News Releases

While there are likely many outstanding issues that need to be worked out, it appears that the largest points of contention between the two governments center on the issues that are at the core of what American companies want in an agreement: substantive, legally-binding changes to Chinese policies that create an unlevel playing field for foreign companies and a plan for the removal of tariffs.

US goods exports to China slumped last year as teeth grown in trade disputes between the two countries began to bite, according to an annual study of US exports by state released by the US-China Business Council (USCBC) today.

Chinese and US company executives are cautiously optimistic on future prospects for their businesses, but have mixed views on whether commercial relations will return to where they were prior to current tensions.

We’re pleased to hear confirmation that the governments are working on a memorandum of understanding (MOU). We’ve called for progress on the substantive issues at the heart of the trade dispute; mutually-agreed upon outcomes in an MOU would be a way to do that.

We understand that this week’s discussions covered familiar ground on structural issues and look forward to hearing details about any progress that was made. The long-standing concerns that foreign companies have about protection of intellectual property rights, technology transfer, and market access in China are ones that we believe are prime for resolution.

The US-China Business Council is pleased with substantive discussions held between the two countries, but emphasizes progress should include a mechanism for the removal of tariffs and measurable, commercially meaningful outcomes.

The US-China Business Council (USCBC) concluded today its annual board delegation to China, where delegates met with Chinese government officials, company CEOs, and top academics to discuss the bilateral trade relationship between the two countries.

The US-China Business Council (USCBC) and the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), along with the China Chamber of International Commerce (CCOIC) today co-hosted a CEO Dialogue between senior Chinese and American leaders in Beijing. CCOIC Vice Chairman Tu Guangshao and USCBC Board Chair Evan Greenberg co-chaired the dialogue.

It is time to bring this dispute to an end. Both the US and Chinese governments should suspend the tariffs they have put in place and do the hard work of negotiating a solution to the legitimate issues raised in the United States’ investigation of China’s intellectual property and technology transfer policies.

American companies face significant challenges in their business operations with China, due to trade tensions, but the market remains one of the most important to their bottom lines. These are among the findings of The US-China Business Council’s (USCBC) 2018 Member Survey, released today.