Oct. 27--Chicago will be the site of a business summit between high-level U.S. and China officials in December, a first for the city.
The 25th session of the U.S.-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade, aimed at boosting trade and investment between the countries and resolving trade disputes, will be hosted by U.S. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker and U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman on Dec. 16-18.
China was the third-largest market for U.S. exports in 2013, after Canada and Mexico.
"Increasing opportunities for trade between Chicago businesses and their Chinese counterparts is critical to the continued growth of our city's economy," Mayor Rahm Emanuel said in a statement. "This summit will help highlight how Chicago and the nation can become stronger trade partners with China well into the future."
The mayor last year signed economic partnership agreements with eight Chinese cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Shenyang, Tianjin, Qingdao, Hangzhou, Wuhan, and Chengdu. The aim is to build cross-border investments.
Issues addressed at last year's JCCT summit in Beijing included protection and enforcement against theft of trade secrets; government procurement; market access for U.S. testing and certification companies; and market access for American beef.
This is the first time a U.S. meeting of the summit will be held outside Washington, D.C. It will include meetings led by Pritzker, Froman and China's vice premier in charge of trade and investment issues.
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will participate in discussions on agricultural trade issues.
kbergen@tribune.com
@kathy_bergen
