervision Department, Shanghai Administration of Industry and Commerce, spoke on local implementation of the trademark law, recent trademark disputes and other major cases with MNCs, and suggestions on trademark protection in China. Zhou Yunchuan of Jones Day moderated the meeting and spoke on trademark squatting issues. Zhou is a former IP judge on the Supreme People's Court, and has a deep and unique understanding of IPR and trademark rights.
JCCT IPR Debrief
USCBC Gala 2016
The USCBC's Gala 2016 was held on Wednesday, December 14 at the Omni Shoreham Washington. Nearly 450 leaders from the business, government, diplomatic, and think tank communities were in attendance.
A bipartisan panel featured former US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson Jr. and former National Security Advisor Thomas E. Donilon, discussed the state of US-China relations and the future of the increasingly complex relationship between Washington and Beijing. Paulson led the US-China Strategic Economic Dialogue under President George W. Bush; Donilon held a leadership role in the US-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue under President Barack Obama. The discussion was moderated by USCBC board chair, Mark Fields, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Ford Motor Company.
The program also featured China’s top envoy to Washington, Ambassador Cui Tiankai, who has distinguished himself for his service strengthening the ties between the two largest global economies and as a strong supporter of USCBC.
USCBC will continue to play a critical role during the transition to a new administration and represent the best interests of the American business community. Gala is our flagship fundraiser and an important component of ensuring USCBC remains at the forefront of representing American business interests with China.
Special thanks to the following corporate sponsors that have pledged their support:
Benefactors: Abbott Laboratories, Apple, Chubb, C.V. Starr & Co., Inc.,
Dell, Inc., The Walt Disney Company, DuPont, ExxonMobil, FedEx Express,
Fluor Corporation, Ford Motor Company, Hilton Worldwide,
JPMorgan Chase & Co., Mead Johnson Nutrition Company, MetLife, Inc.,
The Procter & Gamble Company, TE Connectivity, UL LLC, Visa, Inc.,
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
Patrons: Chevron, Chubb, Emerson, IBM Corporation, PepsiCo, Inc., Pfizer, S&P Global, Inc.
Supporters: AccuWeather, Inc, Amway, Archer Daniels Midland Company,
Barbara Franklin Enterprises, Celgene, The Coca-Cola Company,
The Cohen Group, ConocoPhillips, Corning, Cummins Inc.,
The Dow Chemical Company, General Motors, Hills & Company,
Moody's Investors Service, Praxair, Smithfield Foods, Inc.,
Squire Patton Boggs, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc.
27th US-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade De-Brief
The US-China Business Council and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce China Center hosted a discussion of the outcomes from the 27th Joint Commission on Commerce & Trade (JCCT), hosted in November by US Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker and US Trade Representative Michael Froman. The event featured Jeff Moon, assistant US Trade Representative for China Affairs of the Office of the US Trade Representative and Alan Turley, Deputy Assistant Secretary for China at the US Department of Commerce.
Shanghai Program: Local Implementation of Fair Competition Review, and Update on Merger Review and Antitrust Investigations
The US-China Business Council hosted a lunch briefing on China’s competition enforcement system, looking at local implementation of China’s Fair Competition Review system, merger review process, and recent trends in antitrust Investigations. Alexander Wang, associate at Covington & Burling’s Beijing office, spoke on local implementation of the fair competition review mechanism which allows regulators to investigate illegal intervention in market competition, and also developments in merger review and antitrust investigations by the three antitrust enforcement agencies.
Beijing Event: JCCT De-Brief with USG Officials
The Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT), held in Washington in late November marked the final bilateral meeting of the Obama administration. This year’s event saw some progress in areas such as intellectual property rights (IPR) protection and implementing prior commitments on discriminatory innovation promotion policies. At the same time, it appears that differences on overcapacity and biotech seed approvals remain.
The US-China Business Council (USCBC) and the American Chamber of Commerce in China (AmCham China) hosted a debriefing with officials from the US Embassy in Beijing who will have participated in this year’s JCCT negotiations.
Speakers included Sarah Kemp, Minister Counselor, Foreign Commercial Service, Brett Gerson, Commercial Officer, Foreign Commercial Service, James Green, Minister Counselor, USTR, Lisa Rigoli, Deputy Agency Chief, USTR, Joel Blank, IPR Attaché, USPTO, Bruce Zanin, Minister Counselor, Foreign Agricultural Service, and Evan Felsing, Acting Minister Counselor, Economic Section, Department of State.
SASAC DDG Lin: Update on SOE Reform
SOE reform and shifts in the role of the state and the market have been a topline goal in China’s economic reform debate. Following Vice Premier Wang Yang’s remarks at the JCCT reiterating China’s preference for mergers and corporate reorganizations rather than bankruptcies, new questions have arisen on the next steps of China’s SOE reform efforts. The US-China Business Council hosted a discussion with State Owned Asset Supervisory Commission Deputy Director General of the Enterprise Reform Bureau Lin Qingmiao (林庆苗) who discussed challenges and progress made in 2016, upcoming SOE reform pilots and 2017 SOE reform plans, and implications for the macro economy in the coming year.