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Blog Category: International trade

U.S.-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT) Concludes in Washington

Submitted on December 15, 2010 - 10:30pm
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China Agrees to Significant Intellectual Property Rights Enforcement Initiatives, Market Opening, and Revisions to its Indigenous Innovation Policies That Will Help Boost U.S. Exports at the 21st Session of the U.S.-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade

Wang and Locke shaking handsToday marked the end of the 21st session of the U.S.-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT) in Washington, D.C. The JCCT was co-chaired by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke and U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk along with Chinese Vice Premier Wang Qishan. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack also participated in the discussions. Today’s outcomes will make U.S. businesses more competitive in China, help boost U.S. exports and jobs, and increase market access for U.S. businesses, creators, innovators, entrepreneurs, farmers and ranchers seeking to do business in China.

Specifically, China agreed to significant initiatives in several areas, including intellectual property rights enforcement, open and neutral technology standards, clean energy, and government procurement.  Importantly, on indigenous innovation, China agreed not to discriminate in government procurement based on the origin of intellectual property or to use discriminatory criteria to select industrial equipment.  China also agreed to resume talks on beef market access.  Press release  |  Fact sheet |  Signing fact sheet | Closing remarks and links to JCCT content  |  JCCT photos

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21st Annual U.S.-China JCCT Photos

Submitted on December 15, 2010 - 1:15pm
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U.S. and Chinese Delegations at JCCT

The U.S. and China delegations pose for photos prior to the start of the 21st annual U.S.-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT) on December 15, 2010.

This morning, delegations from the United States and China began the 21st annual U.S.-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT), which is our most important bilateral dialogue for resolving trade and investment issues between the two nations. As co-chairs of the JCCT, the delegations are stewards of the U.S.-China trade relationship, which is robust, supports millions of jobs for our people and is growing in both opportunity and complexity. The discussions between the delegations will help determine how well Chinese and US scientists discover together; how well our businesses collaborate; and how well our governments deal with the growing challenges of the 21st century.

Additional photos attached.

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image/jpeg iconU.S. and Chinese Delegations (6MB)
image/jpeg iconSecretary Locke (320kb)
image/jpeg iconSecretary Vilsack (600kb)
image/jpeg iconVice Premier Wang Qishan (200kb)
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Secretary Locke Sets the Stage for U.S.-China JCCT at Georgetown Policy Conference

Submitted on December 14, 2010 - 6:45pm
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This week, Commerce Secretary Gary Locke will convene the 21st annual U.S.-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT), which is our most important bilateral dialogue for resolving trade and investment issues between the two nations.

To help set the stage for this meeting, Secretary Locke recently convened a full-day policy conference at Georgetown University exploring the U.S.-China Commercial relationship -- with most discussion panels focusing on finding ways to resolve the trade disputes that animate so much of the coverage of U.S.-China commercial interaction. 

It is an important discussion. China is the United States’ second-largest trading partner, with our bilateral trade in goods alone amounting to $365 billion last year. And U.S. exports to China are up more than 24 percent since 2008. Moreover, China and the U.S. are currently partnering to find solutions to some of the world's most pressing problems, including climate change and energy security.

For that reason, Secretary Locke made clear that the U.S. government welcomed continued strong growth in China as a way for China to improve the well-being of its citizens. As more and more Chinese move into the middle class, they will want world-class, American-made goods and that will mean more jobs here in the U.S. as our companies work to meet that demand.  

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Exports Can Spur Our Economy

Submitted on December 9, 2010 - 6:30pm
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UPS CEO Scott Davis and Secretary Gary LockePost co-authored by Scott Davis, UPS Chairman and CEO, and Secretary Gary Locke

Robust and global trade drives the world’s economic engine.  And it’s the quickest and surest way we know to accelerate economic growth, create new jobs and improve living standards. 

Now we freely admit that UPS has an interest here.  At any given moment, UPS handles 6 percent of the U.S. GDP and moves 2 percent of the global GDP.  So global trade is important to the future of UPS, and that holds true for its workers, and for workers across America.  Every 22 packages per day that cross a border supports one job in UPS’s package operation.

That’s why UPS is so supportive of President Obama’s recent announcement of a landmark trade deal with South Korea, which is estimated to increase American economic output by more than the last nine trade agreements combined.

UPS’s logistics and lending services empower businesses of all sizes to export their goods and services virtually anywhere in the world, and with the impending passage of this agreement, there will be a lot more businesses to work with. 

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Stepping Up Trade Between the U.S. and India Will Mean More Jobs in America and a Better Quality of Life for People in India

Submitted on November 15, 2010 - 2:00pm
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Secretary Locke is signing the Energy Cooperation Program MOU with Indian Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia. The ECP is a partnership that brings together U.S. and Indian companies and both two governments to focus on specific projects and initiatives that will develop the clean energy marketplace and help realize its potential within India.

[Upon return from Asia, Secretary Locke wrote this blog post about the importance of the upcoming trade mission to India in February.]

President Obama and members of his Cabinet, including myself, have completed a trip to India to take the relationship between our two countries to a new level. We were there because we see real opportunities -- both for American workers and businesses and the people of India. U.S. firms can work with Indian companies to help meet the ambitious economic and social goals laid out by its government. And we can do that by increasing trade between our nations, selling more of America’s world-class goods and services to businesses and consumers in India.

