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Oct. 1, 2009: China celebrates the 60th anniversary of the Communist Party’s victory in China’s civil war with a massive parade in Beijing. Oct. 2, 2009: US State Department names Maria Otero the new US coordinator for Tibet. Oct. 9, 2009: Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery Co. announces a deal with US automaker GM for the purchase of GM’s Hummer brand of vehicles. Oct. 10, 2009: Congressional-Executive Committee on China releases its annual report. The key findings focus on the limits on freedom of speech imposed by the Chinese government. Oct. 12, 2009: Six Uighur men are sentenced to death and one to life in prison for their role in rioting in Xinjiang’s capital of Urumqi in early July. Oct. 12, 2009: Retired US diplomats, including Henry Kissinger and George Shultz, travel to Beijing to meet their Chinese counterparts for the inaugural China-US Track Two High-Level Dialogue. Topics include the global financial crisis and US-China bilateral relations. Oct. 12, 2009: Kurt Campbell, assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, arrives in China for talks in preparation for President Obama’s November visit. Oct. 14, 2009: Li Yuanchao, head of the CCP Central Committee’s Organization Department, meets National Security Adviser James Jones and Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg. Oct. 15, 2009: Chinese courts sentence six more men to death for their role in the Xinjiang riots. Oct. 15, 2009: The 13th biannual Joint Commission Meeting on Science & Technology Cooperation convenes at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington. The meeting marks the 30th anniversary of the US-China Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement. Oct. 20, 2009: The Chinese Ministry of Commerce announces it will impose anti-dumping duties on exports of nylon-6 from the US, Russia, and the European Union. Oct. 21, 2009: In a phone conversation, Presidents Barack Obama and Hu Jintao exchange views on bilateral issues and the upcoming Copenhagen climate talks. Oct. 22, 2009: The Fourth China-US Relations Conference opens in Beijing. Former President George H.W. Bush makes a speech by satellite video. Ambassador Jon Huntsman and Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi also deliver speeches. ∗ Chronology by CSIS intern Ben Dooley, who also provided invaluable research assistance US-China Relations 36 January 2010 Oct. 22, 2009: Chinese Vice Premier Wang Qishan phones US Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke and US Trade Representative Ron Kirk to discuss the upcoming 20th China-US Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT) meeting to be held in China on Oct. 29. Oct. 23, 2009: Speaking to retired US and Chinese generals, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton discusses the importance of increasing US-China military ties. The Chinese delegation is headed by Xiong Guangkai, former vice chief of the general staff of the People’s Liberation Army. Oct. 23, 2009: Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and Secretary Clinton talk by phone about climate change, the Korean and Iranian nuclear issues, and President Obama’s visit to China. Oct. 24, 2009: Vice Chairman of China’s Central Military Commission Xu Caihou arrives in the US for a one-week tour. Oct. 26, 2009: The Bureau on Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor releases its 2009 report on International Religious Freedom in China. The report is criticized by the Chinese government for its negative assessment of Chinese policies. Oct. 28, 2009: US Trade Representative Kirk, Commerce Secretary Lock, and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack arrive in China to attend the US-China JCCT. Topics of discussion include agricultural cooperation and food security. Oct. 28, 2009: General Xu Caihou meets President Obama in Washington. The discussion focuses on improving US-China military relations. Oct. 29, 2009: China agrees to lift its ban on imports of US pork beginning on Dec. 1, 2009. The ban was established in April 2008 in response to growing concerns about H1N1. Oct. 29, 2009: Chinese Ministry of Commerce announces it will begin an anti-dumping probe into US-made autos. The probe is being requested by the Chinese auto industry. Oct. 31, 2009: US Justice Department announces that it has sent six Uighur detainees from Guantanamo Bay to Palau, ignoring Chinese demands that they