Several US executives will visit China this week: sources
The visit coincides with the latest round of US-China trade negotiations in Sweden, where China's vice premier He Lifeng is meeting US officials from July 27 to 30 for a new round of economic and trade talks.
The delegation will be led by FedEx CEO Rajesh Subramaniam, the council's board chair, one source briefed on the trip said.
The South China Morning Post first reported the visit on Sunday, saying executives from firms including Boeing would be part of the delegation.
Reuters could not confirm other CEO members of the delegation or which Chinese officials they would meet. Boeing declined to comment on the trip and deferred to USCBC.
The US government was not involved in the organisation of the visit, one source said.
The trip comes as Beijing and Washington work towards a summit between the two countries' leaders later this year, probably around the time of the Apec forum in South Korea from October 26 to November 1, sources previously told Reuters.
The USCBC did not respond immediately to a request for comment. The business lobby organised similar visits to China by American CEO delegations in 2023 and 2024.
The 2024 trip, also led by Subramaniam, included meetings with He and foreign minister Wang Yi, where executives discussed issues including market access.
China faces an August 12 deadline to reach a durable deal with the White House or risk higher US tariffs.
US officials are likely to extend the deadline by another 90 days as the two sides work towards a more comprehensive deal.
An extension would prevent further escalation and help create conditions for a potential meeting between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
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Furthermore, they must closely collaborate with African countries, and together with much of the global south, to advocate for more equitable international relations, fostering mutually beneficial win-win relations among all nations. While African countries and much of the global south are focused on improving socio-economic transformation at home, and multilateral relations that uplift many of us, Washington has chosen to go isolationist, seeking to 'Make America Great Again' (MAGA). Since the Trump Administration assumed power, it has imposed economic tariffs, including on some of the weakest economies in Africa, unilaterally cut aid, walked away from multilateral commitments such as the Paris Agreement on climate change, and recently from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). UNESCO is a specialised agency of the United Nations whose core mission is to build peace and security through international collaboration in education, science, culture, and communication. A statement attributed to Audrey Azoulay, the Director-General of UNESCO, says that the US withdrawal was anticipated, of course reflecting the general recognition that Washington is rolling back or out of major multilateral institutions. Azoulay profoundly noted that the decision to withdraw from UNESCO contradicts the fundamental principles of multilateralism. While withdrawing from multilateral institutions may be a legitimate choice of the current US Administration and American voters, it is its external behaviour that is not only concerning, but also boggles the mind. Let's take the example of South Africa, a major continental economic and political hub, which now finds itself as a major target of the US republican government. 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South Africa assumed its continental and global prominence after probably experiencing the harshest apartheid policy suffered by any nation. Secondly, like many post-colonial African states, the exercise of its national sovereignty and self-determination was realised out of a painful liberation struggle by its oppressed population. Yet, recently, the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee voted 34-16 to send the ''U.S.-South Africa Bilateral Relations Review Act'' to the full House of Representatives. The bill seeks a review of U.S.-South Africa relations over objections to the latter's foreign policy, and imposition of sanctions on South African government and business officials. The US is also snubbing the G20 under South Africa's Presidency, threatening the imposition of high tariffs, expelling Pretoria from AGOA, which, for all purposes, seems to have been overtaken by tariffs. The Trump Administration has also threatened to impose 100% tariffs on members of the BRICS, and to punish South Africa for its close relations with China, as well as its human rights advocacy on the Israeli war on Gaza. Sanctions will complicate South Africa's future economic prospects. Perhaps this US administration has ushered in a critical juncture for African countries to stand together in unity. The global south must reinforce national and international solidarity, intensify calls for robust multilateralism based on the United Nations Charter.
