USTDA INITIATIVE PROMOTES U.S.-CHINA COOPERATION TOWARDS EFFECTIVE ANTI-MONOPOLY LAW IMPLEMENTATION

BEIJING, CHINA (March 7, 2008) – Increasing dialogue and cooperation in the development China's Anti-Monopoly Law (AML) is the goal of a USTDA grant awarded today to the American Chamber of Commerce in China (AmCham). The $500,000 technical assistance grant will fund an orientation visit to the United States for senior Chinese officials involved in AML implementation, as well as a series of workshops in China.

The program represents a collaborative effort among several U.S. Government agencies, including USTDA, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, the Department of Justice, the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Commerce, as well as the private sector, represented by AmCham and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Representatives from these and other entities will be involved in the program, which seeks to ensure that the AML is implemented in a transparent, market-driven, and non-discriminatory manner. The program will include participation from China's Ministry of Commerce, State Administration for Industry and Commerce, National Development and Reform Commission, and State Council Legislative Affairs Office, among others.

The USTDA grant was conferred in a ceremony held at AmCham headquarters in Beijing. USTDA Director for Policy and Program and Regional Director for East Asia Geoffrey Jackson and AmCham Chairman James Zimmerman signed the grant agreement on behalf of the U.S. Government and AmCham. AmCham and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce will act as co-coordinators for the program.

China passed its AML in August 2007, marking an important milestone in the establishment of a comprehensive, nationwide competition regime, and having significant implications on China's development of a market economy. A well-implemented AML will help break down many of China's internal barriers to trade and government barriers to commerce, as well as ensure that all enterprises, including those with government affiliation, are subject to the law's full force. This result has many benefits, including supporting U.S. economic and commercial policy goals in China.

The USTDA-funded program will provide a substantive forum for appropriate U.S. government and industry participants to work with Chinese officials in the process of preparing and adopting implementing regulations in a transparent manner, allowing for public opportunity to comment on proposed regulations that are consistent with market-based principles, thereby improving the competitive environment for firms doing business in China. The program will also train Chinese officials on how the provisions of the AML and eventual implementing regulations are best applied to ensure outcomes that promote the competitive process and secure non-discriminatory treatment for all market participants.

The U.S. Trade and Development Agency advances economic development and U.S. commercial interests in developing and middle-income countries. The agency funds various forms of technical assistance, early investment analysis, training, orientation visits and business workshops that support the development of a modern infrastructure and a fair, open trading environment. USTDA's strategic use of foreign assistance funds to support sound investment policy and decision-making in host countries creates an enabling environment for trade, investment and sustainable economic development. In carrying out its mission, USTDA gives emphasis to economic sectors that may benefit from U.S. exports of goods and services.

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