International Trade Law News

Published by Jacobson Burton Kelley PLLC

In a signing ceremony held in Beijing as part of the 18th Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT) between China and the U.S., representatives of the two governments today signed eleven agreements on a variety of import and export issues.

One of the agreements signed today was the "Guidelines for U.S.-China High-Technology and Strategic Trade Development," which outlined the importance of the two countries working cooperatively to achieve the mutual benefits of facilitating safe and secure, bilateral civilian high-technology trade.

The Guidelines, which were signed by Under Secretary of Commerce Mario Mancuso and MOFCOM Vice Minister Wei Jiangguo, were developed by the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) and MOFCOM under the U.S.-China High Technology and Strategic Trade Working Group (HTWG) that was established at the 2005 JCCT to further U.S.-China cooperation on export control and high technology trade issues.

Under the Guidelines, the Commerce Department and MOFCOM will jointly identify and carry out steps to enhance secure high technology and strategic trade. For example, the Commerce Department and MOFCOM will continue to review U.S. dual-use policy to identity and implement appropriate processes to streamline the licensing process for legitimate civilian trade. The Guidelines also recognize the critical role of end-use visits conducted by BIS in ensuring the protection of U.S. national security interests in the enhancement of high technology trade.

A number of other agreements were signed during today's signing ceremony, including agreements on expanding U.S. exports to 14 "second-tier" cities in China, a Memorandum of Agreement on the Safety of Food and Feed, and a Memorandum of Agreement on the Safety of Drugs and Medical Devices. A complete list of the agreements that were signed can be found here.

Labels: BIS, China, Export Controls