Recent Past Events
2008 Meetings and Events
January February March April May June July
JANUARY
Washington: Roundtable Discussion
Next Steps on Conducting Government Affairs in China
Featured a presentation of the results from USCBC's government affairs survey from 2007 and a discussion on what would be most useful for member companies to know as it strengthens its government affairs capabilities in China. (Jan. 10)
Shanghai: Issues Luncheon
China's Economy in 2008: Peering Ahead
Andy Xie, guest economist at Caijing Magazine and former chief China economist at Morgan Stanley discussed his views on the trajectory of China's economy, including the potential knock-on effects of the ongoing credit and subprime mortgage crisis in the United States, the continuing high price of oil, rising inflation and raw materials costs, and other economic forces. (Jan. 17)
Washington: Issues Luncheon
JCCT & SED: What's Working, What's Not, and What's Next
Featured insights from Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Sullivan, Assistant US Trade Representative Timothy Stratford, and Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce Ira Kasoff. (Jan. 17)
Washington: Forecast 2008 Conference, Reception
Member company executives gathered in Washington, DC, on January 31 to
hear experts analyze the year ahead at the USCBC's Forecast 2008
Conference.
Predicting that China's economic growth in 2008 will likely slow modestly to about 9.5 percent, Jay Bryson, a director and global economist at Wachovia Corp., argued that China's economy is less dependent on exports to the United States than is widely assumed and that a US slowdown may have only a marginal impact on PRC economic growth. Bryson also predicted steady appreciation of the renminbi against the US dollar. In the political realm, Joseph Fewsmith, a leading expert of Chinese domestic politics at Boston University, detailed some of the important personnel changes that emerged from last fall's Chinese Communist Party congress and how President Hu Jintao may manage his second five-year term. Fewsmith also traced the emergence of nationalistic voices to debates within Chinese intellectual circles during the 1990s and noted that US companies should be aware of the possible impact of this nationalism.
Halfway into the morning session, US Trade Representative Susan Schwab outlined the administration's 2008 trade agenda for China in an off-the-record speech. During the second half of the morning program, Gallup Organization Senior Methodologist Rajesh Srinivasan presented trends and projections about Chinese consumers. Drawing on 12 years of in-country polling on consumer behavior and attitudes, Gallup data show that international brand recognition among twenty-something Chinese consumers is relatively high, but "made in China" brands are also appealing and have been able to compete vigorously for consumer loyalty. Closing the expert panel session was USCBC Shanghai Chief Representative Godfrey Firth, who reported that US companies in China expect another year of growing sales, though recent changes in the labor contract and tax regimes pose new operating challenges.
The conference concluded with a luncheon keynote address by the Honorable William Cohen, former US secretary of Defense and chair and CEO of the Cohen Group, who discussed strategic issues to watch in the US-China relationship.
The evening before the conference, USCBC hosted a reception for member companies, US government and PRC Embassy officials, and other luminaries in academia and the China field. Attended by roughly 130 guests, the reception introduced incoming PRC Embassy Minister and Deputy Chief of Mission Xie Feng to the audience. Xie is well known to USCBC from his previous post as deputy director-general for North American Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing.
Conference participants received a packet of USCBC reports, many of which are now available at www.uschina.org. USCBC appreciates the support of its member companies and the speakers in making Forecast 2008 a success. (Jan. 30-31)
FEBRUARY
Washington: Briefing
Engagement with China on Energy Efficiency and Bio-fuels
Featured Amy Chiang, director of International Affairs, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, US Department of Energy. (Feb. 21)
Shanghai: Issues Luncheon
China's Evolving Energy Policies
Featured Zhang Libin, partner at Baker Botts LLP, and George Ko, general manager, Honeywell Building Solutions. (Feb. 22)
Beijing: Breakfast Workshop
China's Labor Regulations
Featured Jiang Junlu, partner, King & Wood PRC Lawyers, and Chris Lin, labor counsel, General Electric Co. (Feb. 26)
Washington: Briefing
Negative Attitudes toward Foreign Investment in China
Featured Jingzhou Tao, partner at the Beijing office of Jones Day. (Feb. 27)
MARCH
Beijing: Discussion
Featured James Mendenhall, partner, Sidley Austin LLP. (Mar. 19)
Washington: Issues Luncheon
NPC Outcomes and the Taiwan Elections
Featured David M. Lampton, director of the China Studies program, Johns
Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies and former
president of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations. (Mar. 20)
Shanghai: Roundtable on Human Resources
Featured Chris Lin, counsel, Public Policy and Human Resources, General
Electric (China). (Mar. 26)
APRIL
Beijing: Reception
Featured John Frisbie, USCBC president, who offered remarks on US-China
trade. (Apr. 15)
Washington: Issues Luncheon
China in the Western Media
Featured John Pomfret, Washington Post Sunday Outlook editor and former
Beijing bureau chief. (Apr. 17)
Shanghai: Luncheon on the View from DC: US-China Trade Politics in 2008
Featured John Frisbie, USCBC president. (Apr. 18)
Beijing: Luncheon on China's Healthcare Sector
Featured US Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade
Christopher Padilla. This luncheon was co-hosted by USCBC and American
Chamber of Commerce in China. (Apr. 25)
MAY
Shanghai: Executive Leadership in Government Relations Reception
Featured Steve Bertamini, chair and CEO - Northeast Asia, General
Electric. This reception was co-hosted by USCBC and the Georgia State
University Center for Global Business Leadership and was attended by 140
guests. (May 6)
Beijing: Human Resources Workshop on Talent Retention
Featured Jim Leininger, general manager, Watson Wyatt Worldwide,
Beijing, and a panel of USCBC member company HR specialists. (May 8)
Philadelphia: Luncheon
Featured Jeffrey Tertel, senior associate for Transaction Services,
Office Group, Grubb & Ellis Company, and Julie Walton and Evan Thorpe,
director and manager, respectively, Business Advisory Services, USCBC.
