Chronologies

US - China

Chronology from May 2013 to Aug 2013

: Vice Premier Wang Yang holds talks by phone with Treasury Secretary Lew to discuss the global economic and financial situation, the upcoming G20 Summit in St. Petersburg and bilateral trade and economic relations.

: Secretary of Defense Hagel and Defense Minister Chang Wanquan meet on the sidelines of the ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting-Plus in Bandar Seri Begawan.

: US and Chinese navies conduct second annual counter-piracy exercise in the Gulf of Aden.

: State Councilor Yang Jiechi meets visiting US Senators John McCain and Sheldon Whitehouse.

: US Special Envoy for North Korean Human Rights Issues Robert King visits China on a trip that also includes South Korea, and Japan to discuss human rights and humanitarian issues in North Korea with senior officials and civil society groups.

: Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Sen. Robert Menendez visits China. He also makes stops in Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea.
Aug. 19, 2013: US and Chinese forces discuss disaster relief and humanitarian aid at the Military Maritime Consultative Agreement Working Group meeting in Hawaii.

: Chinese Defense Minister Chang Wanquan visits several military installations in the US, ending the visit in Washington where he meets Secretary of Defense Hagel and National Security Advisor Rice.

: US National Nuclear Security Administration announces a cooperative agreement with the General Administration of China Customs to counter the smuggling of nuclear materials by installing radiation scanners at airports, ports, and border checkpoints.

: United States joins China, New Zealand, and Australia in the Phoenix Spirit military disaster relief exercise hosted in Christchurch, New Zealand.

: World Trade Organization determines that Chinese tariffs on chicken boiler imports from the US violated its rules.
Aug. 5, 2013: Chinese Vice Premier Liu Yandong meets a visiting delegation of representatives from the US Congressional Black Caucus to discuss people-to-people relations.

: China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs repeats its opposition to US sanctions on Iran, saying that it “opposes sanctions that will hurt the interests of a third party.” The statement came after the House of Representatives passed the Nuclear Iran Prevention Act.

: Congressman and co-chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commissions Frank Wolf says in a press release that the annual human rights dialogue between the US and China has “failed to produce meaningful results.”

: Foreign Ministry spokeswoman says that China “strongly” opposes the US Senate resolution on the East and South China Seas, arguing that it blames China and is “sending the wrong message.”

: US and Chinese Customs conclude a bilateral, month-long operation against counterfeit electronics in the largest collaboration between the two agencies to date.

: US Senate passes a resolution condemning the use of force in territorial disputes in the East and South China Seas in response to rising Chinese aggression.

: US-China Human Rights Dialogue is held in Kunming, China.

: Vice President Biden calls for China to agree to a code of conduct in the South China Sea while visiting Singapore.

: China’s Ministry of Commerce imposes preliminary anti-dumping duties on solar-grade polysilicon from the United States and South Korea.

: US Trade Representative Michael Froman holds China responsible for the breakdown of negotiations on the Information Technology Agreement, which would have amended the 1996 agreement to eliminate tariffs from new millennium technologies.

: State Councilor Yang Jiechi visits Washington and meets Secretary of Defense Hagel and National Security Advisor Susan Rice.

: Daniel Russel begins serving as assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs. Evan Medeiros is promoted to senior director for East Asia on the National Security Council.

: US Air Force National Air and Space Intelligence Center releases an update to its 2009 Ballistic and Cruise Missile Threat Report, indicating that the PLA has the world’s “most active and diverse ballistic missile program.”

: Under Secretary of State for Economic and Growth, Energy, and the Environment Robert Hormats and Administrator of the Chinese State Forestry Administration Zhao Shucong hold a breakout section on wildlife trafficking and agree on cooperation on combatting the trade during the S&ED.

: Fifth meeting of the US-China S&ED is held in Washington DC. Secretary of State Kerry and Secretary of the Treasury Lew chair the meeting with counterparts, State Councilor Yang Jiechi and Vice Premier Wang Yang.