be returned to stand trial in China on terrorism charges. Nov. 1, 2009: China imposes an anti-dumping duty on adipic acid, a chemical used in the manufacture of nylon. The move targets products made in the US, EU, and South Korea. Nov. 4, 2009: US Commerce Department announces it will impose punitive tariffs on Chinese imports of steel wire decking. Nov. 4, 2009: USTR requests the WTO to open an investigation into Chinese export restraints on raw materials including restrictions on bauxite, manganese, zinc, among others. US-China Relations 37 January 2010 Nov. 5, 2009: US Commerce Department sets preliminary anti-dumping duties on imports of Chinese oil country tubular goods (OCTG), steel pipes used in the oil and gas industry. Nov. 5, 2009: The US and the European Union request a WTO investigation into Chinese taxes on exports of raw materials used in the metals and chemical industries including magnesium, fluorspar, silicon metal, silicon carbide, yellow phosphorous, and zinc. Nov. 5, 2009: US Coast Guard Cutter Rush conducts a joint search and rescue exercise with its Chinese counterpart off Shanghai. Nov. 6, 2009: US International Trade Commission imposes penalties on imports of coated paper and salts from China and announces a negative determination in the preliminary investigation into the need for countervailing and anti-dumping duties on Chinese standard steel fasteners. Nov. 10, 2009: A US Air Force delegation headed by Lt. Gen. Herbert Carlisle visits China for the 60th anniversary of the Chinese Air Force. Nov. 12, 2009: The first Sino-US Provincial/State Legislative Leaders Conference concludes in Beijing and is attended by approximately 200 representatives from both countries’ business and legislative communities. Topics included the need for cooperation on climate change issues and the financial crisis. Nov. 15-18, 2009: President Obama makes his first official visit to China. Nov. 16, 2009: Secretary Clinton visits the site of the US Pavilion at the 2010 Shanghai Expo and gives a speech calling on US donors to increase their support. Nov. 19, 2009: The US-China Economic and Security Review Commission releases its annual report on economic and security trends. The report includes accounts of increased cyber-espionage attacks on the US from locations in China. Nov. 20, 2009: The US Embassy in Beijing calls for the release of Chinese born US citizen Xue Feng, who is being held in a Chinese prison on charges of espionage. Nov. 23, 2009: Chinese Foreign Ministry rejects the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission’s annual report as “full of prejudice,” rejecting its accusations of cyber-espionage and currency manipulation. Nov. 23, 2009: US Consumer Product Safety Commission concludes there is a strong link between imported Chinese drywall and damage to US homes across the country. Nov. 24, 2009: Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and Secretary of State Clinton talk by phone about the Iranian nuclear issue and other matters. Nov. 25, 2009: China’s Ministry of Commerce labels US imposition of anti-subsidy tariffs on steel oil well pipes “discriminatory.” US-China Relations 38 January 2010 Nov. 29, 2009: Chinese Ministry of Commerce begins review of import duties against chloroform from the EU, ROK, and the US. Levies have been in place for five years and will remain in place until the ministry finishes its review. Dec. 3, 2009: China sentences five men to death for their participation in riots in Xinjiang. All five were Uighurs accused of committing acts of violence against bystanders and police. Dec. 3, 2009: President Obama addresses the National Committee on US-China Relations and notes that US China relations are more important than ever. Dec. 9, 2009: At the Copenhagen climate talks, the US delegation announces that China will receive no funding from the US government for combating climate change. Dec. 10, 2009: Chinese Ministry of Commerce announces the China will impose duties on imports of oriented steel from the US and Russia. Dec. 18, 2009: President Obama and Premier Wen Jiabao hold a bilateral meeting at the Copenhagen climate talk to discuss how their countries can cooperate to combat climate change. Dec. 21, 2009: China’s Ministry of Commerce asks the WTO to lift US tariffs on imported Chinese tires. The US imposed the tariffs in September. Dec. 30, 2009: US International Trade Commission imposed punitive penalties to imports of some $2.6 billion of OCTG from China.