PACIFIC BASIN ECONOMIC COUNCIL
UNITED STATES MEMBER COMMITTEE | EVENTS | U.S. EVENTS | 2001 APC

The PBEC US Annual Policy Conference 2001 US Trade Policy in the Pacific Rim: Priorities for the New Administration January 31, 2001 · Washington, DC International Trade Center 1300 Pennsylvania Ave., NW "PBEC has been a constant and vital force in shaping trade policy and economic policy towards insuring a truly liberalized trading regime in the region." —Robert Novick former Chief Counsel Office of the US Trade Representative On January 31st, 2001, the PBEC US Member Committee brought business, academia, and government together for a discussion of US trade priorities and challenges in the Pacific Rim. Speakers provided both US and regional perspectives on opportunities and challenges facing the Administration and Congress in the coming year. [Full Report] The agenda for the day long event included sessions on China's internal developments and external trade relations; bilateral, regional, and multilateral trade strategies; and immediate challenges in US trade policy including efforts to link trade with labor and environmental standards. The conference also featured two keynote speakers. At breakfast New York Times White House Correspondent David Sanger gave an assessment of economic reforms in Asia, the implications for trade policy, and proposals for a grand bargain to unite developed and developing economies. Congressman Sander Levin (D-MI), ranking member of the House Ways & Means subcommittee on Trade, provided the keynote luncheon speech on implementation of China's Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) status (H.R. 4444) and realistic expectations of Congressional policy for US business in the coming months. Speakers included Australian Ambassador Michael Thawley, Embassy of the People's Republic of China Charge d'affaires Liu Xiao Ming, and William Martin, Lead Economist at the World Bank. PBEC US Chairman Gary Benanav, Vice-Chairman and CEO of New York Life International, encapsulated the day's discussion in his closing remarks. The 2001 Pacific Basin Economic Council Annual Policy Conference was generously sponsored by Cargill, Incorporated, The Chubb Corporation, and New York Life International. A full report of the meeting is now available.