Official
Publication of US-China Peoples Friendship Association, Chicago Chapter, www.uscpfa.com/chicago
Roger Noback, Chapter President and Editor,
630/762-8225 February 19,
2006
“The only way to have a friend is to be one.” –
Ralph Waldo Emerson
The scheduled venue, time, topic, and activity for the USCPFA
February 19 meeting are
2-4 p.m.
@ The Phoenix Inn, 608
Davis St., EVANSTON
60201
(Davis
St. & Chicago Av.)
(847/475-7782), a short walk from the Davis
St. “EL” stop in Evanston
The Honorable TIAN DE YOU, Economic & Commercial
Consul
ANNUAL
CHINESE CONSULATE COMMERCE UPDATE
[For the Fourth Anniversary of China’s Entry Into the WTO]
On December
11, 2001
China’s long road to the WTO
was completed, and in that month, the Honorable Tian De You arrived in Chicago. Since then Mr. Tian has become a helpful
fixture in Chicago and has continued the
annual update to the USCPFA-Chicago Chapter on China’s economy and WTO
progress begun under his predecessor, Commerce Consul Huang.
Since joining the WTO,
China
has cut tariffs and dropped import quotas on manufactured and agricultural
goods, ended restrictions against many kinds of distribution by foreign
retailers, and reduced other restrictions dramatically in the categories
mandated by the WTO, either on time or ahead of schedule. At the USCPFA-Chicago Chapter’s Annual China
Symposium 2005, an official of the Chinese
Academy
of Sciences reported how China
has ingeniously revamped its agricultural sector to well survive the onslaught
of low-priced western grain under the WTO by transforming its farms into higher
margin crops such as fruits and vegetables for the world market. In 2004 important disputes and potential
disputes were amicably resolved, such as the potentially explosive issue of China’s
treatment of semiconductors, and foreign banks took
minority interests in Chinese banks (a process that continued in 2005). In 2005 China
agreed to limitations on textile exports to the European Union, and the U.S.
was subsequently able to negotiate similar limitations on textile exports to
the U.S.
The year 2005 also
witnessed an acceleration of China’s efforts to establish international brands,
by internal company expansion and by acquisition (e.g., the bids of CNOOC
[China National Overseas Oil Company] for oil giant Unocal and of Chinese
appliance maker Haier Group for U.S. appliance maker, Maytag) and the purchase
of IBM’s personal computer division by China’s Lenovo Group, Ltd. Mr. Tian reported a year ago that 600 or so
Chinese companies were doing business in the U.S. [Prospective Chinese international branding
was reported by member Shi Han, Principal, ChinaLine, at his talks at the
Chapter’s June, 2002 meeting and Annual China
Symposium 2003].
Additionally in 2005, China
initiated an upward revaluation of the Yuan and commenced currency swap deals
with local banks to bring more flexibility to the market.
Consul Tian will select from the above and other
topics in his presentation. Mr. Tian has
had a distinguished career with MOFTEC and the Foreign Service prior to his
arrival in Chicago, most recently serving for 7 years as senior secretary to
Vice Minister Sun Zhenyu, Ministry of Foreign Trade & Economic Cooperation
(Mr. Sun became the first Chinese Ambassador to WTO in Geneva). Please welcome Mr. Tian for what has
become his annual talk to our Chicago Chapter on China’s progress under the WTO
and China’s economy.
See www.asianartsandmedia.org
for Chinese Papercut Exhibit, 1/25-2/15/06 at member Nancy
Tom’s Center for Asian Arts and Media at Columbia College. Also, Chinese dance, choral and
drama performances are scheduled on 2/12/06 by Dongfang
Performing Arts Assn with member Pearl Zhao at Eola Community Center in
Aurora for a Lantern Festival Gala (6:30-11:30): contact Mr. Bao Min at
708/516-9603, www.dongfangarts.org,
($5 in advance).
The Chapter’s Series on
Chinese Medicine is scheduled to continue with a presentation at
the March 19 meeting on Acupunture in Chinatown following the January 15
talk by Bob Xu on Chinese Herbal Medicine, and a talk in this series
later this year is planned on Tai Chi as Preventive Medicine. The topic scheduled for the Naperville April 23 Chapter meeting is
Inner
Mongolia by a professor of anthropology at College of DuPage (the fourth Sunday, since
the third Sunday is Easter). The
Feb. 19 meeting is in Evanston at the Phoenix Inn (see
above).
Typically, the regular monthly Chapter meeting is held on
the third Sunday of the month and includes a delicious traditional
Chinese multi-course meal, which begins at 2 pm; the hour long luncheon
talk (with Q&A) begins at 3 pm; and all this is only
$15. On odd numbered months, the venue
for meetings is typically scheduled for Chicago’s Chinatown (e.g., Jan, March, May,
etc.); the venue for even numbered months (e.g., Feb, April, June, etc.) is
typically scheduled for either Evanston (North Suburban) or Naperville (West Suburban). Please
reserve in advance at AssociationSvcs@aol.com
(indicate USCPFA in subject line) or
call 847.251.1400, ext. 0 (members have priority seating).