Fact Sheet: Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT) Signings
U.S.-China Memorandum of
Understanding on Soybeans:
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and China's General Administration of Quality
Supervision, Inspection, and Quarantine (AQSIQ) signed a memorandum of understanding
(MOU) agreeing to cooperate on issues relating to the inspection and quarantine
of U.S. soybeans exported to
China.
The MOU states that appropriate U.S. government agencies are ensuring U.S. soybeans
meet relevant quality, food safety, and plant health standards. The MOU will
also establish information sharing mechanisms that enhance cooperation related
to soybean trade. The United States
exported more than $9.3 billion in soybeans to China in fiscal year 2010.
Agreement Between the
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and China's Ministry of Agriculture (MOA)
on Areas of Cooperation in Agriculture for 2011:
The United States
and China are the world's largest agricultural producers in value and volume,
respectively. USDA and MOA also have a 31-year history of technical cooperation
in the field of agriculture. During the Agricultural Working Group (AWG)
meeting in advance of the 2010 Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT)
Plenary, both sides agreed in principle on areas of cooperation for 2011. These
areas will include, but are not limited to: biofuels, biotechnology, treatment
of agricultural wastes, plant and animal health protection, and sustainable
agriculture. Additionally, both sides agreed to hold information exchanges on
the development of markets for agricultural products and commodities, and
weather forecasting tools. Both sides agreed that the 2011 meeting of the
USDA-MOA Joint Committee on Cooperation in Agriculture will finalize and
implement the abovementioned areas of cooperation.
Work Plan on Cooperative Research on Trade
Statistics:
The United States and China each
publish data that measure the bilateral merchandise trade flows between these
two trading partners. Although both
countries follow international statistical standards, differences in the
merchandise trade data arise as a result of data and methodological
differences. The goal of this work plan
is to extend the statistics dialogue and research already conducted under
auspices of the JCCT. Like the previous
work, this effort is not to change the official statistics reported by either
country, but to understand better the data and methodologies used in the
collection and compilation of those official trade statistics.
Operating
Framework Agreement between USTDA and MOFCOM:
The USTDA-MOFCOM Operating Framework
Agreement establishes procedures for the review and
approval of specific project activities applicable to the USTDA mission.
Under this Agreement, USTDA agrees to consider assistance to Chinese organizations
for project planning activities that respond to Chinese development priorities
that might benefit from U.S.
exports. In signing this document, USTDA and MOFCOM mark ten years of USTDA’s
China program and renew their Operating Framework Agreement to cover an
additional ten years of partnering on projects that are to the mutual benefit
to U.S. and China.
State Grid Smart Grid Standards Development
Technical Assistance Grant Agreement:
This $442,380 technical assistance grant will
help the China State Grid Electric Power Research Institute develop standards
for smart grid infrastructure that are appropriate for China and harmonized
with U.S. standards. Developing standards for the smart grid would enable its
widespread implementation in China,
which would lower electricity costs and usage, providing economic and
environmental benefits to communities and households throughout the country.
Integrated Real Time Water Monitoring System
Feasibility Study and Pilot Project Grant Agreement:
USTDA is contributing
$589,466 to partially fund a Feasibility Study (FS) for the Changjiang Water
Resources Commission (CWRC) of China
on an Integrated Real Time Water Monitoring System. The FS and pilot
would assess the technical and financial feasibility of installing a water
monitoring system in the Han
River Basin. Such a
system would positively impact the environment of the entire Yangtze River Basin
as well as help ensure clean drinking water for large populations in Northern China. CWRC and the Sutron Corporation (Sterling, VA),
the sole source contractor, are sharing costs on the FS.
Memorandum of Understanding between the U.S.
& Foreign Commercial Service and the China Council for the Promotion of
International Trade Concerning Promotion of Investment in the United
States:
In this agreement, the
U.S. & Foreign Commercial Service and the China Council for the Promotion
of International Trade (CCPIT) set forth the activities they intend to conduct
in the United Sates and in China to promote outbound investment by Chinese
investors to the United States. This
will include exchanging information on respective investment promotion
activities and services, sharing data on investment flows to the United States,
jointly cooperating on outreach activities in each country to promote
investment by Chinese enterprises, sharing lists of potential investors, acting
as central contacts for present and potential investors, and providing each
other information about each country’s policies related to enterprises’ direct
investment into the United States.
