Following a town hall style meeting with members, Secretary Locke sat down with AmCham-China to discuss trade and protectionism. 

Members Welcome Locke and Kirk

US Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke and US Trade Representative Ron Kirk addressed AmCham-China members and guests on November 16 at a lunch briefing held jointly with the US-China Business Council (USCBC). Over 200 guests, as well as several dozen members of the media, attended the event held at the China World Hotel. The luncheon was part of President Obama’s first presidential visit to China. See photos here.

Secretary Locke and Ambassador Kirk briefed the American business community about the goals of the president’s visit and discussed the Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT), held in late October in Hangzhou. Both Ambassador Kirk and Secretary Locke spoke about the progress and joint resolutions that came out of the JCCT that they attended two weeks prior. Click here to read about AmCham-China's reaction to the JCCT talks.

AmCham-China Chairman John Watkins, Jr., gave opening remarks and introduced USTR Kirk. In his address, Ambassador Kirk emphasized the importance of US-China trade balance and highlighted initiatives of President Obama’s trip. Recognizing that the US still faces numerous economic problems, he said that the president and his administration are committed to increasing the national savings rate and opening more job opportunities for Americans through increased exports.

USCBC Vice President of China Operations Robert Poole followed Ambassador Kirk’s speech with a warm introduction for the Secretary of Commerce. In his remarks, Secretary Locke stressed the administration’s continuing support for US businesses abroad, saying that the “goal is to help American businesses grow everywhere in the world.” He dismissed concerns that the US was engaging in protectionism and reminded the audience that cooperation in resolving trade disputes responsibly, such as  those between the US and China, is a sign of a mature relationship.

Both speakers stressed that they want to see US exports to China increase. Furthermore, they expressed their determination to collaborate on issues of trade imbalance, climate change and intellectual property rights protection, which was met with wholehearted enthusiasm by the AmCham-China audience. 

After addressing the crowd, Secretary Locke and Ambassador Kirk opened the floor to questions which ranged from unemployment to trade concerns.

Full audio from the speeches is available here and on the AmCham-China page of the iTunes music store.

Secretary Locke speech

Ambassador Kirk speech