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.