The White House

Office of the Vice President

For Immediate Release
March 06, 2012

Vice President Biden, Administration Officials Welcome Clarification of Countervailing Duty Law

Administration Urged Congress to Act on Behalf of U.S. Businesses, Workers

Washington, D.C. – Vice President Biden, along with U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk and U.S. Department of Commerce Secretary John Bryson, today welcomed congressional passage of legislation clarifying the Department of Commerce’s ability to apply countervailing duties (CVDs) on subsidized imports from non-market economies, including China.

“By passing this law, Congress has taken a clear stand against the unfair trade practices that have put countless American jobs in jeopardy,” said Vice President Biden. “We will continue to use every available tool to make sure America’s trading partners play by the rules, because when they do, U.S. businesses and workers can fairly compete – and out-compete anyone.”

“This law will make clear in no uncertain terms the rights that America’s businesses and workers have when their jobs are threatened by unfairly subsidized imports from countries like China,” said Ambassador Kirk.  “We’re pleased that access to appropriate trade remedies will be ensured.”

“The action taken by Congress today is a significant win for American businesses and workers,” said Secretary Bryson.  “The passage of this legislation will prevent more than 80 companies, both large and small, from across 38 states and employing tens of thousands of manufacturing workers, from being harmed by unfair trade subsidies.  I truly appreciate the leadership in both the House and the Senate for working with us to ensure that the Commerce Department maintains this critical tool to protect American businesses from subsidized imports, so that they can build things here and sell them everywhere.”

In December 2011, the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) found, in GPX v. United States, that U.S. law prohibits the Department of Commerce from applying CVDs to NMEs, including China.  This legislation overturns that decision.

The White House

Office of the Vice President

For Immediate Release
March 01, 2012

Conference Call Briefing on the Vice President's Upcoming Travel to Mexico and Honduras

Via Conference Call

4:22 P.M. EST

MS. BARKOFF:  Thank you and thanks for everyone for joining the call today.  Our hope is to provide you all with a more detailed sense of the Vice President’s schedule and goals during his upcoming trip to Mexico and Honduras.  Today we have Deputy Assistant to the President and National Security Advisor to the Vice President Tony Blinken, and Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Western Hemisphere Affairs Dan Restrepo. 

This call will be on the record and our speakers are happy to take questions after they give some opening remarks.  I also wanted to let folks know that since Dan is here, he will be able to answer questions in Spanish. 

We’d like to keep this call as focused on the Vice President’s trip as much as possible and I also wanted to remind folks of one question per reporter. 

So with that, I’m just going to go ahead and turn it over to Tony.

MR. BLINKEN:  Kendra, thanks very much.  Thanks, everyone, for being on the call. 

This trip is the latest chapter in the administration’s sustained, high-level engagement with our partners in the Americas.  The economic security, familial, historic and cultural ties we share with the Americas and particularly with Mexico and Central America, are among the most consequential we have as a country. 

I think as many of you know, this will be the Vice President’s second trip as Vice President to the region.  He made a similar trip in March, 2009, to Chile and Costa Rica, in anticipation of President Obama’s participation in the Summit of the Americas in April, 2009, in Trinidad and Tobago.  But let me just highlight briefly some of the main purposes of the trip and its two stops, first in Mexico and then in Honduras. 

We leave Washington on Sunday night to go to Mexico and we’ll be spending all day Monday there.  In Mexico, the Vice President will meet with Mexican President Felipe Calderón.  They will review the full range of economic, security, regional and global issues that we work on with Mexico each and every day.  And they’ll do that in the spirit of equal partnership, mutual respect and shared responsibility. 

The ongoing challenge posed by the drug cartels and transnational criminal organizations is one critical shared responsibility.  We strongly support Mexico’s efforts in dealing with this challenge, and the United States and Mexico are collaborating as never before. 

But it’s also important to keep focus on the central role our economic relationship plays in the prosperity of both countries:  One million legal border crossings and $1 billion in trade every single day.  So the two leaders will discuss our agenda to carry this economic relationship forward to the benefit of people in both countries. 

