The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
November 12, 2014

Remarks by President Obama Before Bilateral Meeting with President Xi of China

Great Hall of the People
Beijing, China

11:20 A.M. CST

PRESIDENT OBAMA: Well, Mr. President, it is a pleasure to be back in China. I congratulate you and the people of China for hosting a successful APEC Summit. I am grateful for your outstanding hospitality and the honor of this state visit.

This is the 35th anniversary of diplomatic ties between our two countries, as you noted. Since then, the trade and ties, the people-to-people exchanges between our countries have surged. And we’ve shown that when we cooperate, the United States and China can make important contributions to security and to progress in this region and around the world.

And this visit is an opportunity to continue discussions President Xi and I began in California last year and our meetings since. Yesterday evening and this morning we had the chance to discuss in depth our priorities and our vision for the U.S.-China relationship. As I’ve said before, I strongly believe that our two nations have an enormous stake in each other’s success. America’s presence in the Asia Pacific I believe has benefitted China. Conversely, a growing China has become one of our largest trading partners. As I said in my speech on Monday, the United States welcomes a China that is peaceful, prosperous and stable, and I look forward to continuing the discussion with President Xi on areas where our countries can work together even more.

As we’ve noted, there are important differences that we have, both practically as well as our vision for our respective countries and our conduct of foreign policy. But what I’ve been very encouraged by is your willingness, Mr. President, to engage in a honest and constructive dialogue around those differences and ensuring that we manage them in a peaceful and effective way.

So I want to thank you and the Chinese people for your extraordinary hospitality. I look forward to our discussions and to ensuring that the U.S.-China relationship continues to deliver results for China, for the United States, and for the world. Xiéxié.

END
11:23 A.M. CST

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
November 12, 2014

FACT SHEET: U.S.-China Economic Relations

President Obama and President Xi recognize the importance of economic relations at the core of the U.S.-China bilateral relationship. The two Presidents commit to deepen bilateral economic ties. To this end, the United States and China commit to pursue policies that promote more open and market-driven bilateral and international trade and investment. This includes pursuing a high-standard and comprehensive bilateral investment treaty that embodies the principles of non-discrimination, fairness, openness, and transparency. The Presidents also commit to work together to address global economic challenges, to deepen the cooperation between the two sides under the framework of the G20, and improve and strengthen the rules-based international economic system.

  • The United States and China welcome the bilateral agreement reached in November 2014 on the expansion of the WTO Information Technology Agreement, and call for swift resumption and conclusion of plurilateral negotiations in Geneva.
  • The United States and China commit to continue to pursue Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) negotiations as a top priority in their economic relations, devoting all the resources necessary toward the achievement of a high-standard and comprehensive BIT that embodies the principles of non-discrimination, fairness, openness, and transparency. U.S. and Chinese leaders commit to actively work to advance the negotiations to ensure they are achieving these objectives. The two sides commit to periodically report to their respective leaders on the status of the negotiations to ensure that maximum and continual progress is being achieved, with a first report following the exchange of proposed “negative lists” early in 2015.
  • The United States and China reached consensus to intensify science-based agricultural innovation for food security. The United States and China commit to strengthen dialogue to enable the increased use of innovative technologies in agriculture.
  • As part of the reforms set out in the Third Plenum of the 18th CPC Central Committee, China continues to implement its market-oriented exchange rate reform, reduce foreign exchange intervention as conditions permit, increase exchange flexibility, and enhance the transparency of its economic and financial data.
  • In 2012, the United States and China, the world’s two largest economies and exporters, demonstrated their joint leadership in the global trading system by making a historic commitment to launch multilateral negotiation of new international export credit guidelines in the International Working Group on Export Credits (IWG). Through six meetings, and based on numerous strong contributions from developed and emerging market country IWG members, the IWG has made significant progress and is now at a critical juncture as it works to develop guidelines that, taking into account varying national interests and situations, are consistent with international best practices.
  • The United States and China commit to take all steps necessary to advance the IWG initiative, including by starting negotiation of horizontal guidelines as soon as possible. The United States and China further reaffirm their support for IWG guideline coverage that includes official export credit support provided by or on behalf of a government.
  • The United States and China intend to discuss as soon as possible new areas for cooperation to build African energy capacity and to expand dramatically power generation and access to electricity in sub-Saharan Africa consistent, with the vision of Africa’s leaders and people for the continent’s development.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
November 11, 2014

