Among AmCham Shanghai’s principal messages this week in Washington is that U.S. exports are key to economic recovery, and that U.S. SMEs need greater assistance in taping the vast China market. Compared to our leading competitor nations, the United States lags significantly behind on exports – in fact, of the fifteen largest exporting nations by value, the U.S. was dead last in exports as a percentage of GDP.

Promoting export growth is a goal shared by the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), whose leadership met with the Doorknock delegation on Monday. John Engler, the former Michigan governor and current president of NAM, emphasized that more needs to be done by the U.S. Government to encourage U.S. companies to sell American made goods overseas. AmCham Shanghai members highlighted the U.S.-China Market Engagement and Export Promotion Act (H.R.2310/S.1616), sponsored by Rep. Rick Larsen (D-WA) in the House and Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) in the Senate, which would provide much needed resources for U.S. businesses to navigate China’s markets.

AmCham Shanghai and NAM additionally agreed that a review of U.S. export control regulations is needed to improve our competitiveness, and that the U.S must be more aggressive internationally in advocating for U.S. standards.

All in all it was a great conversation with a leading business organization that, while different in mission from AmCham Shanghai, shares a common goal of improving the U.S.’s competitiveness abroad.