I’ve got to say the President and Vice President have tremendous respect for President Calderón and for his work as President of Mexico.  And as you know, beyond the strong relationship between the President and the Vice President, we maintain regular dialogue at all levels with the government of Mexico.

While we're in Mexico, the Vice President will also sit down with each of Mexico's three major party presidential candidates -- in alphabetical order, I might add -- to reaffirm the United States' commitment to respecting Mexico's democratic process in a totally impartial manner.  He looks very much forward to hearing from each of the candidates their views on the issues most important in Mexico and to Mexicans, and to the future of the bilateral relationship.

He'll underscore to each that the United States will continuing working with President Calderón and his administration until the final day that they're in office, and that we look very much forward to working with whomever the Mexican people elect as their next President.

That carries us through Monday.  On Tuesday, in the morning, we go to Honduras, where the Vice President will first meet with President Lobo.  The meeting there provides an opportunity to reaffirm the United States' strong support for the tremendous leadership President Lobo has displayed in advancing national reconciliation and democratic and constitutional order.

Following the meeting with President Lobo there will be a working lunch with leaders from across Central America, including the Presidents of Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica, and Panama.  And at that lunch, the Vice President will have an opportunity to discuss issues of principal concern to these leaders and to their people, reaffirm the U.S. commitment to working in partnership with the countries and people of Central America, and look ahead to President Obama’s participation in the upcoming Summit of the Americas. 

I know the Vice President is going to want to talk about the important contributions Central Americans make to the United States every single day, and I expect there will be a focus on citizen security.  As you all know, crime and violence poses a profound challenge in the region.  Its leaders are taking ownership of the problem, passing critical legislation, devoting more resources to security, and strengthening regional collaboration.  The United States is committed to supporting these efforts, and we will discuss ideas for strengthening our partnership with one clear goal -- improving people’s lives.

With that, let me end our comments and turn it over to all of you for questions for me and for Dan Restrepo, who is here with me.  Thanks very much.

Q    I just wanted to know if the topic of femicide will be discussed at all during his time in Mexico or Honduras.

MR. BLINKEN:  I’m sorry, could you repeat that?  We had trouble hearing you.  What was the --

Q    If the topic of femicide will be at all discussed during his time in Mexico or, more importantly, Honduras.

MR. RESTREPO:  This is Dan Restrepo.  I think the kind of full range of issues in terms of crime and violence in the region will be part of the agenda on both stops -- in all of the Vice President’s meetings with President Calderón, presumably with the candidates, and with President Lobo and the Presidents of Central America. 

So we envision discussing, again, the kind of full range of how we can work in partnership more effectively to make all folks safer in their daily lives, as they go about their daily business, and how the United States can be a responsible and effective partner in advancing those undertakings.

Q    Does that include that topic, though?

MS. BARKOFF:  I’m sorry, if folks could identify what news outlets they’re from as well, and we’ll move on to the next question.

Q    So just to confirm, the meeting in Honduras, can you confirm the date and time again of that meeting?  And the Central American Presidents -- Costa Rica, El Salvador, Panama, is it Guatemala there as well?  And at that meeting, I mean, the issues been raised of a change in drug policy by the Guatemalan President.  Is that something on the agenda at all -- questioning of the current strategy of prohibition and of attacking drug producers at all levels in Central America and Mexico, is that going to be on the agenda at all, questioning that policy?   

MR. BLINKEN:  Just quickly, on the logistics, that meeting is on Tuesday, this coming Tuesday.  And the President of Guatemala will be there.  Dan, do you want to add to that?

MR. RESTREPO:  And again, as Tony described at the top, we fully anticipate having a robust conversation about citizen security in all its aspects in Central America, and the partnership of the United States with the countries of Central America. 

The Obama administration has been quite clear in our opposition to decriminalization or legalization of illicit drugs.  At the same time, we've also been very open -- the President has said it on numerous occasions, in meetings with leaders and publicly -- of our willingness, our interest, in engaging in a robust dialogue with our partners to determine how we can be most effective in confronting the transnational criminal organizations, and, as in the case in Central America, the gangs that are adversely affecting people's daily lives and daily routines.