FACT SHEET: President Obama’s Visit to China

On November 10-12, 2014, President Xi Jinping of China hosted President Barack Obama of the United States for a state visit.  The two heads of state exchanged views on a range of subjects and agreed to expand practical cooperation on global, regional, and bilateral issues.  The two leaders agreed to expand and deepen cooperation in the following areas:

Addressing Global and Regional Challenges

The United States expresses appreciation for China’s approximately $130 million in contributions to the international Ebola response.  The United States and China are working together to provide needed equipment, supplies, and treatment facilities in Liberia, and our health personnel are working side-by-side to address the Ebola epidemic at its source.  The two sides call on all members of the international community to step up their efforts in support of the UN Mission for Ebola Emergency Response.  Together, the United States and China are committed to working jointly with partners through the Global Health Security Agenda to develop long-term capacity to prevent, detect, and respond to infectious diseases.

The United States and China condemn all forms of terrorism.  The two leaders discussed the global threat posed by ISIL.  The United States welcomes China’s contribution of $10 million in humanitarian assistance to displaced persons in Iraq.  The United States and China agree to strengthen cooperation in the following areas: stemming the transnational flow of foreign terrorist fighters, cracking down on terrorist funding networks, increasing information exchange on terrorist threats, and assisting the government of Iraq in its rebuilding efforts.

The United States and China agree to deepen cooperation on nonproliferation and counter-proliferation issues within the U.S.-China Nonproliferation Joint Working Group, which held its inaugural meeting in Beijing on November 3.  The Nonproliferation Working Group, which intends to meet again in 2015, is focused on strengthening export controls, enforcement, and information sharing, and includes a unique bilateral mechanism to address priority proliferation threats.

The United States and China commit to work together in support of a shared vision for Afghanistan:  a democratic, sovereign, unified, and secure nation.  Together with Afghanistan, the United States and China agreed to convene a U.S.-China-Afghanistan trilateral dialogue to advance this vision.  The United States and China agree to work together to support Afghanistan’s government of national unity, security forces, and economic development, so that Afghanistan cannot be used as a safe haven for terrorists.  They agree to support an Afghan-led, Afghan-owned process of peace and reconciliation.  In the context of the Heart of Asia Conference, they also commit to each support economic development projects and frameworks to foster Afghanistan’s regional integration and build government capacity.

The United States and China agree to work together to stop the trade in illegal wildlife products across the supply chain from source to consumer.  Toward this end, both sides commit to cooperate in the areas of e-commerce, public outreach, joint training, and law enforcement.

Strengthening Bilateral Relations

President Obama and President Xi announced the reciprocal extension of the validity of short- term business and tourist visas from one to ten years, and of student visas from one year to five years.  This arrangement will facilitate the travel of millions of U.S. and Chinese citizens, furthering the trade, cultural, and people-to-people ties that form the foundation of our bilateral relationship.  In 2013, close to 2 million Chinese citizens traveled to the United States and contributed $21.1 billion to the U.S. economy; this is expected to grow to nearly $85 billion a year by 2021 with this announcement.

The United States and China agreed to military-to-military confidence-building mechanisms (CBM) in the following areas: 1) Notification of Major Military Activities, with annexes on notification of policy and strategy developments, and observation of military exercises and activities, and 2) Rules of Behavior for the Safety of Air and Maritime Encounters, with annexes on terms of reference and rules of behavior for encounters between naval surface vessels.  Together, these CBMs increase transparency and predictability and reduce risk of unintended incidents.  Both sides commit to further develop both CBMs.  The United States will prioritize completing a mechanism for informing the other party of ballistic missile launches as an annex to the Notification of Major Military Activities mechanism.  On the Rules of Behavior for the Safety of Air and Maritime Encounters CBM, the United States will prioritize developing an annex on air-air encounters.

