Amidst US-China trade deadlock, CCG carries out Track II engagement with business community in New York to strengthen mutual understanding

Against a backdrop of escalating tensions in the ongoing US-China trade dispute, on September 24, the day additional US tariffs on USD 200 billion worth of Chinese goods went into effect, a CCG delegation traveled to Washington and New York for a five-day visit to conduct over 20 activities as part of Track II diplomacy efforts to promote bilateral trust and understanding.

On September 28, following a series of activities in Washington DC, the CCG delegation traveled to New York for further engagements. This included a seminar co-hosted with the National Committee on US-China Relations (NCUSCR), participating in a special dinner event held for CCG by the Committee of 100, and a visit to the United Nations headquarters. During this time, CCG engaged with US representatives from various industries and other fields for an in-depth discussion of US-China economic relations, helping to strengthen channels for bilateral dialogue.

CCG  President talks with NCUSCR President Steve Orlins in New York

On September 28, CCG visited NCUSCR to hold discussions with experts including NCUSR President Steve Orlins. An important platform for bilateral dialogue on public policy, NCUSR has long worked to deepen US-China understanding and cooperation and was instrumental in facilitating “ping-pong diplomacy” in 1972.

Following this, CCG and NCUSCR co-hosted a seminar entitled “US-China Trade Dispute: The View from Shanghai” along with the visiting American Chamber of Commerce Shanghai (AmCham Shanghai). Participants discussed the new AmCham Shanghai report outlining views of US enterprises in China towards trade policy and CCG’s new report on policy recommendations to resolve the dispute. Key speakers included Eric Zheng, chairman of AmCham Shanghai, and Kenneth Jarret, the organization’s president.

On September 28, CCG participated in a joint seminar with NCUSCR and AmCham Shanghai

CCG President speaks at the joint seminar in New York on September 28

This seminar brought together leading experts and senior representatives from multinationals from a range of industries such as finance, aviation, real estate, chemicals, and consulting. This included NCUSCR Vice President Jan Berris; Peggy Blumenthal, senior advisor for the Institute of International Education,  Kristen Borowiec of American International Group; Niclas Ericsson representing United Airlines; Ken Miller, CEO of Ken Miller Capital;  Yoke Loon Lim, Greater China president of Dow Chemical Company; Cameron Johnson, Asia general manager of Sigmatex; and Dan Whitaker, China general manager of Consilio.

In his speech at the event, CCG President Wang Huiyao emphasized that bilateral trade frictions benefit neither the US or Chinese economy and are particularly harmful to US multinationals with interests in China.

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On the evening of September 28, the CCG delegation attended a special dinner reception put on for CCG by the Committee of 100, an organization of Chinese American luminaries whose founders include I.M Pei and Yoyo Ma. The organization works to promote US-China ties and its membership is handpicked from influential leaders in business, politics, academia and the arts. The reception was hosted by Howard Li, co-chairman of the Committee of 100 Greater China Area and X. Rick Niu, president of the Committee of 100 New York branch.

On the last stop of its US visit, the CCG delegation visited UN headquarters during the UN general assembly. In August 2018, CCG was granted Special Consultative Status with the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), the only Chinese think tank to have acquired this status.

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This CCG delegation visit to the US follows immediately after the US and China enacted a new round of tariffs and China released a white paper titled The Facts and China’s Position on China-U.S. Trade Friction.

Over the five-day visit, as part of Track II efforts, CCG met with leading experts and officials from a number of institutions to exchange ideas and viewpoints.  CCG held meetings with top Washington think tanks and organizations including the Wilson Center, the Council on Foreign Relations, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), the Hudson Institute, US-China Business Council, The Heritage Foundation, and the Asia Society Policy Institute. CCG also made visits to the Chinese Embassy to the US, the US Department of Commerce, the House of Representatives US-China Working Group, the Committee of 100, China’s Mission to the United Nations, and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).

The CCG delegation included CCG President Wang Huiyao; CCG Vice President Miao Lu; Dr. Wenshan Jia, CCG Senior Non-resident Fellow and Professor of Journalism, Renmin University of China; Li Weifeng, CCG Executive Secretary-General; Li Yeqing, CCG Non-Resident Senior Fellow and President of the America-China Society; Tang Beijie, CCG Deputy Secretary-General; Deng Xiwei, CCG Non-Resident Senior Fellow and Professor at the University of International Business and Economics; Xiao Huilin, CCG Senior Research Fellow; CCG Deputy Secretary-General Xu Haiyu; and Ma Hongxia, CCG Shanghai Secretary-General.

This is the third CCG delegation visit to the US since the start of the Trump administration. Track II diplomacy plays an increasingly important role as globalization deepens and there is more interaction between different countries. As a forward-looking independent think tank, CCG hopes to deepen its engagement with key figures and institutions overseas through this series of Track II activities, building mutual understanding and working to overcome political and economic barriers to closer international cooperation.