Page 4 - SCBJ-201511
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South China Business Journal
LEADERSHIP SINCE MY ARRIVAL in Guangzhou I am reminded every
day of South China’s importance to U.S.-China economic
relations. In September, we hosted Deputy Secretary of consumers more quickly, more easily and less expensively than
Commerce Bruce Andrews, and a trade and investment ever before.
delegation from the State of Utah. In October, the Governor of
Hawaii headed a delegation promoting education opportunities. I want to note, though, that in order to maximize the bilateral
During President Xi’s late September visit to the U.S., he and benefits of this e-commerce boom, we want to make sure
President Obama advanced a shared agenda on investment, that online retailers respect intellectual property rights so
cybersecurity, commercial rule of law, and travel and tourism – that entrepreneurs know that their inventions, designs, and
areas of great importance to American and Chinese businesses trademarks are protected from unauthorized use. Moving
in our consular district. forward, to ensure that the internet remains a driver of
innovation and free commerce, we must also fully implement
This month in recognition of the upcoming “Singles Day” the joint cybersecurity commitments reached by Presidents
(November 11) and Cyber Monday (November 30), I wanted to Obama and Xi, including timely cooperation to investigate and
say a few words about e-commerce. In less than a generation, mitigate malicious cyber activities, ensuring that cybersecurity
the world has virtually become a single marketplace - now measures for commercial sectors are nondiscriminatory,
people in China’s most remote villages can order products from and a ban on government-sponsored cyber-enabled theft
the United States with only a few taps on their smartphone. of intellectual property, including trade secrets or other
Given the recent double digit growth in e-commerce volumes, confidential business information.
the opportunities for U.S. exporters and SMEs looking to enter
the China market are staggering. Statistics suggest that online I am confident that our continued efforts to improve intellectual
spending in China will reach one trillion dollars by 2019. South property protections and increase cybersecurity can create the
China is poised to take advantage of these trends, with one-fifth conditions for e-commerce to serve as the engine for our shared
of China’s e-commerce volume passing through Guangdong. prosperity for years to come.
South China e-commerce platforms such as VIP.com, Yihao
Dian, and many others help U.S. companies reach Chinese
Charles Bennett
Consul General
Consulate General of the United States of America
Guangzhou, China
2
LEADERSHIP SINCE MY ARRIVAL in Guangzhou I am reminded every
day of South China’s importance to U.S.-China economic
relations. In September, we hosted Deputy Secretary of consumers more quickly, more easily and less expensively than
Commerce Bruce Andrews, and a trade and investment ever before.
delegation from the State of Utah. In October, the Governor of
Hawaii headed a delegation promoting education opportunities. I want to note, though, that in order to maximize the bilateral
During President Xi’s late September visit to the U.S., he and benefits of this e-commerce boom, we want to make sure
President Obama advanced a shared agenda on investment, that online retailers respect intellectual property rights so
cybersecurity, commercial rule of law, and travel and tourism – that entrepreneurs know that their inventions, designs, and
areas of great importance to American and Chinese businesses trademarks are protected from unauthorized use. Moving
in our consular district. forward, to ensure that the internet remains a driver of
innovation and free commerce, we must also fully implement
This month in recognition of the upcoming “Singles Day” the joint cybersecurity commitments reached by Presidents
(November 11) and Cyber Monday (November 30), I wanted to Obama and Xi, including timely cooperation to investigate and
say a few words about e-commerce. In less than a generation, mitigate malicious cyber activities, ensuring that cybersecurity
the world has virtually become a single marketplace - now measures for commercial sectors are nondiscriminatory,
people in China’s most remote villages can order products from and a ban on government-sponsored cyber-enabled theft
the United States with only a few taps on their smartphone. of intellectual property, including trade secrets or other
Given the recent double digit growth in e-commerce volumes, confidential business information.
the opportunities for U.S. exporters and SMEs looking to enter
the China market are staggering. Statistics suggest that online I am confident that our continued efforts to improve intellectual
spending in China will reach one trillion dollars by 2019. South property protections and increase cybersecurity can create the
China is poised to take advantage of these trends, with one-fifth conditions for e-commerce to serve as the engine for our shared
of China’s e-commerce volume passing through Guangdong. prosperity for years to come.
South China e-commerce platforms such as VIP.com, Yihao
Dian, and many others help U.S. companies reach Chinese
Charles Bennett
Consul General
Consulate General of the United States of America
Guangzhou, China
2
