(February 26): The head of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is visiting China this week to meet with U.S. companies and Chinese officials, according to people familiar with the matter, in the latest sign of improving relations between the world's two largest economies.
Susan Clark, CEO of the US business lobby group, will be accompanied by former US Trade Representative Susan Schwab, said one of the people, who asked to remain anonymous because the information is private.
In addition to meeting executives from US companies, she will also meet with a number of Chinese officials who have not yet been revealed, the source said.
Washington and Beijing are working to stabilize relations after President Joe Biden met with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in November, which led to the resumption of communications between their militaries and the launch of a working group to reduce the flow of fentanyl into the United States. we.
The US Chamber did not respond to a request for comment sent outside business hours in Washington.
American companies expressed optimism about China's business environment in the near term, according to a survey conducted by the American Chamber of Commerce in China in late 2023, although many remain reluctant to invest.
While the US Chamber of Commerce and the US Chamber of Commerce in China represent US companies, they are separate organizations.
Clark's visit comes ahead of the US Chamber of Commerce's annual appreciation dinner in China on Friday, where this year's guest of honor is expected to be Chinese Vice President Han Zheng, according to the people.
Han is the most senior official participating in the dinner, one of the people said, a sign that Beijing sees better relations between the United States and China now than a year ago. This suggests the Chinese government wants to show it is reaching out to the foreign business community, this person said.
Individual tickets for the American Chamber of Commerce China dinner are on sale for 10,000 yuan (RM6,708), according to its website. In 2020, Beijing sent Wang Chen, a senior official on US sanctions, to the annual event.