: China Securities Regulatory Commission agrees to share Chinese audit papers with the US Securities and Exchange Commission and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board.

: Third US-China Strategic Security Dialogue is held in Washington.

: Inaugural US-China cyber security working group is held in Washington in advance of the S&ED. The working group is led by Christopher Painter, State Department coordinator for cyber issues, and Dai Bing, a senior Chinese Foreign Ministry official.

: Secretary of State Kerry meets Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of the ASEAN Regional Forum in Brunei.

: US Department of Justice indicts Sinovel, a Chinese wind turbine company, for stealing trade secrets from a supplier, American Superconductor Corp.

: Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, rejects comparisons between cyber hacking by the US and China, saying that China’s program is aimed at stealing intellectual property.

: US Ambassador to China Gary Locke makes a three-day visit to Tibet to talk with local officials, marking the first time since September 2010 that China has approved a US Embassy request to visit the region.

: Under Secretary of the Treasury for International Affairs Lael Brainard visits Beijing for talks and to prepare for the US-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue.

: Former NSA contract worker Edward Snowden leaves Hong Kong for Moscow. White House Press Secretary Jay Carney says the decision by the Hong Kong government “unquestionably has a negative impact on the US-China relationship.”

: Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman and Vice Foreign Minister Zhai Jun hold the second round of US-China Middle East Dialogue in Washington.

: US State Department releases its annual Trafficking in Persons Report, relegating China, along with Russia and Uzbekistan, to the lowest tier, indicating that the US could apply non-trade related sanctions.

: US Navy medical team gives a presentation aboard the Chinese hospital ship Peace Ark during the ASEAN Humanitarian Assistance/ Disaster Relief and Military Medicine Exercise in Brunei.

:   Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman calls for the US to explain its NSA surveillance programs after they were revealed by Edward Snowden.

: State Councilor Yang Jiechi announces that China has accepted an invitation from the US to take part in the 2014 Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) military exercises.

:   President Xi meets President Obama at the Sunnylands estate in California.

:   Acting Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security Rose Gottemoeller visits Beijing to co-chair the sixth consultation on strategic security and multilateral arms control with Assistant Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu.

: The Obama administration announces six-month sanctions waivers to China and eight other countries for reducing their imports of Iranian oil.

: Secretary of Treasury Lew holds a phone conversation with Vice Premier Wang Yang on US-China economic relations and the upcoming US-China Strategic Dialogue.

: USPACOM Commander Adm. Samuel Locklear meets PLA Deputy Chief of the General Staff Qi Jianguo in Singapore on the margins of the Shangri-La Dialogue.

: State Department releases its annual statement calling for China to fully account for the June 1989 Tiananmen Square Incident and to adhere to universal human rights standards.

: USS Shiloh visits the PLA Navy South Sea Fleet base as part of a larger military-to-military exchange between the US and China.

: Xi Jinping meets Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa in Beijing to discuss tourism and trade relations between China and California.

: Qi Jianguo, deputy chief of the General Staff of the PLA, meets Cecil Haney, commander of the US Pacific Fleet in Beijing.

:   National Security Advisor Tom Donilon visits Beijing to prepare for the upcoming summit between Presidents Obama and Xi Jinping.

:   Fang Fenghui, chief of the PLA General Staff, and Martin Dempsey, US chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, hold talks by phone to discuss strengthening coordination and communication between US and Chinese militaries.

:   US Special Representative on North Korea Policy Glyn Davies visits Beijing on a trip that includes Seoul and Tokyo.

:   US Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew and Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang hold talks by phone to discuss bilateral relations.

:   Houston hosts the third US-China Petroleum Forum and the 2013 China-US Shale Gas Technology Forum on the sidelines of the Offshore Technology Conference.

:   US Department of Defense releases its 2013 Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China, analyzing the progress, expansion, and modernization of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army.

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