So this meeting, this trip is part of that ongoing dialogue.  And we fully anticipate that the leaders of Central America, as they have done on other occasions, will raise a full spectrum of issues with regard to citizen security and their views on how we can all move forward together more effectively.

Q    Thank you for doing the call.  Mr. Blinken, if you can elaborate a little bit more about why (inaudible) -- the presidential candidates.

MR. BLINKEN:  I'm not sure that I -- I apologize, I'm not sure that I heard your question clearly.  But if it regards the meetings with the presidential candidates in Mexico, which is what I understood, the purpose is really twofold.  It's to hear from them their vision for the relationship with the United States, but also and particularly, their vision for how they would lead the country and the concerns that they see the Mexican people having.  And it's also to reaffirm to them the commitment of the United States to work closely with whomever Mexico elects in the presidential contest.

Q    My question is about the meeting that we saw last year in June, in Guatemala City, where the focus was security.  At the time, lots of promises were made about improving the situation, and I was just wondering if you can tell us, since then, in the 9 months since then, what do you think has been the most important achievements, and have things gotten better or have they gotten worse in Central America.

MR. RESTREPO:  Dan Restrepo again.  The meeting in Guatemala that you referred to, the "Group of Friends" meeting with the Central American Integration System, or SICA, to unveil a citizen security strategy pulled together by the countries of Central America was a very important forward.  The seven countries of SICA came together to determine the path forward to deal with a set of challenges that transcend any national boundaries in the region was, again, an important step, and one that -- the United States played and continues to play an important role in rallying international support to the implementation of that security strategy.

The Central American countries in the past few weeks have identified eight priority projects from the SICA strategy that will be -- implementation would start here probably in the month of April.  We have continued to shape our assistance through the Central America Regional Security Initiative -- CARSI -- to support the goals and objectives of the strategy of the Central Americans themselves. 

We've also continued to work, for example, with our partners from Colombia, who have become a very significant exporter of security to Central America -- work to ensure, for example, in the last few weeks, the head of the National Police of Colombia traveled to Guatemala as part of the new Guatemalan government's effort to revamp the national security strategy in that country to ensure that it is facing what we all recognize to be a growing challenge in the region.  Levels of crime and violence, as you know, continue to rise in most countries.  Guatemala --the levels of violence actually in the last year seemed to have begun to decline. 

So it's a case-by-case, country-by-country situation in terms of improvements or added challenges.  But this is an ongoing process.  We also have, as you're aware, out of the Joint Interagency Task Force -- which is an interagency U.S. government law enforcement run out of Key West, an operation underway at the moment called Operation Martillo, to push traffickers away from the coastal waters of Central America.  That, too, is in support of the Citizen Security strategy that the Central Americans laid out back in June at the Guatemala conference.

So each and every day, we are working in ways to bring new partners to the table and to make sure we are bringing U.S. government resources -- both foreign assistance resources, but other aspects of the U.S. government to support the efforts of our Central American partners to make the daily lives of the people -- to make folks more secure in their daily lives in Central America.

Q    Good afternoon.  In the last years, we have seen an amazing level of cooperation -- military cooperation between the United States and Mexico.  We're seeing the U.S. providing a lot of security and intelligence information to the Mexican military forces.  And I would like if Vice President Biden is going to talk also about security -- if somebody from the Security Cabinet is traveling with him, and if he is going to meet with the Secretary of Defense of Mexico or some other military authorities.

MR. RESTREPO:  This is Dan Restrepo.  I think the right way to characterize our cooperation with Mexico over the last three years, certainly during the Obama administration, has been a whole-of-government to whole-of-government support for security efforts in Mexico; that all aspects of the U.S. government -- through the State Department, through the U.S. Agency for International Development, our law enforcement community and, very much in a supporting role, our colleagues in the Department of Defense, have been supporting the effort of Mexico, be it the federal police -- the SSP, be it in their law enforcement capacity, the forces from SEDENA or SEMAR in Mexico.

So this has been very much in a supporting role.  Again, it's very important to remember that enforcement activities in Mexico are undertaken by Mexico, not by the United States.  Our role is to support their efforts, to share information, to help train, through the Merida Initiative, to provide state-of-the-art equipment and mobility -- all things that allow the Mexicans and Mexican security forces to confront transnational criminal organizations that have created the violence and crime in Mexico that we have seen over the course of the last several years.