President Obama and President Xi agree to work on expanding law enforcement cooperation in the following areas: enhancing coordination and cooperation on repatriation and fugitive issues, increasing law enforcement cooperation on counterfeit goods, stemming the flow of improvised explosive devices, and fighting corruption and transnational crime.  The two leaders highlighted Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson’s anticipated travel to China in 2015 as an opportunity for our countries to explore specific proposals for further cooperation.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
November 11, 2014

U.S.-China Joint Announcement on Climate Change

Beijing, China, 12 November 2014

1.     The United States of America and the People’s Republic of China have a critical role to play in combating global climate change, one of the greatest threats facing humanity. The seriousness of the challenge calls upon the two sides to work constructively together for the common good.

2.     To this end, President Barack Obama and President Xi Jinping reaffirmed the importance of strengthening bilateral cooperation on climate change and will work together, and with other countries, to adopt a protocol, another legal instrument or an agreed outcome with legal force under the Convention applicable to all Parties at the United Nations Climate Conference in Paris in 2015. They are committed to reaching an ambitious 2015 agreement that reflects the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities, in light of different national circumstances.

3.     Today, the Presidents of the United States and China announced their respective post-2020 actions on climate change, recognizing that these actions are part of the longer range effort to transition to low-carbon economies, mindful of the global temperature goal of 2℃. The United States intends to achieve an economy-wide target of reducing its emissions by 26%-28% below its 2005 level in 2025 and to make best efforts to reduce its emissions by 28%. China intends to achieve the peaking of CO2 emissions around 2030 and to make best efforts to peak early and intends to increase the share of non-fossil fuels in primary energy consumption to around 20% by 2030. Both sides intend to continue to work to increase ambition over time.

4.     The United States and China hope that by announcing these targets now, they can inject momentum into the global climate negotiations and inspire other countries to join in coming forward with ambitious actions as soon as possible, preferably by the first quarter of 2015. The two Presidents resolved to work closely together over the next year to address major impediments to reaching a successful global climate agreement in Paris.

5.     The global scientific community has made clear that human activity is already changing the world’s climate system. Accelerating climate change has caused serious impacts. Higher temperatures and extreme weather events are damaging food production, rising sea levels and more damaging storms are putting our coastal cities increasingly at risk and the impacts of climate change are already harming economies around the world, including those of the United States and China. These developments urgently require enhanced actions to tackle the challenge.

6.     At the same time, economic evidence makes increasingly clear that smart action on climate change now can drive innovation, strengthen economic growth and bring broad benefits – from sustainable development to increased energy security, improved public health and a better quality of life. Tackling climate change will also strengthen national and international security.

7.     Technological innovation is essential for reducing the cost of current mitigation technologies, leading to the invention and dissemination of new zero and low-carbon technologies and enhancing the capacity of countries to reduce their emissions. The United States and China are two of the world’s largest investors in clean energy and already have a robust program of energy technology cooperation. The two sides have, among other things:

  • established the U.S.-China Climate Change Working Group (CCWG), under which they have launched action initiatives on vehicles, smart grids, carbon capture, utilization and storage, energy efficiency, greenhouse gas data management, forests and industrial boilers;
  • agreed to work together towards the global phase down of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), very potent greenhouse gases;
  • created the U.S.-China Clean Energy Research Center, which facilitates collaborative work in carbon capture and storage technologies, energy efficiency in buildings, and clean vehicles; and
  • agreed on a joint peer review of inefficient fossil fuel subsidies under the G-20.

