AmCham Shanghai Blog

from left to right, David Basmajian, Chairman Nor Coquillard, Charlie McElwee, and Ben Kinnas on the "Speaker's Balcony" at the U.S. Capitol Buildling

Members of the AmCham Shanghai Doorknock delegation, many arriving in D.C. only the night before after 20+ hour flights from Shanghai, Beijing and points beyond, began the 2009 Washington D.C. doorknock at 8am Monday morning with strong coffee, a hearty breakfast and the “do’s and don’ts” of doorknock meetings provided by Jonathan Mantz, resident Capitol Hill insider and Managing Director of the BGR group, AmCham’s government relations firm.

Briefing books in hand, the jetlagged but determined delegation branched out across the Capitol to communicate the importance of enhancing U.S. competitiveness in China to elected officials, administration staff and other top D.C. thought leaders. Doorknock Chair Phil Branham and Tom McCawley led off the doorknock with a morning meeting at the Department of Energy. David Sandalow, Assistant Secretary for Policy and International Affairs was briefed on business opportunities in China’s accelerating greentech market and presented with AmCham Shanghai’s China Greentech Report. AmCham Shanghai Board Chairman Nor Coquillard led a team that included Charlie McElwee and Ben Kinnas to meet with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s Chief of Staff, Jonathan Stivers. AmCham Shanghai is supporting a key piece of legislation on the Hill, the “US China Market Engagement and Export Promotion Act” (H.R. 2310/Senate Bill 1616) that will increase funding for much needed export and trade promotion programs. The bill will help U.S. companies, especially SMEs, compete in China against our European, Japanese and Korean competition. The delegates were encouraged by Jonathan’s interest in the bill and his assurances that the Speaker was aware of the legislation and that she would support its progress in the House.

The entire delegation then met at the Brookings Institution for a roundtable discussion with Ken Lieberthal and other noted China experts. Nor and AmCham President Brenda Foster moderated the discussion that provided AmCham’s perspective on the importance of engagement with China, how engagement benefits U.S. companies as well as China’s domestic stimulus plan and its impact on China’s economy. Ken and his team discussed the current mood in Washington toward U.S.-China relations and the three key priorities of every American elected official in Washington which are, first, to create American jobs, second, to create American jobs, and finally, to create American jobs! AmCham’s well established messages regarding the importance of U.S.-China trade to drive American economic growth and “create American jobs” was well received and will be the cornerstone of our messages moving forward this week.

Next stop, the BGR office for a meeting with the former three-term Michigan Governor and current president of the National Association of Manufacturers, John Engler.