A Quarter Century of Progress This year marks the 25th anniversary of the U.S.-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT) established in 1983. Over the past 25 years, the JCCT, a government-to-government consultative mechanism for resolving trade concerns and pursuing bilateral commercial opportunities, has proven to be a useful forum for engagement and has delivered meaningful results for American businesses, workers, and farmers. Perhaps most importantly, the 19 meetings of the JCCT since 1983 have ensured the regular interaction of U.S. and Chinese senior economic and trade officials, and those relationships have improved both countries’ abilities to address trade-related misunderstandings and problems.
Bilateral engagement through the JCCT has contributed to the dramatic growth of U.S.-China trade, which has increased by nearly 85-fold since 1983, from approximately $5 billion to $387 billion. U.S. exports to China grew from $2.2 billion in 1983 to $65 billion in 2007. Top U.S. exports to China in 1983 included machinery and transportation equipment, food and live animals, chemicals, manufactured goods, and mineral fuels and lubricants, compared to top U.S. exports in 2007 of semiconductors, civilian aircraft, soybeans, plastic materials, and industrial machines.
In addition to addressing bilateral trade issues, the JCCT has sponsored a number of cooperative programs that have contributed significantly to the progress of U.S.-China commercial relations. Some highlights include:
Source: U.S. Department of Commerce
