Journalists at a press conference, clamor to photograph the principal leaders from the Chinese delegates and U.S. hosts the 23rd Session of the U.S. China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT) held in the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2012. (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). 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. USDA photo by Lance Cheung.