Full Text

April 3, 2010: Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner delays an April 15 report that was expected to declare China a “currency manipulator,” saying that Chinese exchange rate policies will be discussed at the May Strategic and Economic Dialogue (S&ED) and at upcoming G20 meetings. April 6, 2010: Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu says China does not manipulate its currency and that the “exchange rate is not the main reason behind the US-China trade deficit.” ∗ Chronology and research assistance by CSIS intern Robert Lyons US-China Relations 43 July 2010 April 6, 2010: US releases its Nuclear Posture Review, noting the “lack of transparency” surrounding China’s nuclear program “raises questions about China's future strategic intentions.” April 6, 2010: While traveling in India, Secretary Geithner tells an Indian media outlet that it is “China’s choice” whether to revalue its currency. April 6, 2010: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton holds a phone conversation with Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi to discuss bilateral ties. April 8, 2010: Secretary Geithner makes a previously unscheduled trip to China, where he meets Vice Premier Wang Qishan in Beijing and discusses Chinese exchange rate policies. April 8, 2010: The United Nations Security Council begins negotiations on sanctions against Iran for its nuclear program. April 9, 2010: Undersecretary of State Robert Hormats speaks at Beijing’s China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations on ways to handle disputes in the bilateral relationship. April 12, 2010: Presidents Barack Obama and Hu Jintao meet on the sidelines of the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, discussing currency issues and Iran sanctions. April 13, 2010: Deputy US Trade Representative Demetrios Marantis visits Beijing to discuss Chinese intellectual property rights and currency valuation issues. April 19, 2010: House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Sander Levin says that “the US will act” if China does not take steps to appreciate its currency by the June meeting of the G20. April 22, 2010: The US Commerce Department announces that it has set preliminary antidumping duties on imports of certain seamless pipe from China. April 29, 2010: Secretary Clinton has a phone conversation with State Councilor Dai Bingguo to discuss the nuclear programs in Iran and North Korea. May 3, 2010: In Beijing, Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Robert Blake and Vice Foreign Minister Wang Guangya hold a “sub-dialogue” on South Asia in which Chinese officials request US support for Chinese civilian nuclear development in Pakistan. May 5, 2010: The five permanent UN Security Council members, including the US and China, support making the Middle East a nuclear weapon free zone. May 11, 2010: Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell meets senior Chinese officials in Beijing. May 12, 2010: A US jury convicts a Chinese national named Chi Tong Kuok of illegally smuggling sensitive communications equipment to China. US-China Relations 44 July 2010 May 13, 2010: Secretary Clinton and State Councilor Dai Bingguo hold a phone conversation to discuss Kim Jong-il’s trip to China and the investigation into the sinking of the South Korean naval vessel, the Cheonan. May 13-14, 2010: The US and China hold a human rights dialogue in Washington. The US delegation is led by Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Mike Posner and the Chinese delegation headed by Ministry of Foreign Affairs Director General for International Organizations Chen Xu. May 16, 2010: US Commerce Secretary Gary Locke arrives in Hong Kong to start a 10-day trade mission to China focused on clean energy cooperation. May 24-25, 2010: The US and China hold second annual Strategic and Economic Dialogue (S&ED) in Beijing. May 25, 2010: Ma Xiaotian, deputy chief of the General Staff of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, meets Commander of US Pacific Command Adm. Robert Willard on the margins of the S&ED in Beijing. May 31, 2010: Wu Bangguo, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC), meet a visiting delegation of US senators led by Dianne Feinstein, chairperson of the Senate Intelligence Committee. June 1, 2010: The US Commerce Department places antidumping duties and countervailing duties on Chinese steel gratings. Chinese Minister of Commerce Chen Deming urges foreign countries to stand against protectionism for the purpose of global economic recovery. June 5, 2010: Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Deputy Chief of the PLA General Staff Ma Xiaotian attend the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, but unlike prior years, they do not hold a bilateral meeting. June 8, 2010: The US Commerce Department sets preliminary countervailing duties of 15.72 percent on imports of drill pipe from China. In 2009, imports of drill pipe from China were valued at an estimated $119.2 million. June 9, 2010: Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) announces a Senate vote is planned in two weeks that will place pressure on China to appreciate its currency. June 9, 2010: Twelve of the 15 members of the UN Security Council, including China and the US, vote to apply sanctions against Iran. June 9, 2010: Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, says he is “genuinely concerned” about the motives behind China’s military modernization, citing “heavy investments” in sea and air capabilities and its rejection of military contacts with the US. June 10, 2010: Secretary Geithner testifies on China before the Senate Finance Committee. US-China Relations 45 July 2010 US-China Relations 46 July 2010 June 14, 2010: The US Department of Agriculture bans the Organic Crop Improvement Association, a leading inspector of organic products, from operating in China because of a conflict of interest that compromises the certainty of the organic quality. June 16, 2010: During a hearing on trade and industrial issues, Representative Sander Levin (D-MI) urges China to raise the value of its currency before the US pursues action against it. June 16, 2010: Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) tells Secretary of Defense Gates at a hearing that US arms sales to Taiwan are a “substantial irritant” in relations between the US and the PRC. June 16, 2010: President Obama writes a letter to G20 partners calling for measures to address financial reform, including market determined exchange rates. June 19, 2010: The People’s Bank of China states that it will proceed further with reform of the RMB exchange rate and increase its flexibility. June 22, 2010: China’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Qin Gang expresses serious concern over reports that a US aircraft carrier may participate in exercises with South Korea. June 23, 2010: The Senate Foreign Relations Committee holds a hearing titled, “Finding Common Ground with a Rising China” addressing a variety of US-China issues. June 23, 2010: Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY), says that despite China’s announcement that it will allow greater flexibility in the exchange rate, “not enough is being done. So we are going to move our bill.” June 26, 2010: The G20 Summit drops a commitment to complete the Doha Rounds of talks this year but renews a pledge to come to agreement. China’s Ambassador to the WTO Sun Zhenyu accuses the US of stalling progress on this matter. June 26, 2010: Presidents Obama and Hu meet on the sidelines in Toronto to discuss bilateral ties and other major issues of mutual concern. June 27, 2010: Secretary Geithner and his Chinese counterpart Vice Premier Wang Qishan meet in Toronto to discuss strengthening the economic links in place between the two countries. June 29, 2010: China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman denies that a planned PLA live ammunition exercise in the East China Sea scheduled to begin on June 30 is a response to a joint exercise between the US and South Korean navies in the Yellow Sea. July 1, 2010: Deputy Chief of Staff of the PLA Ma says that China welcomes Defense Secretary Gates to visit China “at a time that is convenient for both sides.”