Chronologies
US - China
Chronology from Sep 2015 to Dec 2015
: The Office of the US Trade Representative presents to Congress the 2015 annual report on China’s compliance with its World Trade Organization (WTO) obligations.
: Foreign Minister Wang Yi talks by phone with Secretary Kerry. The main topics are Syria and Iran. Wang also raises US arms sales to Taiwan and US military operations in the South China Sea.
: Vice Foreign Minister Zheng Zeguang summons US charge d’affairs Kaye Lee in Beijing to protest the Obama administration’s $1.38 billion arms sale to Taiwan.
: USTR Froman and Commerce Minister Gao Hucheng meet in Nairobi, Kenya and reach a consensus on the expansion of the WTO Information Technology Agreement.
: Presidents Xi and Obama applaud the agreement reached at the UN Climate Conference in a phone conversation.
: The China Anti-Money Laundering Monitoring and Analysis Center (CAMLMAC) and the US Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) meet in New York and sign an MOU on money laundering and countering terrorist financing.
: Two US B-52 bombers fly into airspace near Chinese-occupied features in the Spratlys, prompting the Chinese Defense Ministry to protest what it called “a show of force” to “create tensions in the waters and airspace.”
: Foreign Minister Wang Yi meets Deputy Secretary of State Blinken in Islamabad on the margins of the Foreign Ministerial Conference of the Istanbul Process.
: Chinese and American experts and NGOs meet in Beijing for the sixth Sino-American Dialogue on Rule of Law and Human Rights.
: Assistant Secretary for Arms Control, Verification and Compliance Rose travels to Beijing to attend an ASEAN Regional Forum workshop on space security.
: Minister of Public Security Guo Shengkun visits the US for the first bilateral high-level dialogue on cybercrime. Guo meets National Security Advisor Susan Rice and jointly chairs the meeting with Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson and US Attorney General Loretta Lynch.
: Director-General of the Arms Control Department of China’s Foreign Ministry Wang Qun meets Assistant Secretary Rose to exchange views on space, nuclear and other arms control and non-proliferation issues.
: President Obama and President Xi meet in Paris on the sidelines of the 21st Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.
: Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Assistant Secretary William Brownfield and Deputy Assistant Attorney General Bruce Swartz join Ministry of Foreign Affairs Director General Xu Hong and Deputy Director General Cai Wei in Baltimore on two coast guard vessels for a law enforcement excursion.
: Secretary of State Kerry speaks with State Councilor Yang Jiechi over the phone to discuss cooperation in advance of the December climate conference in Paris.
: Chinese and US delegates meet for the 13th US-China Joint Liaison Group on Law Enforcement Cooperation in Washington DC.
: Secretary of Commerce Pritzker, US Trade Representative Froman and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack participate in the 26th US-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade in Guangzhou. The Chinese delegation is led by Vice Premier Wang Yang.
: Military representatives from the US and China meet at Pacific Air Force Headquarters in Hawaii for bi-annual Military Maritime Consultative Agreement talks regarding military air and naval safety.
: In an interview with the Financial Times, Assistant Secretary for Arms Control, Verification and Compliance Frank Rose reveals the establishment of an emergency “space hotline” between the US and China.
: US Pacific Fleet Commander Adm. Swift meets People’s Liberation Army Navy Commander Wu Shengli in Beijing.
: A group of Chinese soldiers visit Joint Base Lewis-McChord for a military-to-military exercise, practicing humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations.
: The first annual meeting of the US-China Army-to-Army Exchange and Cooperation Dialogue Mechanism is launched in Beijing. Deputy Chief of General Staff of the PLA Gen. Wang Jianping heads the Chinese delegation and US Army Director for Strategy, Plans and Policy Maj. Gen. William Hix heads the US delegation.
: Foreign Minister Wang Yi meets with Deputy Secretary of State Blinken in Manila on the sidelines of the APEC Economic Leaders Meeting.
: USS Stethem docks in Shanghai following a stop in Qingdao for a port visit. Pacific Fleet Commander Adm. Scott Swift meets Vice Adm. Su Zhiqian onboard the Stethem.
: Vice Premier Wang has a phone conversation with Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker and US Trade Representative Michael Froman on US-China economic relations.
: Vice Premier Wang Yang speaks with Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew over the phone on US-China economic relations.
: Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Secretary of State Kerry exchange views on the South China Sea, Iran, and Syria in a phone conversation.
: House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi leads a delegation to China, including a visit to Tibet. The group meets Premier Li Keqiang, Vice Chairman of the NPC Standing Committee Zhang Ping, and Chairman of the NPC Standing Committee Zhang Dejiang.
: Defense Secretary Carter boards the carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, which is patrolling the South China Sea.
: Three Chinese Navy ships arrive at the US Naval Station Mayport in Florida, beginning a four-day port visit.
: Secretary of Defense Carter meets Defense Minister Chang Wanquan in Kuala Lumpur on the sidelines of the ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting Plus.
: Chinese Navy hospital ship Peace Ark arrives in San Diego for a five-day visit with US Navy and Veteran Affairs officials.
: Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs Evan Ryan meets Vice Premier Liu Yandong, Minister of Culture Luo Shugang, and Vice Minister of Education Liu Huiqing regarding cultural exchange.
: Adm. Harris of US Pacific Command visits Beijing to boost naval exchanges and meets Gen. Fan Changlong, vice chairman of China’s Central Military Commission.
: Adm. John Richardson, chief of Naval Operations, and Adm. Wu Shengli, commander of the People’s Liberation Army Navy, hold a video teleconference to discuss the passage of the USS Lassen near Subi Reef.
