US-China Business Council

Last updated
US-China Business Council
Formation1973;51 years ago (1973)
Founded at Washington D.C.
Type 501(c)(6) organization
23-7275160
President
Craig B. Allen
Chairperson
Tom Linebarger
Website www.uschina.org OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Formerly called
National Council for US-China Trade
[1] [2]

The US-China Business Council (USCBC) is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit organization whose stated goal is promoting trade between the United States and China. It comprises around 200 American companies that trade and do business with China.

Contents

History

The council was founded in 1973 with the support of the White House, the Department of State and the Department of Commerce as the National Council for United States-China Trade. Frederick B. Dent, the then United States Secretary of Commerce, compiled an executive committee for the council out of several prominent business leaders. [3]

The executive committee first met on March 22, 1973, to begin the formation of the council, with the executive committee members being the first Board of Directors. Donald C. Burnham, of Westinghouse Corporation, took the post of chairman and the Board elected Christopher H. Phillips to be the first president. [3] Phillips would serve as president of the council until his retirement in 1986. [4]

In the first year, the Council attracted 200 members and, by 1982, this had grown to 400 members. [3] In 1974, the council began the publishing of the China Business Review , a journal aimed at American companies trying to enter the Chinese market and in 1979, the Council opened an office in Beijing. [5] [6]

Activities

A 2021 report by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies identified USCBC as a key facilitator of Beijing's efforts to carry out its campaign of subnational influence in and against the United States. [7]

In 2022, the US-China Business Council lobbied against legislation to screen of outbound U.S. investments for potential national security issues. [8] The council has also expressed concern about the implementation of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act. [9]

In 2023, the US-China Business Council and the National Committee on United States–China Relations hosted a banquet with Xi Jinping for US business executives during the APEC United States 2023 meeting. [10] [11] The banquet drew questions from media about attendees and criticism from the United States House Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party. [12] [13]

Member companies

The council has many member companies including 3M, Adobe Systems Inc., Apple Inc., Amazon, Bank of America, Coca-Cola, The Walt Disney Company, Gap Inc. and Walmart. [14]

See also

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References

  1. "2019 Form 990" (PDF). Internal Revenue Service . Archived (PDF) from the original on November 15, 2023. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  2. "Officers and Directors". The US-China Business Council. Archived from the original on 18 April 2019. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
  3. 1 2 3 "UNITED STATES-CHINA BUSINESS COUNCIL Records, 1973‑78 (1983)". Ford Library Museum. Archived from the original on 7 May 2021. Retrieved 30 December 2018.
  4. "Nomination of Christopher H. Phillips To Be United States Ambassador to Brunei". The American Presidency Project. Archived from the original on 2 September 2019. Retrieved 30 December 2018.
  5. "China Business Review". Scimago Journal & Country Rank. Archived from the original on 3 December 2021. Retrieved 8 January 2019.
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  7. "All Over the Map The Chinese Communist Party's Subnational Interests in the United States". FDD. Politico. pp. 8–11. Archived from the original on 2021-11-18. Retrieved 2022-11-09.
  8. O’Keeffe, Kate; Andrews, Natalie; Somerville, Heather (2022-06-13). "Lawmakers Make Bipartisan Push for New Government Powers to Block U.S. Investments in China". The Wall Street Journal . ISSN   0099-9660. Archived from the original on 2022-06-13. Retrieved 2022-06-14.
  9. Garver, Rob (June 2, 2022). "US Prepares to Block Most Imports Tied to China's Xinjiang Province". Voice of America . Archived from the original on 2022-06-09. Retrieved 2022-06-18.
  10. Martina, Michael (2023-11-14). "Tricky politics on menu for China's Xi at US business dinner". Reuters . Archived from the original on 2023-11-14. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
  11. Swanson, Ana (2023-11-08). "Xi Jinping to Address U.S. Business Leaders Amid Rising Skepticism of China Ties". The New York Times . ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2023-11-13. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
  12. Koch, M.J. (November 14, 2023). "The High Cost — $40,000 for a Filet Mignon — of Dining With Xi Jinping". The New York Sun . Archived from the original on November 15, 2023. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  13. Jacob, Gu (November 14, 2023). "Xi's Arrival in US Brings Protesters and Fans Onto Streets". Bloomberg News . Archived from the original on November 14, 2023. Retrieved November 14, 2023. The Republican wrote to the US-China Business Council and National Committee on US-China Relations demanding the organizers provide details of the guest list, funding and profits. Neither group responded to Bloomberg's request for comment on the dinner.
  14. "Member Companies". US China Business Council. 10 March 2014. Archived from the original on 31 March 2019. Retrieved 8 January 2019.