Under Secretary for International Trade
Grant Aldonas Signs Memorandum of Understanding on Tourism Cooperation
with Chinese Officials
On December 3, 2004, Under Secretary Grant Aldonas and China National
Tourism Administration (CNTA) Chairman He Guangwei signed a new
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on tourism cooperation.
“Travel and tourism builds knowledge, friendship and understanding
over time and from generation to generation,” said Commerce
Under Secretary Grant Aldonas. “While Chinese visitors to
America have reached as many as 250,000 annually, I believe travel
opportunities for Chinese outbound tourism to America can grow significantly.”
The MOU calls for increased involvement between CNTA and the U.S.
Department of Commerce (DOC) to develop travel and tourism. It provides
for the establishment of a bilateral working group between the two
governments to promote progress and cooperation, exchange information,
address key issues and develop understanding of U.S. and China policies
relating to U.S. trade and investment in travel and tourism related
services.
The working group will strive to develop an initial work program
to forge closer cultural and commercial ties between the countries.
The agreement is an early step to develop a business environment
that promotes and facilitates fair and open trade in travel and
tourism related services. |