The Vice President, in terms of his meeting with the government of Mexico, will meet with President Calderón.  As to who will accompany President Calderón during that meeting, I would direct you to the government of Mexico for who will be with President Calderón in that meeting.

Q    Thank you.  A few weeks ago, Senator McCain suggested that at least one of Mexico's presidential candidates would negotiate with the drug cartels in Mexico.  In that regard, is Vice President Biden focusing on any particular candidates?

MR. RESTREPO:  I'm not going to comment upon Senator McCain's comments.  I would direct you to Senator McCain for further comment there.  As Tony has made clear, by sitting down with the three presidential -- the major party presidential candidates of Mexico to hear their views of the issues facing Mexico today and of the future of the U.S.-Mexico relationship, which, again, is one of our most important relationships in the world, the Vice President wants to send a very clear message that this administration is prepared to work with the next democratically elected leader of Mexico.  And as you know, that election will take place on July 1st, and a new Mexican government will take office on December 1st.

So that is very much the express purpose of sitting down and having this opportunity next Monday to meet with the three major party candidates in Mexico.

Q    (For Voice of America.)  Hello, good afternoon.  Thank you for taking my call.  Mr. Restrepo, can you tell us in Spanish the main purpose of the Vice President’s trip to Mexico and Honduras?

MR. RESTREPO:  (Answers in Spanish.)

For the rest of the folks, you all heard the question, and the answer was the same one you’ve been hearing from me and from Tony in English in terms of what the major goals and objectives are on each of the stops.

Q    Thank you very much.  What is the main worry for the U.S. regarding security in Mexico, regarding the strength of drug cartels?  What’s the main worry with regards President Calderón?  And finally, if you are going to discuss any mechanism to stop the flow of illicit money from the U.S. to Mexico.

MR. RESTREPO:  This is Dan again.  As has been the case from the onset of the Obama administration, the negative impact that transnational criminal organizations have on communities on both sides of our borders is our primary concern.  And how we can work more effectively in partnership with Mexico to confront and dismantle these organizations so that they pose less of a challenge in the daily lives of Americans and Mexicans has been and remains our primary objective in working these issues with the government of Mexico.

Part of that and part of fulfilling the shared responsibility of the United States in this is more effectively confronting the illicit finances that flow from the United States back to these transnational criminal organizations.  We have and we’ll continue to dedicate more resources to going after those illicit flows, to take away as best as possible the money that is fueling the crime and violence that is affecting, again, folks in Central America, in Mexico, and in communities in the United States.

MS. BARKOFF:  Thank you all. 

END
4:47 P.M. EST

The White House

Office of the Vice President

For Immediate Release
February 24, 2012

Vice President Joe Biden, Dr. Jill Biden, and Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis Announce Availability of $500 Million to Fund Partnerships Between Community Colleges and Businesses to Train Workers with Skills Employers Need

Announcement of new round of grants made at Davidson County Community College in Thomasville, North Carolina as part of Community College to Career tour

WASHINGTON – Vice President Joe Biden, Dr. Jill Biden, and Labor Secretary Hilda L. Solis today announced that the Administration is making another $500 million available to create and expand innovative partnerships between community colleges and businesses to train workers with the skills employers need.  This funding is part of the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) Community College and Career Training grant program.  The Administration is issuing the next Solicitation for Grant Applications (SGA) for this program today; community colleges can apply for these grants, and later this year, the Department of Labor, working with the Department of Education, will announce approximately $500 million in new awards. 

Today’s announcement was made at Davidson County Community College in Thomasville, North Carolina, which is part of a consortium of nine North Carolina community colleges previously awarded $18.8 million through the grant program to expand their training partnerships with local employers.  The announcement comes on the final stop of Dr. Biden and Secretary Solis’ Community College to Career bus tour.  The five-state, three-day bus tour has focused on innovative programs at community colleges, in partnership with area employers, helping train students to meet local workforce needs.
“This new round of funding will help community colleges forge new partnerships with local businesses to train workers with the skills they need for jobs available right now,” said Vice President Joe Biden.  “I am proud to join Secretary Solis and my wife – a community college professor herself – on the final stop of the Community College to Career tour to announce this new round of support for these innovative training partnerships.”

