On January 20, 2016, the US-China Business Council’s (USCBC) board of directors released its fifth annual priorities statement, detailing actions needed to continue building a strong, mutually beneficial commercial relationship between the United States and China. The goal of the statement is to focus the efforts of both governments on the top priorities for American companies that conduct business with China.

The new year ushered in several personnel changes at the US-China Business Council (USCBC), which will continue the tradition of strong leadership in the organization’s key roles.

Jake Parker, director of USCBC’s Shanghai office since January 2014, was promoted to Vice President, China Operations. He will lead USCBC’s Beijing and Shanghai offices and report directly to USCBC President John Frisbie.

American companies are seeing small benefits from China’s national administrative licensing reform agenda, but a number of obstacles continue to challenge companies in licensing and government approvals. Licensing ranked sixth in the list of challenges this year for US-China Business Council (USCBC) member companies in China.

Despite new obstacles, growth in China remains robust, and US companies are dedicated to the China market—that was a clear message from the US-China Business Council (USCBC) 2015 China Operations Conference, held in Shanghai on October 22.

Preparations for the November 21-23 US-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT) have kicked into high gear in recent weeks with both an active calendar of working group programs and robust planning for the plenary session in Guangzhou.

As US and Chinese officials prepare for Chinese President Xi Jinping’s late September visit to the United States and bilateral discussions on a range of political and economic issues, the latest US-China Business Council (USCBC) scorecard reveals that China’s efforts to promote economic reform continue to have only a limited impact on the top concerns of American companies.