(May 14)
Beijing: Luncheon
Featured US Department of Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez. This
event was co-sponsored by USCBC and the American Chamber of
Commerce-China (AmCham). (May 15)
Washington: Issues Luncheon
PRC Standards: Recent Shifts and Next Steps
Featured Elise Owen, representative for China Affairs at the American
National Standards Institute (ANSI). (May 15)
Shanghai: Luncheon
Financial Sector Reforms: New Opportunities for Foreign Companies
Featured David Dali Liu, partner, Junhe Law Firm. (May 16)
Minneapolis: Evolving Business Issues in the US-China Trade Relationship
Featured USCBC President John Frisbie. (May 21)
Beijing: Strategic Economic Dialogue Breakfast
Featured Ambassador Alan F. Holmer, the US Treasury's Special Envoy for
China and the Strategic Economic Dialogue. This event was co-hosted by
USCBC and American Chamber of Commerce-China. (May 23)
JUNE
Washington: 35th Annual Membership Meeting
USCBC kicked off the 35th Annual Membership Meeting by announcing the election of its board of directors. The meeting also featured presentations on trade and investment developments in China, government affairs best practices, operational trends in China, and US-China relations. Representatives from each of the three presidential campaigns--Gary Gensler, senior Clinton advisor; Douglas Holtz-Eakin, McCain economic advisor; and Jeffrey Bader, Obama China adviser--spoke at a luncheon panel on how the presidential candidates view China and China trade issues. (June 3)
Washington: Board Reception in honor of Incoming Chair Andrew Liveris
USCBC held a reception to welcome its new chair, Andrew Liveris, chairman & CEO of the Dow Chemical Co., and new directors on June 4 at the Smithsonian Institution's Freer Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. About 125 guests attended the event, including PRC Ambassador to the United States Zhou Wenzhong and other PRC government officials, US government officials and members of Congress, USCBC board members and member companies, think tank representatives, and other special guests. The full list of USCBC's officers and directors can be viewed at www.uschina.org/board_of_directors.html. (June 4)
Beijing: Workshop on Employee Benefits Best Practices
Featured Jeffrey Fan, China business leader for Health and Benefits, Mercer Human Resources Consulting. (June 11)
Beijing: Workshop on the PRC Labor Contract Law
Featured Andreas Lauffs, partner, Baker & McKenzie LLP. (June 13)
Washington: Dinner Honoring PRC Vice Premier Wang Qishan and the PRC Delegation to the Strategic Economic Dialogue
Co-hosted by USCBC, the United States Chamber of Commerce, and the National Committee on US-China Relations and in-cooperation with American Chamber of Commerce - China, American Council of Life Insurers, Business Roundtable
China General Chamber of Commerce - USA, The Financial Services Forum, Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association. Approximately 600 people attended the reception and dinner, including Secretary of Agriculture Ed Shafer, Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez, Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao, Secretary of the Treasury Henry Paulson, US Ambassador to China Clark T. Randt, Jr., PRC Ambassador to the United States Zhou Wenzhong and other PRC government officials, US government officials and members of Congress, USCBC board members and member companies, think tank representatives, and other special guests. Photos of the event: Reception Photos, Dinner and Speakers, Dinner Tables (June 18)
JULY
Washington: Issues Luncheon
US Export Controls: One Year after the New China Rules
Featured Under Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security Mario
Mancuso. (July 17)