US, China end two days of trade talks in Chicago

Top American and Chinese officials have held "productive" talks on a range of trade and commercial issues including intellectual property rights, medicine and agriculture in the US city of Chicago.
"We have had a very productive two days. We have reason to be proud of what our teams have achieved," US Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker said at the end of the 25th session of the US-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT) in Chicago yesterday.
"We have made progress on medical and pharmaceutical issues, three United States-produced seeds for agriculture, and fairer enforcement of China's anti-monopoly law, among others," she said.

"Each of these areas is important to US companies. But none of this is to say that we got all of the outcomes we wanted or that the outcomes we got are perfect. We continue to have more work to do on each of these issues, on the JCCT itself, and on our economic relationship," Pritzker said.
The US Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and US ambassador to China Max Baucus also participated in the meetings.
"While we enjoy a robust trade relationship with China - our exports were USD 161 billion in 2013 there is more we can do to facilitate greater cooperation between our governments and our private sectors," Pritzker said.

"This year's JCCT produced concrete results. We achieved progress on tough issues that American exporters face in our largest export market outside North America," said US Trade Representative Michael Froman who led the American delegation.

"The benefits will be felt around the country, in our agricultural heartland, in high-tech from medicines to semiconductors, in the creative industries, and in many other sectors that support jobs across our economy," he added.
"The vice-ministerial-level Strategic Agricultural Innovation Dialogue that we agreed to will begin early next year with multiple Chinese ministries," said Secretary Vilsack.
Froman said JCCT was a success in the areas of market access, intellectual property rights protection, innovation policies and competition law enforcement.

"We have worked to deliver concrete results that support economic growth in every corner of our country," he said.
"The commitment we've received to cut down the time it takes to get U S pharmaceutical products and medical devices to patients in China will support an industry that is estimated to directly employ more the 800,000 Americans, and that indirectly supports over 3 million jobs," Froman said.
Established in 1983, the JCCT is the primary forum for addressing bilateral trade and investment issues and promoting commercial opportunities between the US and China. The 2013 JCCT meeting was held in Beijing.