: Permanent Court of Arbitration awards its first decision in The Republic of Philippines v. The People’s Republic of China case, ruling that the case was “properly constituted” under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, that China’s “non-appearance” (i.e., refusal to participate) did not preclude the Court’s jurisdiction, and that the Philippines was within its rights in filing the case.
: China and US begin 22nd round of talks on bilateral investment treaty (BIT) in Qingdao.
: Secretary of Defense Carter confirms that the USS Lassen sailed close to Subi Reef in the Spratly Islands, conducting a freedom of navigation operation. Chinese Foreign Ministry summons US Ambassador to China Max Baucus to express its “strong discontent.”
: In its Semi-Annual Report to Congress on International Economic and Exchange Rate Policies, US Treasury drops its previous assessment that China’s renminbi is “significant undervalued.” Instead, it says the RMB “remains below its appropriate medium-term valuation.”
: A 27-member delegation of the US Navy captains visits the Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning and exchanges views with Chinese peers on naval issues.
: The US-China Legal Experts Dialogue takes place in Beijing, led by US Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Tom Malinowski.
: Secretary Kerry calls on China to release human rights lawyer Zhang Kai.
: Chinese Ambassador to the US Cui Tiankai calls for stronger, more resilient relations at the gala dinner of the National Committee on US-China Relations in New York.
: Chinese PLAN vessel Zheng He arrives at Pearl Harbor for a four-day port visit, during which Chinese and US naval officers conduct confidence-building exercises.
: Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken visits China and meets State Councilor Yang Jiechi and Chief of General Staff of the PLA Fang Fenghui in Beijing.
: Announcing the completion of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations, President Obama says “we can’t let countries like China write the rules of the global economy.”
: Deputy Chief of General Staff of the PLA Adm. Sun Jianguo meets US Pacific Command Commander Adm. Harris in Hawaii at the 2015 Chiefs of Defense Conference.
: Director of National Intelligence James Clapper tells a Senate hearing on cybersecurity that he is not optimistic about the US-China agreement on cybersecurity.
: US and China hold the inaugural meeting of the Civil Space Dialogue in Beijing.
: President Xi arrives in Washington, DC for a state visit.
: Undersecretary of Commerce for International Trade Stefan Selig and Deputy USTR Robert Holleyman meet Vice Commerce Minister Zhang Xiangchen in Washington to prepare for the Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade.
: Wrapping up the eighth US-China Internet Industry Forum, President Xi meets 29 technology executives, including Apple’s Tim Cook, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, and Facebook’s Mark Zuckerburg following tours of Boeing and Microsoft.
: At the US-China CEO Roundtable, President Xi appeals to US business leaders to “deepen China-US business cooperation.”
: Secretary of State John Kerry meets relatives of Chinese dissidents imprisoned in China to signal the Obama administration’s concerns about human rights.
: President Xi begins his US visit, speaking at the Third US-China Governors Forum in Seattle, and emphasizing the value of local efforts in improving bilateral ties.
: US Assistant Secretary for International Organization Affairs Sheba Crocker lauds US-China cooperation on peacekeeping and on Afghanistan among cooperative efforts at the UN at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, DC.
: President Xi Jinping meets US delegates attending the seventh China-US business leaders’ and former senior officials’ dialogue in Beijing.
: Co-Chairman of the Congressional China Caucus and Chairman of the House Armed Services Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee Congressman Randy Forbes submits a bipartisan letter to President Obama calling for a “firm response” to China’s actions in the South China Sea, garnering 29 signatures.
: David Shear, assistant secretary of defense, and Adm. Harry Harris, commander, US Pacific Command, testify before the Senate Committee on Armed Services in a hearing on Maritime Security Strategy in the Asia-Pacific Region.
: The Counter-narcotics Working Group, led by the US Department of Justice and the Chinese Ministry of Public Security, share potential avenues for cooperation in combatting “designer drugs” and stress “expanding mutual understanding and cooperation on drug issues.”
: Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter expresses deep concern about “the pace and scope of land reclamation in the South China Sea” and says China is “out of step” with “international rules and norms” at the Air Force Association’s Air & Space Conference 2015.
: President Obama brings up the potential for taking “countervailing actions” against China over cyberattacks in remarks at the Business Roundtable in Washington, DC.
: A Chinese fighter jet makes an unsafe intercept of a US Air Force RC-135 reconnaissance plane.
: US Drug Enforcement Agency Officials and the Chinese Ministry of Public Security hold a meeting of the Bilateral Drug Intelligence Working Group to discuss major drug issues facing their countries.
: US Special Envoy for Climate Change Todd Stern meets China’s Special Representative for Climate Change Affairs Xie Zhenhua in Los Angeles, announcing joint actions in both countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, including development of cap-and-trade programs in China.
: US and Chinese leaders from cities in both countries meet for the White House-organized “US-China Climate Leaders Summit” in Los Angeles and sign agreements to help the US and China meet their national greenhouse gas emission reduction goals.
: Concluding four days of meetings on cyber security between senior US and Chinese officials, National Security Advisor Susan Rice has a “frank and open exchange about cyber issues” with Meng Jianzhu, secretary of the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission of the Chinese Communist Party.
: Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang and US Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew hold a phone conversation to exchange views on economic relations and other issues.
: US Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets Chinese Executive Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Yesui.
: US Assistant Secretary for Arms Control, Verification and Compliance Frank Rose meets senior officials from China’s MOFA and the Chinese Academy of Military Science to discuss multilateral arms control, strategic stability, and space security.
: US Senior Advisor to President Obama Brian Deese meets Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli in Beijing.They agree to work together more closely to address climate change.
: US Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Russel meets Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin to discuss peaceful cooperation in the Asia Pacific region and other issues of importance to the bilateral relationship.
: Five Chinese Navy ships pass through US territorial waters as they transit the Aleutian Islands, coming within 12nm of the coast of Alaska.