The Bush administration announced on Wednesday that the 18th US-
China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT) will be held in
the week of December 10 in Beijing.
"I look forward to this important JCCT meeting. We have a number
of trade and economic issues to address. While US exports to China
are growing, many barriers remain," said US Commerce Secretary
Carlos M. Gutierrez.
"We will be working with our counterparts in China to continue
delivering results for American workers, businesses, farmers and
ranchers, and expanding access to the Chinese market," he
added.
"The JCCT is a vital forum that deals with the nuts-and-bolts of
trade," said US Trade Representative Susan C. Schwab. "It has
helped the US and China address and resolve challenging trade
issues in the past, and we are looking for it to do so this year as
well."
Commenced in 1983, this 18th plenary JCCT session will be
co-chaired on the US side by Commerce Secretary Gutierrez and USTR
Schwab and on the Chinese side by Vice Premier Wu Yi, according to a statement released by US
Trade Representative Office.
Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns will also participate in
the JCCT, the statement added.
The JCCT, the bilateral venue for the US and China to address
trade and market access issues, has over a dozen working groups and
sub-groups that meet throughout the year to work on a range of
trade and investment issues.
(Xinhua News Agency August 2, 2007)