Craig Allen
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Asia
U.S. Department of Commerce
International Trade Administration
Craig Allen has worked for the Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration since 1985. He entered government as a Presidential Management Intern and, in this capacity, rotated through the four branches of the ITA. From 1986 to 1988, he worked as an International Economist in the ITA China Office.
In 1988, Craig transferred from Washington to the American Institute in Taiwan where he served as the Director of the American Trade Center in Taipei. He held in this position until 1992.
In 1992, Craig returned from the American Institute in Taiwan and re-joined the Department of Commerce for a three-year posting in Beijing. During this period, he served as Commercial Attaché with responsibilities for the chemical sector, consumer goods and medical equipment.
In 1995, Craig and his family transferred from the American Embassy in Beijing to the American Embassy in Tokyo. Initially, Craig served as a Commercial Attaché with responsibilities for consumer goods and standards. In 1998, however, he was promoted to the Deputy Senior Commercial Officer position with responsibilities for the entire section. In 1999, Craig became a member of the Senior Foreign Service.
In 2000, Craig and his family departed Tokyo for a two year tour of duty at the National Center for APEC in Seattle. In Seattle, he worked on the APEC Summits in Brunei, China and Mexico.
In 2002, Craig and his family moved to Beijing for a three year tour as the Senior Commercial Officer at the U.S. Mission to China. In this position, Craig managed the entire complement of 126 DOC staff in China from multiple DOC agencies. In Beijing, Craig was promoted to the Minister Counselor rank of the Senior Foreign Service.
In 2006, Craig and family transferred from the U.S. Embassy in Beijing to the U.S. Embassy in Johannesburg, South Africa to serve a four year tour as the Senior Commercial Officer in South Africa with responsibilities for all 16 SADC countries.
Craig received a B.A. from the University of Michigan in Political Science and Asian Studies in 1979. He received a Masters of Science for the Foreign Service from Georgetown University in 1985. While at Georgetown, Craig worked for the U.S. Congress on issues associated with technology transfer to China.
In total, Craig has lived in Asia for 27 years, including 16 years in Japan and approximately 11 years in China or Taiwan. He has visited every country in Asia with the exception of Laos, North Korea and Bhutan. His most recent language scores were 3+/4 in Japanese and 4/4 in Mandarin Chinese.
Craig is married and has two children. Craig spends his free time running and regularly competes in marathons and ultra marathon races.
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