“Building a well-educated workforce is critical for the ongoing strengthening of our economy,” said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis.  “This week’s tour has been an extraordinary opportunity to meet students, educators and employers alike, highlighting how these grants bring community colleges and businesses together to give students the skills they need to compete for good jobs in growing industries.”

"After hearing so many inspiring stories of successful community college career partnerships over the last few days on our bus tour, I am thrilled to join Joe and Secretary Solis to announce the kickoff of a new round of grants makings to our community colleges to train workers with the skills they need for good jobs," said Dr. Jill Biden.

The resources provided by these grants will enable eligible institutions of higher education to partner with businesses to expand and improve education and career training programs that can be completed in two years or less and are suited for TAA-eligible workers and other adults. 

This program complements President Obama’s broader agenda of helping every American have at least one year of post-secondary education and will help reach his goal of America having the highest proportion of college graduates in the world by 2020. 

To be eligible to compete for funding under this round of grants, applicants must be institutions of higher education, as defined in the Higher Education Act of 1965, which offer programs that can be completed in not more than 2 years.  By statute, the program is designed to ensure that every state, the District of Columbia, and  Puerto Rico, through their eligible institutions of higher education, will each receive at least $2.5 million in grant awards.

The Department of Labor awarded approximately $500 million in September 2011 in the first round of the program, announced in partnership with the Department of Education.  A list of the original round of grants, organized by state, is available here:  http://www.dol.gov/opa/media/press/eta/eta20111409fs.htm

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 amended the Trade Adjustment Assistance Act to authorize the TAA Community College and Career Training program.  The Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act, signed by President Barack Obama on March 30, 2010, included $2 billion over four years to fund this program.

More information about the TAA Community College and Career Training program can be found at www.doleta.gov/taaccct.  Prospective applicants are encouraged to view the online tutorial, “Grant Applications 101:  A Plain English Guide to ETA Competitive Grants,” available through Workforce3One at:  http://www.workforce3one.org/page/grants_toolkit.  Prospective applicants can register on www.Grants.gov to access the SGA.  In addition, DOL posts grant information at www.doleta.gov/grants.

The White House

Office of the Vice President

For Immediate Release
February 22, 2012

Vice President Biden to Travel to Mexico and Honduras

Vice President Joe Biden will travel to Mexico and Honduras from March 4-6.  In Mexico City, the Vice President will meet with President Calderón and will underscore the United States’ commitment to deepening our close dialogue and cooperation with Mexico on a broad range of issues.   In Tegucigalpa, the Vice President will hold a bilateral meeting with President Lobo.  In addition, he will take part in a meeting with Central American leaders, who have been invited to a joint meeting by President Lobo, the current President Pro Tempore of the Central American Integration System.  In both countries, the Vice President will also consult with our partners about the Summit of the Americas, scheduled to be held in Colombia in mid-April, which will focus on leveraging Hemispheric connections and partnerships to improve the lives of people throughout the region.  Additional details about the Vice President’s trip will be released at a later date.

The White House

Office of the Vice President

For Immediate Release
February 21, 2012

Vice President Biden Thanks First Responders and Releases Report on the Economic Value of Increasing Spectrum

Today, Vice President Biden met with first responders to thank them for their service and to discuss the new nationwide public safety broadband network included in the Payroll Tax Extension legislation.  In addition, he announced the release of a new report from the Council of Economic Advisers (CEA), The Economic Benefits of New Spectrum for Wireless Broadband), describing the substantial economic value of aggressively pursuing President Obama’s goal of nearly doubling the amount of spectrum available for wireless broadband over ten years and deploying a nationwide interoperable wireless network for public safety. 

The report summarizes the compelling evidence that additional spectrum for wireless broadband is needed to accommodate the surging demand for wireless data traffic, projected to increase by a factor of twenty between 2010 and 2015.  The report also describes the potential for wireless broadband to play a transformative role in public safety and as a platform for innovation in many areas of the economy, and documents the substantial impact on jobs, growth, and investment that the growth of wireless broadband will have.

