The principal leaders from the Chinese delegates and U.S. hosts, (L to R) China’s Ambassador to the U.S. Zhang Yesui, Vice Minister of Industry and Information Technology Liu Lihua, Chinese Minister of Commerce Chen Deming, Chinese Vice Premier Wang Qishan, Acting U. S. Commerce Secretary Rebecca Blank, U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk and U.S. Ambassador to China Gary Locke at the 23rd Session of the U.S. China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT) at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, December 19, 2012. The JCCT holds high-level plenary meetings on an annual basis to review progress made by working groups that focus on a wide variety of trade issues. These working groups meet throughout the year to address topics such as intellectual property rights, agriculture, pharmaceuticals and medical devices, information technology, tourism, commercial law, environment, and statistics. Established in 1983, the JCCT is the main forum for addressing bilateral trade issues and promoting commercial opportunities between the United States and China. The 2011 JCCT meeting was held in Chengdu, China, where China agreed, among other issues, to improve intellectual property enforcement, delink innovation policies to government procurement preferences, and provide a fair and level playing field in China’s Strategic Emerging Industries. USDA photo by Lance Cheung.