Chronologies
US - China
Chronology from Apr 2006 to Jul 2006
: The amphibious command and control ship USS Blue Ridge docks in Shanghai for exchanges with the PLA Navy.
: During his confirmation hearing, Treasury Secretary nominee Hank Paulson indicates a shift in U.S. policy to emphasize opening the financial sector rather than currency reform.
: Sens. George Allen (R-VA) and Tim Johnson (D-SD) introduce resolution calling on the U.S. to strengthen links with Taiwan, allow unrestricted visits by high-level Taiwanese elected officials, and allow Cabinet-level exchanges with Taiwan.
: USTR Susan C. Schwab appoints Claire E. Reade chief counsel for China trade enforcement, a position created to ensure that China meets its international trade commitments as it approaches the end of its transition period as a WTO member.
: Chinese State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan, while meeting with a delegation of the American Foreign Policy Council led by Richard Myers, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, says that China is “open” to military exchanges with the U.S.
: Assistant Secretary of Defense Peter Rodman testifies before the House Armed Services Committee about the Defense Department’s annual report on Chinese military power. Rodman reports on a lack of transparency regarding Chinese military spending and intentions, but also states that China-U.S. relations are improving.
: At the closing press conference after the EU-U.S. summit in Vienna, George Bush praises China for its efforts to resolve the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue.
: A 10-member Chinese delegation observes Valiant Shield-06, a large-scale U.S. military exercise near Guam, at the invitation of Adm. Fallon, commander of the U.S. Pacific Command.
: State Department spokesman responds positively to the agreement signed between China and Taiwan on direct cross-Strait flights, but also urges the governments in Beijing and Taipei to engage in “direct discussions.”
: FM Li has a phone conversation with Secretary Rice.
: Department of the Treasury designates four Chinese companies and one U.S. company as having supplied Iran with missile-related and dual-use components. The designations prohibit all transactions between the designees and any U.S. person, and freeze any assets the designees might have under U.S. jurisdiction.
: House of Representatives passes three resolutions condemning escalating religious persecution in China, condemning Beijing’s interference in the internal affairs of the Catholic Church and persecution of Catholics loyal to the Pope, and remembering the victims of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre.
: U.S. Coast Guard cutter Rush becomes the first major Coast Guard vessel to visit China since World War II when it arrives at Qingdao. The visit helps further law enforcement cooperation between the U.S. and China.
: Meeting on the side of the Group of Eight (G-8) dialogue between finance ministers, Treasury Secretary Snow and Chinese Finance Minister Jin Renqing discuss bilateral financial and economic cooperation and agree to boost dialogue in this field.
: Speaking at CSIS in Washington, D.C., Under Secretary of Commerce McCormick announces that the U.S. will allow more civilian-use high-technology exports to Chinese companies that have been approved under a new licensing program.
: At the eighth annual round of Defense Consultative Talks (DCTs), Assistant Secretary of Defense Peter Rodman meets Mj. Gen. Zhang Qinsheng, assistant chief of the General Staff of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army in Beijing.
: Assistant USTR Timothy Stratford and Commerce Department’s International IPR Enforcement Coordinator Chris Israel testify before the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission. Stratford states the U.S. could bring an IPR case against China at the WTO.
: President Bush meets visiting Chinese delegation of senior public servants headed by Zhou Qiang, first secretary of Central Secretariat of Communist Youth League at the White House.
: State Department calls on China to account for victims of the Tiananmen Square massacre, as well as ongoing human rights violations. Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Liu Jianchao characterizes the demand as “groundless criticism.”
: Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld only briefly mentions China’s lack of military transparency, toning down the rhetoric from his speech at the same forum one year earlier.
: Presidents Bush and Hu speak by phone. They discuss U.S.-China relations, North Korea, and the Iran nuclear issue.
: The American Chamber of Commerce in Taiwan releases its annual white paper, which calls on the Taiwanese government to institute direct cross-Strait links.
: FM Li holds a phone conversation with Secretary Rice.
: U.S. and China reach an agreement for four North Korean defectors seeking asylum at the U.S. Consulate in Shenyang to travel to the United States.
: Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Karan Bhatia visits Taiwan. Speaking at the American Chamber of Commerce in Taipei, he calls for the liberalization of cross-Strait trade. Bhatia also indicates that a free trade agreement (FTA) between the U.S. and Taiwan would be “unlikely” in the short term.
: The U.S. Department of Defense releases Military Power of the People’s Republic of China 2006.
: Speaking at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in Singapore, Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill says that China-U.S. cooperation on global affairs is possible and that Beijing should hold direct talks with Taipei. Hill travels to Beijing where he meets Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Wu Dawei.
: Under Secretary of Commerce David H. McCormick visits China and meets Chinese Commerce Minister Bo Xilai and other officials in China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOC). Mr. McCormick announces that the U.S. is poised to loosen restraints on civilian-use high-technology exports to China.
: State Department announces that it will not use computers purchased from Chinese manufacturer Lenovo for classified work due to fears that the machines would pose a security risk.
