US, China officials set to meet next week

Top U.S. and Chinese officials will meet next week to discuss a broad range of trade and investment issues. 

Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker and U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman said Tuesday that the U.S.-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT) will be held Dec. 16-18 in Chicago. 

{mosads}The 25th annual session will, for the first time, take a full day to discuss how to ramp up private-sector engagement between the world’s two largest economies. 

The meeting follows a successful trip by President Obama last month to Beijing, where U.S. and Chinese officials agreed to expand the Information Technology Agreement aimed at eliminating tariffs around the world on high-tech products. 

Obama and China’s President Xi Jinping also agreed to work on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, lowering the chances of military confrontations and providing visa extensions for Chinese visitors to the United States. 

Pritzker, Froman, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and China’s Vice Premier Wang Yang all are expected to attend the meetings that will examine and solidify policy stances on trade and investment issues discussed throughout the year by 16 JCCT working groups on topics such as intellectual property rights, agriculture, pharmaceuticals and travel and tourism.