Demonstrating Support for U.S. Trade with China, Ambassador Burns Leads First Official U.S. Representation at China International Import Expo (CIIE)

November 6, 2023

The United States accounted for one of the largest country presences at the sixth China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai this week, according to the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai (AmCham Shanghai), with more than 200 companies participating in the expo, including a wide range of U.S. agriculture, automotive, technology, pharmaceutical, and healthcare firms.

U.S. Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China Nicholas Burns and U.S. Department of Agriculture Acting U.S. Deputy Undersecretary Jason Hafemeister attended the event and opened the inaugural American Food and Agriculture pavilion on November 6.  Ambassador Burns also met with more than 31 of the American companies represented at the expo, including U.S. automakers, healthcare companies, and technology firms.

Food and Agriculture

The American Food and Agriculture pavilion was made possible through a partnership between the U.S. Department of Agriculture and AmCham Shanghai.

The United States exported $40.8 billion in high quality U.S. agricultural goods — 20 percent of all U.S. agricultural exports — to China in 2022, making it our largest overseas market.

At the trade show, the U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC) and Cargill signed purchase agreements and the U.S. Grains Council (USGC) signed an MOU cooperation agreement with Chinese state-owned enterprises.

This follows the recent signing of 11 purchasing agreements worth billions of dollars between a delegation of Chinese commodity importers and top U.S. crop merchants such as ADM, Bunge, and Cargill during the U.S.-China Sustainable Agricultural Trade Forum in Des Moines, IA, on October 23, 2023.  These agreements to purchase soybeans, corn, sorghum, and wheat mark the first bulk signings of this kind since 2017.

Ambassador Burns visits U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) booth and speaks with USMEF representative Ms. Polly Zhao in the American Food and Agriculture Pavilion at CIIE November 6, 2023 in Shanghai (Photo credit:  U.S. Consulate General Shanghai)

Ambassador Burns visits the Almond Board of California booth with Almond Board representative Ms. Connie Cheung (center), at the American Food and Agriculture Pavilion, CIIE on November 6, 2023. (Photo:  U.S. Consulate General Shanghai)

Ambassador Burns visits Orange Cheese Co.’s booth at the American Food and Agriculture Pavilion, CIIE, November 6, 2023 in Shanghai. Orange Cheese Company is a dedicated business partner with extensive experience in promoting U.S. cheese brands in China.

Mr. Jason Hafemeister, Acting Deputy Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Affairs, U.S. Department of Agriculture, speaks November 6, 2023, at the opening ceremony of American Food and Agriculture Pavilion at the China International Import Expo in Shanghai. (Photo:  U.S. Consulate General Shanghai)

Ambassador Burns attends the signing ceremony of purchasing contract between U.S. Grains Council (USGC) and China Chamber of Commerce for Import & Export of Foodstuffs Native Produce & Animal By-products at CIIE in Shanghai on November 6, 2023.  The U.S. Grains Council (USGC) China office in Beijing has focused on collaborating with partners including private industry, state owned enterprises, and government agencies for 30 years. (Photo:  U.S. Consulate General Shanghai)

Automotive

At the automotive pavilion, Ambassador Burns visited the Ford and Tesla booths and The Durant Guild, General Motors’ (GM) premium import business in China, to see new vehicles and meet with U.S. executives.  Ambassador Burns learned about the China debut of Ford’s high-performance Mustang Dark Horse and the Detroit automaker’s plans to introduce the SUV Ford Bronco to the Chinese market next spring.  For GM, company executives explained The Durant Guild will introduce the Chevrolet Tahoe and the GMC Yukon Denali to China next year.  Finally, Tesla showcased its Model Y, showing Ambassador Burns the details of its internal components.

Ambassador Burns visits Ford’s exhibit at the automotive pavilion at the China International Import Expo on November 6, 2023 in Shanghai. (Photo:  U.S. Consulate General Shanghai)

Ambassador Burns visits Tesla’s exhibit at the automotive pavilion at the China International Import Expo on November 6, 2023 in Shanghai. (Photo:  U.S. Consulate General Shanghai)

Ambassador Burns visits The Durant Guild’s booth at the China International Import Expo in Shanghai November 6, 2023.  The Durant Guild, General Motors’ (GM) premium import business in China, will introduce to China the Chevrolet Tahoe and the GMC Yukon Denali in 2024. (Photo:  U.S. Consulate General Shanghai)

Biotechnology and Healthcare

Visiting the Medical Equipment and Healthcare Products Pavilion, Ambassador Burns met with the leaders of GE Healthcare, Medtronic, and Boston Scientific and saw cutting-edge biotech innovations for precision diagnostics and treatment of pancreatic cancer, AI-powered spine and neurosurgical technologies, and solutions for heart diseases bringing advanced care to China’s aging population.

Ambassador Burns visits the Medtronic booth at the China International Import Expo in Shanghai November 6, 2023. (Photo:  U.S. Consulate General Shanghai)

Ambassador Burns visited the Medtronic booth at the China International Import Expo in Shanghai November 6, 2023. (Photo:  U.S. Consulate General Shanghai)

Ambassador Burns visits GE HealthCare at the China International Import Expo in Shanghai November 6, 2023. (Photo:  U.S. Consulate General Shanghai)

Information Technology

Ambassador Burns met with executives from U.S. memory chip giant Micron in the Intelligent Industry and Information Technology Pavilion and learned about Micron memory chips’ use in a diverse range of applications, from automobiles to smartphones.  In the same pavilion, Ambassador Burns also met with ConocoPhillips to learn about its efforts to supply natural gas to the PRC as a cleaner transition fuel to meet China’s energy demands.

Barriers to PRC Market Access Remain

While championing U.S. companies doing business in China, Ambassador Burns noted the U.S. aim to expand trade with China in those areas that do not affect our national security interest.  He noted the U.S. does not favor a decoupling of the two economies.  Despite these successes, he also noted the PRC continues to pursue a wide array of industrial plans and related policies, as well as concerns over IP protection and an opaque regulatory process that limit market access for U.S. companies while offering non-transparent and substantial government resources and regulatory support to its own local industries.

Fast Facts on U.S.-China Trade

• The United States and China are the world’s two largest economies.
• China is the third-largest U.S. export market and our third largest trade partner globally after Mexico and Canada.
• U.S.-China bilateral trade set an all-time high in 2022 at $690 billion.
• Also in 2022, the United States exported a record $40.8 billion in agricultural products to the PRC.
• Overall, the U.S. Commerce Department estimates U.S. exports to China directly support 750,000 American jobs.
• More than 1,100 American companies are operating in China and many more are trading with China.

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