: Treasury Secretary John Snow, testifying before the House Financial Services Committee, says that China needs to adopt more flexible exchange-rate policies and implement other economic overhauls to address growing global imbalances for the health of both the U.S. and Chinese economies.
: The American Chamber of Commerce in Beijing releases its annual white paper calling on Washington to loosen export controls and Beijing to better protect IPR.
: China’s currency creeps past 8.00 to the dollar for the first time, passing a psychological barrier for the renminbi.
: President Bush meets with three prominent Chinese Christian activists and pledges to discuss the issue of religious freedom with Chinese leaders.
: Treasury Department releases its semi-annual Report on International Economic and Exchange Rate Policies saying that China has been too slow to revalue the RMB, but doesn’t label China as a “currency manipulator.” Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Liu Jianchao expresses his country’s appreciation at not being listed as a “currency manipulator.”
: House International Relations Committee holds hearing on China’s resurgence. Deputy Secretary Zoellick testifies, “how we deal with China’s growing influence is one of the central questions of 21st century U.S. diplomacy.” He calls on Beijing to be a “responsible stakeholder” if it wants other countries to feel secure as China rises.
: Adm. William J. Fallon, commander of U.S. Forces in the Pacific, travels to China, where he meets with Chinese Defense Minister Cao Gangchuan and Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing. Fallon invites senior Chinese officers to observe U.S.-led joint military exercises in June, promising them the opportunity to review U.S. bases and board U.S. warships during air-sea drills, which China later accepts.
: Department of Defense releases five ethnic Uighurs from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba to Albania.
: Sens. Sam Brownback (R-KS), Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), and Jon Kyl (R-AZ) introduce the Silk Road Strategy Act of 2006, which “expresses the sense of Congress with respect to U.S. political, diplomatic, and economic interests in and the democratic and stable development of Central Asia and the South Caucasus.” The legislation calls for the U.S. to attain observer status in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) “for the purpose of promoting stability and security in the region.”
: U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) releases its annual report in which China is listed as one of the “countries of particular concern” due to restrictions, state control, and repression to which all religious communities are subjected.
: USTR releases its 2006 Special 301 Report, which emphasizes China’s IPR violations and moves U.S. policy toward using WTO dispute settlement mechanisms in regards to China.
: Rep. Christopher Smith (R-NJ), chairman of the House International Relations Subcommittee on Africa, Global Human Rights, and International Operations chastises China for repatriating North Korean refugees, in violation of China’s obligations under the 1951 UN Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and the 1967 Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees.
: China and the U.S. co-sponsor the APEC Anti-corruption Workshop in Shanghai.
: U.S. and China renew the United States-China Education Agreement for Cooperation in Educational Exchanges.
: Speaking at the Trade Policy Review of the People’s Republic of China in Geneva, Ambassador Peter Allgeier, the U.S. trade representative to the WTO says, “it is apparent that China has not yet fully embraced the key WTO principles of non-discrimination and national treatment, nor has China fully institutionalized market mechanisms and made its trade regime predictable and transparent.”
: The U.S. and China sign a five-year extension of their bilateral Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement, which covers infectious diseases, energy research, and atmospheric sciences.
: Department of State releases fact sheets calling for increased religious freedom, as well as greater political and civil rights, in China.
: President Hu travels to Seattle, Washington, Washington, D.C., and New Haven, Connecticut. In Washington, he meets with President Bush.
: In a speech at the Institute for International Economics, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick says that Chinese currency reforms are moving in the right direction. Zoellick also has positive comments regarding China’s efforts (especially in the reconstruction of Iraq and Afghanistan) to enhance international security.
: Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs Thomas Shannon travels to Beijing and meets MFA officials to discuss China’s Latin America policy and to promote U.S.-China cooperation in the region.
: Seventeenth annual meeting of the U.S.-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT) is held in the U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez and Trade Representative Rob Portman head the U.S. delegation, joined by Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns, while Vice Premier Wu Yi leads the Chinese delegation.
: During a news conference in Beijing, Chinese Commerce Minister Bo Xilai vows to crack down on IPR violations and goes on to say that the trade imbalance between China and the U.S. is not generated by IPR violations, but rather U.S. export controls on high technology and the competitiveness of Chinese companies.
: Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT), joined by 16 fellow members of the Senate Finance Committee, writes an open letter to Chinese Vice Premier Wu Yi calling on China to address Washington’s concerns about the currency exchange rate, IPR violations, and meeting World Trade Organization (WTO) commitments.
: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Stephen Johnson travels to China and meets with Minister Zhou Shengxian of China’s State Environmental Protection Administration and Deputy Director Pei Chenghu of the Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau to discuss opportunities for increased cooperation and to observe progress on existing collaborative initiatives.
: State Department releases its annual Supporting Human Rights and Democracy report, which highlights the programs the U.S. is pursuing with foreign countries to promote human rights. In China, these measures include bilateral diplomatic efforts, and multilateral action and support through Chinese government and nongovernmental channels for rule of law and civil society programs.
: Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff visits Beijing and meets Chinese Minister of Public Security Zhou Yongkang. They discuss joint efforts in the campaign against illegal immigration and furthering mutual trust and coordination.