Two-way trade between our nations last year was $38 billion, and exports to India have quadrupled in the last seven years. I expect this upward trend to continue. But we have to do more to connect U.S. companies with Indian consumers and partner firms. To that end, President Obama and I announced a high-tech trade mission to India in early February, making stops in Mumbai, New Delhi and Bangalore. Companies interested in participating can visit www.trade.gov/IndiaMission2011 for more information.

As Secretary Chu noted during his trip to India last year, due to the increasing demand for energy by India’s emerging middle class, India could become a major export destination for solar panels and wind turbine components manufactured in the United States. That’s why I’m proud we announced the launch of the Energy Cooperation Program. This partnership brings together U.S. and Indian companies and our two governments to focus on specific projects and initiatives that will develop the clean energy marketplace and help realize its potential within India.

Stepping up trade and collaboration between the U.S. and India will mean more jobs in America and a better quality of life for people throughout this fast-growing democracy at the heart of the Obama administration’s renewed engagement in Asia.

Commerce Department Continues Focus on Expanding Markets for U.S. Exports

Submitted on November 5, 2010 - 4:00pm
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Secretary Gary Locke will join President Obama in India this week, where they will work to deepen bilateral economic cooperation between the two countries on a regional and global level. Continuing to expand bilateral economic ties with India is an important step toward achieving the goals of the president’s National Export Initiative, which aims to double U.S. exports within the next five years in support of several million U.S. jobs.

While in Mumbai, Locke will participate in the U.S.-India Business and Entrepreneurship Summit. He will then travel to New Delhi, where he will give a keynote address at a Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry and the American Chamber of Commerce event.  In 2009, U.S. trade with India totaled $37.6 billion, and trade this year has already reached $32.4 billion through August.

Watch this video to hear from small business owners about their experiences partnering with the Department of Commerce.

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Statement from Secretary Locke on August 2010 U.S. International Trade

Submitted on October 14, 2010 - 3:30pm
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U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke issued the following statement on the release of the August 2010 U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services report by the Commerce Department’s U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Today’s report showed that U.S. exports in August 2010 increased by 0.2 percent to $153.9 billion from their July 2010 level. Imports in August increased 2.1 percent over July to $200.2 billion. U.S. exports so far in 2010 are up nearly 18 percent compared to the same period last year.  Report  |  Statement  |  Fact sheet

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Minority Business Development Agency Kicks Off National Minority Enterprise Development Week Conference

Submitted on August 23, 2010 - 12:30pm
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Conference to help expand global reach for minority-owned firms

Alternate TextToday Commerce's Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) kicked off the 28th annual National Minority Enterprise Development (MED) Week Conference in Washington, D.C.  The week-long conference focuses on “Strategies for Growth and Competitiveness in the Global Economy.”

The MED Week conference helps minority-owned firms grow domestically and globally through a series of educational, training and business-to-business networking events. Throughout MED Week, nearly 1,500 minority business owners, government officials and corporate representatives will hear about President Obama’s National Export Initiative and develop the skills to become export-ready. They will also have the chance to participate in sessions on opportunities for minority-owned firms in federal contracting and Haiti reconstruction, among others. The week will wrap up with an awards gala to honor excellence in minority-owned firms.

MBDA and National Director David Hinson will welcome several speakers to this week’s conference, including: U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, Administrator of the Small Business Administration Karen G. Mills, U.S. Deputy Commerce Secretary Dennis Hightower, Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade Francisco Sánchez, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office David Kappos, and Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development John Fernandez.

MBDA is focused on helping minority-owned firms grow their businesses domestically and globally to foster job creation and economic growth. For more information about the conference and a video of National Director Hinson at MED Week, visit http://www.medweek.gov.  |  Conference details and more  | USPTO Kappos's remarks

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Secretary Locke Briefs Washington Foreign Press Center on Upcoming Trade Mission to China and Indonesia

Submitted on May 12, 2010 - 8:00pm
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Commerce sealU.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke led a briefing at the Washington Foreign Press Center on the Obama administration’s first Cabinet-level trade mission to China and Indonesia next week. The clean energy business development missions will promote exports of leading U.S. technologies related to clean energy, energy efficiency and electric energy storage, transmission and distribution. In his remarks, Locke said, “Here at home, every American should know that when a U.S. clean energy company finds success abroad, it creates more jobs in the United States." (Remarks)

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Secretary's Statement on March U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services

Submitted on May 12, 2010 - 9:30am
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The Commerce Department’s U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis today released a report on March 2010 U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services. Today’s report showed that U.S. exports in March 2010 increased by 3.2 percent to $147.9 billion from their February 2010 level. Imports in March increased 3.1 percent over February to $188.3 billion.

“The rise in imports shows increasing consumer confidence in America's economic recovery,” Commerce Secretary Gary Locke said. “It's heartening to see a corresponding increase in exports.

“This administration is focused on helping American businesses take advantage of the worldwide recovery underway, ramping up trade advocacy on all fronts – from providing credit to small businesses that want to export to increasing the number of trade experts who will help U.S. companies find buyers abroad to the continued rigorous enforcement of our trade laws.” (Full statement)

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