Risk Management in China During US-China Tensions
China is a challenging place for foreign companies to do business, even during calm times. The challenges increase when governments disagree, and can affect companies' operating norms. Join us for a discussion on how American companies can assess changing political dynamics and potential reverberations that could affect their operations. On March 29, Kent Kedl, Senior Managing Director for Greater China and North Asia at Control Risks, and Anthony Applewhaite, Director at Brunswick Group, discussed risk management strategies that can help companies navigate the challenges, both new and ongoing.
IP in the Trade War: Strategies for a New Normal
Mark Cohen is a Senior Fellow and Director of the Berkeley Center for Law and Technology Asia IP project, on the role of intellectual property in the trade war. Mark has unparalleled public, private and academic experience in China’s IP environment. As a former US IP Attaché in Beijing and Senior Counsel to the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), Mark brings unique insight on how the US and Chinese governments approach IP negotiations. And having served as general counsel to major multinationals, Mark also offers a valuable corporate perspective for developing strategies to protect IP portfolios in evolving contexts.
As the trade negotiations draw to a close, how will structural issues such as IP be addressed? What may be the low hanging fruit? Will China’s recent IP improvements and legislative reforms have durable impact? And what does an emerging "fortress China" mean for your business?
Business Implications of China's 2019 National People's Congress
China’s legislature, the National People’s Congress (NPC), meets each March in Beijing to review past policies and plan for the coming year. Against the backdrop of a slowing domestic economy and tense US-China relations, this year’s meeting will provide important policy signals. Legislative initiatives like the new Foreign Investment Law are scheduled to undergo deliberation, which could have lasting implications for foreign companies doing business in China. On March 25, Amy Celico, a principal at the Albright Stonebridge Group and leader of their DC-based China team, and Dave Rank, a senior advisor with the Cohen Group, shared their insights on the meeting outcomes and what they could mean for foreign companies.
Embassy Speaker Series: Minister Zhu Hong
The US-China Business Council held its first Chinese Embassy speaker for 2019, Minister Zhu Hong, on March 22. Zhu is the Minister for Commercial Affairs at the Chinese Embassy to the United States. He shared the Chinese perspective on the trade negotiations, openings for foreign companies offered in the Foreign Investment Law, and key outcomes of the National People's Congress with members.
USCBC Delegation Meets With Zhejiang Governor Yuan Jiajun
On March 21, 2019, USCBC President Craig Allen led a delegation of member companies to Hangzhou to meet Zhejiang Governor Yuan Jiajun. The delegation included United Family Healthcare, doTERRA, Pfizer, Danaher, and Honeywell. Companies were able to speak with the Governor and officials from the Zhejiang Commerce Department and Zhejiang Foreign Affairs Office. Companies were able to speak with the governor directly regarding their key concerns and interests. The meeting provided an opportunity to have productive discussions with provincial senior leadership. Governor Yuan suggested the commerce department hold regular dialogue with USCBC to provide opportunities for more US companies to participate.
Changes in China's Law & Decision Making Process
China recently fast-tracked review of the new draft Foreign Investment Law, raising questions about China’s rule and decision making process, the extent of transparency and the role of public participation. On March 20, Jamie Horsley, visiting fellow with Brookings’ John L. Thornton China Center Foreign Policy Program, shared insights on recent changes in China’s law and decision making process and the impact on companies’ ability to engage in the rule and standard setting process going forward.
NPC Outcomes and US-China Negotiations with USCBC President and SIIS President
On March 19, the US-China Business Council held a briefing with USCBC President Craig Allen and Shanghai Institutes for International Studies President Dr. Chen Dongxiao on US-China relations and the outcomes of the National People’s Congress (NPC). Craig Allen covered the ongoing US-China negotiations and implications for US businesses in China, bringing the perspective from Washington, DC. Dr. Chen Dongxiao, who is a member of the Shanghai CPPCC, covered outcomes of the NPC and implications for business.
The Path Forward for US-China Trade Relations
The Trump Administration recently decided to extend U.S.-China trade negotiations beyond the initial March 1 deadline, noting the talks had made “substantial progress.” However, significant questions remain on whether the two sides will reach a deal, what that deal might look like, and the implications for the trajectory of U.S.-China relations and companies doing business in China. On March 14, Amb. Craig Allen provided insight on where the bilateral relationship is headed, including the dynamics at play in the ongoing negotiations, what to expect from the potential meeting between the two leaders in late-March, as well as the potential impact of reforms to export controls and investment restrictions to companies in the high-tech space.
China Market Intelligence Live Conference Call
On Tuesday March 12, Erin Ennis, Senior Vice President, and Jake Parker, Vice President of China Operations, shared perspectives on the current state of play on US-China trade negotiations and the ongoing meeting of the National People’s Congress during the first China Market Intelligence Live conference call.
How China Can Lead the Way Towards Cooperative Innovation: A Discussion with Amb. Craig Allen
Forty years after the reestablishment of diplomatic relations between the United States and China, we are at a historic inflection point defined by more and more competition and less and less cooperation. Both countries have actively traded economic blows and we have demonstrably proven that we are most capable of hurting each other. There are voices on both sides clamoring for economic decoupling amidst a severe collapse of trust, and that trust deficit is most starkly on display in the realm of technology and innovation. In many respects, China’s technological transformation has been a boon to the United States. It is, in fact, impossible to imagine a Silicon Valley without China. But US concerns over China’s policies and practices in the high-tech sphere are very real. The US Trade Representative’s Section 301 report accurately identifies a suite of anti-competitive and unfair practices that cannot continue if cooperative innovation is to thrive. History shows that the United States and China can both choose to make progress together, or we can both choose to struggle together. There are steps China can take to right this course, steps that are in its own economic interests as well as ours.
On March 11, USCBC President Craig Allen spoke at Stanford University on cooperative innovation. This event is part of the China Program’s Colloquia Series entitled "A New Cold War?: Sharp Power, Strategic Competition, and the Future of U.S.-China Relations " sponsored by Shorenstein APARC's China Program.
See event page here.