U.S. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker and U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman to Convene 27th Session of the U.S.-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker and U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman will host a high-level Government of China delegation for the 27th session of the U.S.-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT), November 21-23, in Washington. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack will also take part in the dialogue to address key agricultural trade issues between the two countries. Vice Premier of the State Council Wang Yang will lead the Chinese delegation.

Established in 1983, the JCCT is the primary forum for addressing bilateral trade and investment issues and promoting commercial opportunities between the United States and China. High-level plenary meetings are held annually and are co-chaired by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, the United States Trade Representative, and the Chinese Vice Premier in charge of trade and investment issues.  Fourteen JCCT Working Groups meet throughout the year to address topics such as intellectual property rights, agriculture, pharmaceuticals and medical devices, information technology, and travel and tourism.

The 26th JCCT meeting was held in Guangzhou, China, on November 21-23, 2015. At those meetings, significant progress was made on several important issues, including intellectual property rights protection and enforcement, pharmaceuticals and medical devices, technology policy, and competition policy.

China was the third-largest market for U.S. exports in 2015 (after Canada and Mexico). U.S. goods exports to China were $116 billion and U.S. services exports to China reached $48 billion in 2015.