“I’ve been working on changing the way we allocate spectrum for a long time, because a smarter system is good for our economy, good for innovation, and vital to keeping our cops, firefighters and EMTs safe,” said Vice President Biden. “The measure that Congress just passed picks up on many aspects of the President’s Wireless Innovation Initiative and will enable new spectrum to be used for innovation, to speed wireless communication, and to fulfill a promise made to first responders after 9/11 that they would have the technology they need to stay safe and do their jobs.”
President Obama will soon sign into law a measure will implement important pieces of the Administration’s wireless initiative – including a nationwide interoperable public safety broadband network that will, for the first time, allow law enforcement, firefighters and EMTs to have a dedicated communications network so they can talk with one another. 

Our modern information economy depends on use of the radio airwaves for everything from smartphones and laptops connected to the Internet over wireless networks, to satellite and other wireless networks that bring Internet access to rural areas where running cables is too expensive. This report shows how important it is to continue supporting the growth of this vital sector of the economy.

In addition to describing the economic benefits of making additional spectrum available for wireless broadband, the new report addresses a number of key issues related to spectrum policy.  Specifically, the report reaches the following conclusions: 

  • The use of voluntary incentive auctions will ensure that spectrum is reassigned from the lowest value uses to the highest, and that the economic benefits are widely shared among stakeholders, including broadcasters, wireless carriers, consumers, and taxpayers. The recently passed spectrum bill gives the FCC authority to conduct these auctions.
  • Unlicensed spectrum is a valuable complement to licensed spectrum, and allocating new spectrum for a mix of licensed and unlicensed uses will offer the most fertile environment for future innovation.  The spectrum bill gives the FCC authority to allocate more spectrum for unlicensed uses, creating new opportunities for the development of innovative wireless technologies.
  • Federal funding for research and development in emerging wireless technologies will have substantial public benefits, particularly to support the development of innovative technologies for use in public safety. The bill sets aside $100-300 Million for public safety network R&D, funds that will be vital to helping the public safety community build a new robust, flexible and innovative network for first responders all around the country.

The White House

Office of the Vice President

For Immediate Release
February 18, 2012

Statement from Vice President Biden on Anthony Shadid

I've spent much of my career working on America's policy toward the Middle East, and particularly Iraq. Like millions of other readers around the world, I have enriched my understanding of that complex region through the reporting of Anthony Shadid. In the finest tradition of foreign correspondence, Shadid was never content merely to opine from afar. He went where the story took him--from the fall of Saddam Hussein, to the battlefields of Southern Lebanon, to the profound transformations of the Arab Spring--often at extraordinary personal risk. Few foreign correspondents of his generation, or any other, could match his mastery of the language and cultures in the region he covered. And he used those gifts to seek out those far from the corridors of power--giving voice to Iraqis, Lebanese, Egyptians and many others who might otherwise not have been heard.
 
Not one to dwell on his own achievements or hardships, Shadid once said, "the worst part of this job is what you put other people through." My thoughts and prayers are with his family and loved ones, and particularly his two young children.
 

The White House

Office of the Vice President

For Immediate Release
February 17, 2012

United States Achieves Breakthrough on Movies in Dispute with China

Washington, D.C. – Vice President Joe Biden announced today that China has agreed to significantly increase market access for U.S. movies in order to resolve outstanding issues related to films after the United States’ victory in a World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute last year. The agreement announced today will allow significantly more job-supporting U.S. film exports to China and provide fairer compensation to U.S. film producers for the movies being shown there.

“This agreement with China will make it easier than ever before for U.S. studios and independent filmmakers to reach the fast-growing Chinese audience, supporting thousands of American jobs in and around the film industry,” said Vice President Biden, who spent the day in the Los Angeles area with Vice President Xi Jinping of China. “At the same time, Chinese audiences will have access to more of the finest films made anywhere in the world.”

