BEIJING, Nov. 14 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- The American Chamber of Commerce in the People's Republic of China (AmCham-China) welcomes President Obama's arrival in China as an opportunity to engage on several of the pressing economic issues facing the two countries. Representatives for AmCham-China said the organization looks forward to working with the Obama administration on further opening Chinese markets, promoting improved intellectual property rights (IPR) enforcement, reducing barriers to trade and promoting new clean energy sources.
AmCham-China emphasized that the organizations and its 2,500 member companies are hopeful that the visit and follow up negotiations with the Chinese government will yield progress.
"President Obama comes to China at a critically important time," AmCham-China Chairman John Watkins, Jr. said. "President Hu's and President Obama's joint efforts over the past year helped accelerate the recovery from the collapse of the financial, consumer and real estate markets. We look forward to even more progress as a result of their meetings in China to keep both markets open for trade and investment. This will create good jobs for workers in both countries."
While President Obama is in Beijing, AmCham-China members will meet with Commerce Secretary Gary Locke and US Trade Representative (USTR) Ron Kirk to discuss issues from developing clean energy technology to improving IPR enforcement in China.
"This is the second time that Secretary Locke has addressed our membership in the last six months," AmCham-China President Michael Barbalas said. "I think this shows how much importance President Obama places on the US-China economic relationship. USTR Kirk has also been very supportive and we are pleased to welcome him to Beijing. We know that he is as eager as we are to work with China on issues like climate change and ensuring IPR laws are fully enforced."
AmCham-China representatives stressed that it was difficult to measure success based solely on the announcements from a short presidential visit, but that the recent US-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade shows that ongoing, steady progress is being made.
"If you look at the bilateral endorsement of the Energy Cooperation Program and the numerous negotiating frameworks that have been agreed upon for the months ahead, it is clear that the US and China are committed to cooperation," Mr. Watkins said. "With the president's trip, the upcoming Copenhagen climate change conference and other discussions on market access and protectionism, we look forward to a steady stream of tangible results."
About The American Chamber of Commerce in the People's Republic of China:
AmCham-China is a Beijing-based, non-profit organization representing the interests of some 2,500 companies and individuals doing business throughout China. Headquartered in Beijing, AmCham-China has chapters in Tianjin and Central China (Wuhan). For more information, visit: http://www.amchamchina.org