U.S. and Chinese officials concluded talks of their 27th Session of U.S.-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT) last week. U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman, Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and U.S. Ambassador to China Max Baucus led the U.S. delegation in discussions with the Chinese Vice Premier. Discussions included a range of commercial and trade issues, with agreements being reached by U.S. and Chinese officials on intellectual property, pharmaceutical and medical devices, and information security policies. Press reports of this final JCCT with the Obama administration indicated that efforts related to crop biotechnology regulations failed. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and U.S. Trade Ambassador Michael Froman both issued statements over the holiday weekend expressing disappointment over the lack of progress in the talks.
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