8.     The two sides intend to continue strengthening their policy dialogue and practical cooperation, including cooperation on advanced coal technologies, nuclear energy, shale gas and renewable energy, which will help optimize the energy mix and reduce emissions, including from coal, in both countries. To further support achieving their ambitious climate goals, today the two sides announced additional measures to strengthen and expand their cooperation, using the existing vehicles, in particular the U.S.-China Climate Change Working Group, the U.S.-China Clean Energy Research Center and the U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue. These include:

  • Expanding Joint Clean Energy Research and Development: A renewed commitment to the U.S.-China Clean Energy Research Center, including continued funding for three existing tracks on building efficiency, clean vehicles and advanced coal technology and launching a new track on the energy-water nexus;
  • Advancing Major Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage Demonstrations: Establishment of a major new carbon storage project based in China through an international public-private consortium led by the United States and China to intensively study and monitor carbon storage using industrial CO2 and also work together on a new Enhanced Water Recovery (EWR) pilot project to produce fresh water from CO2 injection into deep saline aquifers;
  • Enhancing Cooperation on HFCs: Building on the historic Sunnylands agreement between President Obama and President Xi regarding HFCs, highly potent greenhouse gases, the two sides will enhance bilateral cooperation to begin phasing-down the use of high global warming potential HFCs and work together in a multilateral context as agreed by the two Presidents at their meeting in St. Petersburg on 6 September 2013;
  • Launching a Climate-Smart/Low-Carbon Cities Initiative: In response to growing urbanization and increasingly significant greenhouse gas emissions from cities and recognizing the potential for local leaders to undertake significant climate action, the United States and China will establish a new initiative on Climate-Smart/Low-Carbon Cities under the CCWG. As a first step, the United States and China will convene a Climate-Smart/ Low-Carbon Cities Summit where leading cities from both countries will share best practices, set new goals and celebrate city-level leadership in reducing carbon emissions and building resilience;
  • Promoting Trade in Green Goods: Encouraging bilateral trade in sustainable environmental goods and clean energy technologies, including through a U.S. trade mission led by Secretaries Moniz and Pritzker in April 2015 that will focus on smart low-carbon cities and smart low-carbon growth technologies; and
  • Demonstrating Clean Energy on the Ground: Additional pilot programs, feasibility studies and other collaborative projects in the areas of building efficiency, boiler efficiency, solar energy and smart grids. 

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
November 11, 2014

FACT SHEET: U.S.-China Joint Announcement on Climate Change and Clean Energy Cooperation

President Obama Announces Ambitious 2025 Target to Cut U.S. Climate Pollution by 26-28 Percent from 2005 Levels

Building on strong progress during the first six years of the Administration, today President Obama announced a new target to cut net greenhouse gas emissions 26-28 percent below 2005 levels by 2025.  At the same time, President Xi Jinping of China announced targets to peak CO2 emissions around 2030, with the intention to try to peak early, and to increase the non-fossil fuel share of all energy to around 20 percent by 2030. 

Together, the U.S. and China account for over one third of global greenhouse gas emissions.  Today’s joint announcement, the culmination of months of bilateral dialogue, highlights the critical role the two countries must play in addressing climate change.  The actions they announced are part of the longer range effort to achieve the deep decarbonization of the global economy over time.  These actions will also inject momentum into the global climate negotiations on the road to reaching a successful new climate agreement next year in Paris.

The new U.S. goal will double the pace of carbon pollution reduction from 1.2 percent per year on average during the 2005-2020 period to 2.3-2.8 percent per year on average between 2020 and 2025.  This ambitious target is grounded in intensive analysis of cost-effective carbon pollution reductions achievable under existing law and will keep the United States on the right trajectory to achieve deep economy-wide reductions on the order of 80 percent by 2050.

The Administration’s steady efforts to reduce emissions will deliver ever-larger carbon pollution reductions, public health improvements and consumer savings over time and provide a firm foundation to meet the new U.S. target. 

The United States will submit its 2025 target to the Framework Convention on Climate Change as an “Intended Nationally Determined Contribution” no later than the first quarter of 2015.

The joint announcement marks the first time China has agreed to peak its CO2 emissions. The United States expects that China will succeed in peaking its emissions before 2030 based on its broad economic reform program, plans to address air pollution, and implementation of President Xi’s call for an energy revolution.

China’s target to expand total energy consumption coming from zero-emission sources to around 20 percent by 2030 is notable. It will require China to deploy an additional 800-1,000 gigawatts of nuclear, wind, solar and other zero emission generation capacity by 2030 – more than all the coal-fired power plants that exist in China today and close to total current electricity generation capacity in the United States.   

