The Path Forward for U.S.-China Trade Relations

The Trump Administration recently decided to extend U.S.-China trade negotiations beyond the initial March 1 deadline, noting the talks had made “substantial progress.” However, significant questions remain on whether the two sides will reach a deal, what that deal might look like, and the implications for the trajectory of U.S.-China relations and companies doing business in China. Ambassador Craig Allen will provide insight on where the bilateral relationship is headed, including the dynamics at play in the ongoing negotiations, what to expect from the potential meeting between the two leaders in late-March, as well as the potential impact of reforms to export controls and investment restrictions to companies in the high-tech space.

Speaker

Ambassador Craig Allen President, US-China Business Council

In July 26, 2018, Ambassador Craig Allen began his tenure in Washington, DC, as the sixth President of the United States-China Business Council, a private, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization representing over 200 American companies doing business with China. Ambassador Allen began his government career in 1985 at the Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration (ITA) where, from 1986 to 1988, he worked as an international economist in ITA’s China Office. In 1988, Allen transferred to the American Institute in Taiwan, where he served as Director of the American Trade Center in Taipei. He returned to the Department of Commerce for a three-year posting at the US Embassy in Beijing as Commercial Attaché in 1992. In 1995, Allen was assigned to the US Embassy in Tokyo where he was promoted to Deputy Senior Commercial Officer in 1998. Allen became a member of the Senior Foreign Service in 1999. From 2000, Allen served a two-year tour at the National Center for APEC in Seattle where he worked on the APEC Summits in Brunei, China, and Mexico. In 2002, Allen returned to Beijing as the Senior Commercial Officer. While in Beijing he was promoted to the Minister Counselor rank of the Senior Foreign Service. After a four-year tour in South Africa, Ambassador Allen became Deputy Assistant Secretary for Asia at the US Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration. He later became Deputy Assistant Secretary for China. Ambassador Allen was sworn in as the United States ambassador to Brunei Darussalam on December 19, 2014 where he served until he transitioned to take up his position as President of the US-China Business Council.