October 3, 2005
JS-2962

Treasury Secretary Snow to Travel
to Japan and China
Visit Will Include Meetings of G-20 and the
U.S.-China Joint Economic Commission

Treasury Secretary John W. Snow will visit Tokyo and three cities in China next week on the way to meetings of the Group of 20 finance ministers and central bank governors in Beijing.

The Secretary will be in Tokyo October 10-11 for meetings with economic officials. Secretary Snow is expected to meet with Japanese Finance Minister Tanigaki to discuss economic developments in the region -- in particular, the recent return to economic growth in Japan.

From Tokyo, Secretary Snow will travel to Shanghai, China's predominant trade and finance center. On October 11-13 he will meet with financial sector leaders based in Asia, and other representatives of the business community, including a visit to the Shanghai Stock Exchange. He will also visit a new office of operations for China's foreign exchange trading system.

On October 13, Secretary Snow will travel to Chengdu, located in Sichuan province in western China. There the delegation will have the opportunity to observe the progress of economic reform in China outside of the major coastal centers. The visit will include a visit to a flight school that trains commercial pilots, a credit institution, visits to Chengdu's business district, and other meetings.

Secretary Snow will join other finance ministers and central bank governors in Grand Epoch City, located outside of Beijing, on October 14. The G-20 meetings will conclude on Sunday, October 16.

Following the G-20 meetings, Secretary Snow will lead the U.S. delegation at the U.S.-China Joint Economic Commission (JEC). Joining Snow for the JEC will be Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan, Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission Chris Cox, and Chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission Reuben Jeffery III.

The Treasury delegation will include Tim Adams, Under Secretary for International Affairs, and David Loevinger, recently appointed as the Treasury Department's permanent financial attaché in Beijing.