The United States Trade and Development Agency (TDA) is likely to offer equipment and financial and technological support for China's energy, environmental protection and air transportation projects in the coming years.
TDA has come back to China after an 11-year break, and the return is seen as something that will bring benefit to both countries.
"During my visit in Beijing, we took part in informal negotiations with related governmental departments, Chinese enterprises and some US-based business organizations in China," Geoffery R. Jackson, regional director of Asia & Pacific for TDA, said on Wednesday in Beijing.
The governmental departments included the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Co-operation, the State Development Planning Commission, the Ministry of Water Resources and the State Environmental Protection Administration.
Jackson was optimistic about their programmes in China and revealed that most of the projects they are interested in are closely related to the western development programme and the overhaul of agricultural structure.
"TDA is not only focusing on the sectors they are good at, involving energy, environmental protection, transportation and telecommunications, but is also interested in China's development strategy and general economic situation," Christopher Adams, commercial attache for the embassy of the United States in China, said.
So far, their initial projects involve general aviation transportation, airport development, water resources management, sewage treatment, geographic information and a series of clean energy projects.
Jackson's next stop is Shanghai. He said TDA's 2001 detailed plan and exact budget for China could not yet be finally decided, because his visit and investigations in China have not been completed yet.
"We plan to hold several conferences concerning Sino-US trade and economy in China this year, offering opportunities for US enterprises to understand the Chinese economy, investigate the market and explore business potentials," Jackson indicated.
As an independent US federal agent, TDA's tasks are promoting the development of developing countries as well as helping US companies participate in the competition for overseas projects.
Besides fund aid, TDA provides feasibility studies, investigations, training and technological support for the selected projects, which greatly helps promote US exports to developing nations and helps US companies sharpen their competitive edge in bidding for infrastructure construction projects.