Building on Progress

In 2009, U.S. greenhouse gas emissions were projected to continue increasing indefinitely, but President Obama set an ambitious goal to cut emissions in the range of 17 percent below 2005 levels in 2020.  Throughout the first term, the Administration took strong actions to cut carbon pollution, including investing more than $80 billion in clean energy technologies under the recovery program, establishing historic fuel economy standards, doubling solar and wind electricity, and implementing ambitious energy efficiency measures. 

Early in his second term, President Obama launched an ambitious Climate Action Plan focused on cutting carbon pollution, preparing the nation for climate impacts, and leading internationally.  In addition to bolstering first-term efforts to ramp up renewable energy and efficiency, the Plan is cutting carbon pollution through new measures, including:

  • Clean Power Plan: EPA proposed guidelines for existing power plants in June 2014 that would reduce power sector emissions 30% below 2005 levels by 2030 while delivering $55-93 billion in net benefits from improved public health and reduced carbon pollution.
  • Standards for Heavy-Duty Engines and Vehicles: In February 2014, President Obama directed EPA and the Department of Transportation to issue the next phase of fuel efficiency and greenhouse gas standards for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles by March 2016. These will build on the first-ever standards for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles (model years 2014 through 2018), proposed and finalized by this Administration.
  • Energy Efficiency Standards: The Department of Energy set a goal of reducing carbon pollution by 3 billion metric tons cumulatively by 2030 through energy conservation standards issued during this Administration. These measures will also cut consumers' annual electricity bills by billions of dollars. 
  • Economy-wide Measures to reduce other Greenhouse Gases: The Environmental Protection Agency and other agencies are taking actions to cut methane emissions from landfills, coal mining, agriculture, and oil and gas systems through cost-effective voluntary actions and common-sense standards.  At the same time, the State Department is working to slash global emissions of potent industrial greenhouse gases called HFCs through an amendment to the Montreal Protocol; the Environmental Protection Agency is cutting domestic HFC emissions through its Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) program; and, the private sector has stepped up with commitments to cut global HFC emissions equivalent to 700 million metric tons through 2025.

Expanding U.S. and China Climate & Clean Energy Cooperation

To further support the achievement of the ambitious climate goals announced today, the United States and China have pledged to strengthen cooperation on climate and clean energy. The two countries are expanding their ongoing and robust program of cooperation through policy dialogue and technical work on clean energy and low greenhouse gas emissions technologies. 

The United States and China agreed to:

  • Expand Joint Clean Energy Research and Development: A renewed and expanded commitment to the U.S.-China Clean Energy Research Center (CERC).  This will include:
    • Extending the CERC mandate for an additional five years from 2016-2020;
    • Renewing funding for the three existing tracks: building efficiency, clean vehicles, and advanced coal technologies with carbon capture, use and sequestration (CCUS); and
    • Launching a new track on the interaction of energy and water (the energy/water ‘nexus’).
  • Advance Major Carbon Capture, Use and Storage Demonstrations: Expanding our work under the Climate Change Working Group (CCWG) and under the CERC, and partnering with the private sector, the United States and China will undertake a major carbon capture and storage project in China that supports a long term, detailed assessment of full-scale sequestration in a suitable, secure underground geologic reservoir.  The United States and China will make equal funding commitments to the project and will seek additional funding commitments from other countries and the private sector.  In addition, both sides will work to manage climate change by demonstrating a new frontier for CO2 use through a carbon capture, use, and sequestration (CCUS) project that will capture and store CO2 while producing fresh water, thus demonstrating power generation as a net producer of water instead of a water consumer.  This CCUS project with Enhanced Water Recovery will eventually inject about 1 million tons of CO2 and create approximately 1.4 million cubic meters of freshwater per year. 
  • Enhance Cooperation on Hydroflurocarbons (HFCs): Building on the historic Sunnylands agreement between President Xi and President Obama regarding HFCs, the United States and China will enhance bilateral cooperation to begin phasing down the use of high global warming potential HFCs, including through technical cooperation on domestic measures to promote HFC alternatives and to transition government procurement toward climate-friendly refrigerants.
  • Launch a Climate-Smart/Low-Carbon Cities Initiative: Urbanization is a major trend in the 21st century, and cities worldwide account for a significant percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.  In response, the United States and China are establishing a new initiative on Climate-Smart/Low-Carbon Cities under the U.S.-China Climate Change Working Group.  Under the initiative, the two countries will share city-level experiences with planning, policies, and use of technologies for sustainable, resilient, low-carbon growth.  This initiative will eventually include demonstrations of new technologies for smart infrastructure for urbanization.  As a first step, the United States and China will convene a Climate-Smart/Low-Carbon Cities “Summit” where leading cities from both countries will share best practices, set new goals, and celebrate city-level leadership.
  • Promote Trade in Green Goods: The United States announced that Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker and Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz will lead a Smart Cities/Smart Growth Business Development Mission to China April 12-17, 2015, focused on green infrastructure, energy efficiency and environmental trade sectors.  The mission will highlight the benefits of sustainable urbanization, technologies to support China’s air pollution and climate goals, and green buildings opportunities.  In addition, USTDA will conduct three reverse trade missions to bring Chinese delegations to see environmental, smart grid, and CCUS technologies in the United States over the next year.  
  • Demonstrate Clean Energy on the Ground: U.S. DOE, State, and USTDA will undertake a number of additional pilot programs, feasibility studies, and other collaborative efforts to promote China’s energy efficiency and renewable energy goals.  These will include expansion of our cooperation on “smart grids” that enable efficient and cost-effective integration of renewable energy technology, as well as the implementation through a U.S. and Chinese private sector commercial agreement of a first-of-its-kind 380 MW concentrating solar plant in China.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
November 11, 2014

