US-China Business Council

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. As of 2024, it comprises over 270 American companies that trade and do business with China.^[3]

US-China Business Council

Formation	1973; 51 years ago (1973)
Founded at	Washington D.C.
Type	501(c)(6) organization
Tax ID no.	23-7275160
President	Craig B. Allen
Chairperson	Tom Linebarger
Website	www.uschina.org
Formerly called	National Council for US-China Trade
[1][2]

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.^[4]

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.^[4] Phillips would serve as president of the council until his retirement in 1986.^[5]

In the first year, the Council attracted 200 members and, by 1982, this had grown to 400 members.^[4] In 1974, the council began publishing the China Business Review, a journal aimed at American companies trying to enter the Chinese market. In 1979, the Council opened an office in Beijing.^[6][7]

Activities

A 2021 study by the USBC and Oxford Economics concluded that the Trump tariffs on Chinese goods directly resulted in the loss of 245,000 American jobs.^[8]: 180

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.^[9]

In 2022, the USCBC lobbied against legislation to screen of outbound U.S. investments for potential national security issues.^[10] The council has also expressed concern about the implementation of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act.^[11]

In 2023, USCBC 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.^[12][13] 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.^[14][15]

See also

• China–United States relations
• United States-China Economic and Security Review Commission

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. "About the US-China Business Council". US-China Business Council. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
4. "UNITED STATES-CHINA BUSINESS COUNCIL Records, 1973‑78 (1983)". Ford Library Museum. Archived from the original on 7 May 2021. Retrieved 30 December 2018.
5. "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.
6. "China Business Review". Scimago Journal & Country Rank. Archived from the original on 3 December 2021. Retrieved 8 January 2019.
7. "USCBC Announces Relaunch of China Business Review". The US-China Business Council. 6 April 2016. Archived from the original on 3 December 2021. Retrieved 8 January 2019.
8. Ma, Xinru; Kang, David C. (2024). Beyond Power Transitions: The Lessons of East Asian History and the Future of U.S.-China Relations. Columbia Studies in International Order and Politics. New York: Columbia University Press. ISBN 978-0-231-55597-5.
9. "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.
10. 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.
11. 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.
12. 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.
13. 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.
14. 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.
15. 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.

External links

• Official website
• "US-China Business Council Internal Revenue Service filings". ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.