The U.S.-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT), established in 1983, is the main forum for addressing bilateral trade matters and promoting commercial opportunities between the United States and China. In 2003, the U.S. President and the Chinese Premier agreed to elevate the leadership of the JCCT, so it would be chaired by the Secretary of Commerce and U.S. Trade Representative on the U.S. side, and by a Vice Premier on the Chinese side, in order to better enable the two sides to achieve useful outcomes on high priority trade issues. The Secretary of Agriculture has also been a regular participant in the JCCT. The co-chairs of the 2009 JCCT are U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk, Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke and Vice Premier Wang Qishan on the Chinese side. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack will also participate in the 2009 JCCT.