Readout of the President’s Call with Dr. Craig Spencer

The President spoke by phone from Beijing, China on Wednesday morning with Dr. Craig Spencer, an American healthcare worker who contracted Ebola while working to combat the disease in Guinea. The President called Dr. Spencer, who on Tuesday was released from Bellevue Hospital in New York City after being declared Ebola-free, to herald his recovery. The President commended Dr. Spencer for his selflessness and compassion in fighting this disease on the frontlines in West Africa. The President underscored that his administration would continue to support those who—similar to Dr. Spencer—wish to act on that admirable commitment to serve others. The President noted that the most effective way to protect against Ebola cases at home is to continue to fight the disease at its source, and he thanked Dr. Spencer for his service to his country and to the people of West Africa.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
November 11, 2014

Statement by the President on the Death of John Doar

Michelle and I were saddened to hear of the passing of John Doar, one of the bravest American lawyers of his or any era. As the face of the Justice Department in the segregated South, John escorted James Meredith to the University of Mississippi. He walked alongside the Selma-to-Montgomery March. He laid the groundwork for the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act. Time and time again, John put his life on the line to make real our country’s promise of equal rights for all. Without John’s courage and perseverance, Michelle and I might not be where we are today, and our thoughts and prayers are with his children, his grandchildren, and all those who loved and admired him.

Behind the scenes at "In Performance - A Salute to the Troops"

November 11, 2014 | 3:14 | Public Domain

As part of the “In Performance at the White House” series and the Joining Forces initiative, the President and First Lady hosted music legends, members of the U.S. military, military veterans, and their families at the White House on Thursday, November 6 for a celebration of the men and women who serve the United States. The program on the South Lawn included a live audience of hundreds of military service members, veterans, and their families.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
November 11, 2014

President Obama Announces Presidential Delegation to the Federal Republic of Germany to Attend the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Berlin Conference on Anti-Semitism Tenth Anniversary Commemoration

President Barack Obama today announced the designation of a Presidential Delegation to the Federal Republic of Germany to attend the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Berlin Conference on Anti-Semitism Tenth Anniversary Commemoration on November 13.

The Honorable Samantha Power, U. S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations, will lead the delegation.

Members of the Presidential Delegation:

The Honorable John B. Emerson, U.S. Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Germany, Department of State

The Honorable Daniel Baer, U.S. Permanent Representative to the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe, Department of State

The Honorable Melissa Rogers, Special Assistant to the President and Executive Director of The White House Office of Faith-Based Partnerships

Mr. Ira N. Forman, Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism, Department of State

Dr. Deborah Lipstadt, Member, U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council and Dorot Professor of Modern Jewish and Holocaust Studies at Emory University

Mr. Abraham H. Foxman, National Director, Anti-Defamation League

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
November 11, 2014

FACT SHEET: Leading the Fight Against Corruption and Bribery

Across the Asia-Pacific Region

Today, President Obama and APEC Leaders agreed to elevate their efforts in fighting corruption and bribery across the Asia-Pacific region.  Leaders encouraged APEC Member Economies to enhance cross-border cooperation in combating public corruption, business bribery, money laundering, and illicit trade.  The creation of a new network of anticorruption authorities and law enforcement agencies (ACT-NET) will support these actions and reinforces APEC's overall efforts to spur economic growth and greater investment and trade across all economies.

Anti-Bribery and Corporate Compliance

APEC Leaders also adopted the APEC Principles on the Prevention of Bribery and Enforcement of Anti-Bribery Laws, and APEC General Elements of Effective Voluntary Corporate Compliance Programs. The new principles to prevent bribery and improve the enforcement of economies' domestic and foreign bribery laws will enhance APEC economies' compliance with their respective international commitments and help to level the playing field for U.S. companies engaged in international business.

Adopting the APEC Principles will illustrate to our citizens and the world APEC's commitment to preventing, detecting and effectively prosecuting foreign bribery, and recovering the corrupt proceeds of such offenses.  Similarly, adopting the APEC General Elements of Effective Voluntary Corporate Compliance Programs will reinforce the strong message to the business community that the private sector has an important role to play, and provide valuable guidance to our businesses on how to expose corruption.

Business Ethics for Small and Medium Enterprises

APEC Ministers have also endorsed three sets of APEC principles for voluntary codes of ethics in sectors where SMEs are the major stakeholders with a view towards their adoption across APEC economies.  Corruption imposes a significant market access barrier and high costs particularly for SMEs, which can be disproportionately impacted by bribery and solicitation, resulting in a net drain on economic growth.  The United States worked closely with APEC economies in developing the voluntary ethics principles and is now conducting a series of workshops with APEC trading partners to implement them.  The first SME Business Ethics Forum was held in Nanjing, China in September 2014, to highlight accomplishments, including the adoption of 18 new industry association codes across 9 APEC member economies.  Participants issued the Nanjing Declaration to Promote Ethical Business Environments in the Medical Device and Biopharmaceutical Sectors for SMEs which calls on APEC member economies to double the number of codes for the healthcare sector between 2012 and 2015.  A similar event was held in September in Manila, with focus on the construction and engineering sector.

U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act

The Obama Administration, following long-standing U.S. efforts, takes a firm stand against public corruption within the United States and abroad with respect to American and other companies that engage in bribing foreign officials to obtain or retain business.

Through the enforcement of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), and our Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative, the Attorney General of the U.S. Department of Justice and our other law enforcement and regulatory agencies have vigorously pursued bribe payers of all stripes: large corporations and small companies; powerful CEOs and frontline sales agents; U.S. and foreign companies; citizens and foreign nationals; direct payers and intermediaries.

President Obama and the U.S. Government continue to drive a robust agenda to prevent and prosecute corruption around the world to hold accountable those who exploit the public's trust for private gain.  Preventing corruption preserves funds for public revenue and thereby helps drive development and economic growth.  By contrast, pervasive corruption siphons revenue away from the public budget and undermines the rule of law and the confidence of citizens in their governments.  It also facilitates human rights abuses and organized crime, empowers kleptocracies, and can threaten the stability of entire regions.  The United States views corruption as a growing threat to the national security of our country and allies around the world.

International Cooperation in other Fora

Through these and other longstanding efforts, the United States remains a global leader on anticorruption.  The United States was a leader in developing fundamental international legal frameworks such as the United Nations Convention against Corruption, the Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions negotiated at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the global architecture for international legal cooperation in areas such as asset recovery and denial of entry.  The United States continues to lead in providing funding for capacity building to fight corruption and promote good governance.