“U.S. studios and independent filmmakers cite China as one of their most important world markets, but barriers imposed by China and challenged by the United States in the WTO have artificially reduced the revenue U.S. film producers received from their movies in the Chinese market,” said United States Trade Representative Ron Kirk. “This agreement will help to change that, boosting one of America’s strongest export sectors in one of our largest export markets.”

The Chinese film market is large and growing quickly; last year, Chinese box office revenue was up to $2.1 billion.  Much of this revenue came from 3D titles, which are a rapidly growing sector of the film industry.

The agreement allows more American exports to China of 3D, IMAX, and similar enhanced format movies on favorable commercial terms, strengthens the opportunities to distribute films through private enterprises rather than the state film monopoly, and ensures fairer compensation levels for U.S. blockbuster films distributed by Chinese state-owned enterprises.  The agreement will be reviewed after 5 years to ensure that it is working as envisioned.  If necessary, the United States can return to the WTO to seek relief.

BACKGROUND

The United States initiated the underlying WTO dispute in April 2007. In the dispute, the United States sought to address significant market access concerns relating to China’s treatment of films for theatrical release, as well as other cultural products.

With regard to films, a WTO panel found in a report issued in August 2009 that key Chinese film import restrictions were inconsistent with China’s WTO obligations. In December 2009, after China appealed, the WTO Appellate Body rejected China's claims and upheld the panel's findings. China promised to come into compliance by March 2011, but informed the United States at the deadline that this would not be possible. The two sides have been making efforts to resolve their differences since that time.

On a global basis, films and other audiovisual services are a key export sector in which the United States enjoys a $12 billion trade surplus.  U.S. cross-border exports of audiovisual services, including films, have consistently exceeded U.S. cross-border imports over the last decade.

The White House

Office of the Vice President

For Immediate Release
February 17, 2012

Remarks by Vice President Biden at Lunch in Honor of Vice President Xi of the People's Republic of China

J.W. Marriott
Los Angeles, California

1:00 P.M. PST

VICE PRESIDENT BIDEN:  Thank you very much.  Mr. Mayor, let me begin by thanking you for your hospitality.  It’s good to be back in Los Angeles, and I want to thank Governor Jerry Brown for hosting us as well today.

It’s an honor to join you in welcoming Vice President Xi and all of those who have traveled from China to be here, from the provinces as well as the official delegation.

I was asked today what it’s like to spend so much time with Vice President Xi, both in China and here, and I indicated then and I’ll say it again -- it’s been a great pleasure getting to know him personally.

The Vice President and I have gotten to spend more time with one another than I think either of us anticipated when both our Presidents indicated and instructed us to get to know one another better.

We had the opportunity to spend some time together last year in Italy when we both were there representing our governments to celebrate the unification of Italy at its 150th anniversary.  And the Vice President was kind enough to host me for four days in China, both in Beijing and traveling to Chengdu with me. 

And I can say with real sincerity that I’ve been looking forward to the opportunity to return the hospitality that he has shown to me, and this is the capstone to that visit with he and I here in Los Angeles.

I suspect all of you in this audience have traveled a great deal, and I must tell you, the thing I have come to admire about my colleague is his incredible physical stamina.  (Laughter.)  Since he arrived in the United States on Monday, he started off with Dr. Kissinger and Zbig Brzezinski and a number of very serious American diplomats and strategists, and the next day he spent I think 13 or 14 hours with me, starting early in the morning and going straight through to a dinner at my home with members of our Cabinet and others ending late that night.

And Governor, the next morning he left early to go to Muscatine, Iowa, and Secretary Clinton and I said, better him than us.  (Laughter.)  I think he got more delegates than either of us in Muscatine.  (Laughter and applause.)  But I must -- I’m just telling you, it’s the measure of the man.  He wanted to go back and reacquaint himself with and thank the people who had been hospitable to him 27 years earlier.

And then just to prove his stamina he came to Los Angeles, and from here he leaves from Los Angeles to Ireland on his way to Turkey.  (Laughter.)  The only place I can really help him is in Ireland.  I can get elected there.  (Laughter.) 

Mr. Vice President, you and I have spent a substantial amount of time together, and that’s fairly rare in modern diplomacy.  And let me add that we’ve all been touched -- and I mean this sincerely -- by your interest in our country, your desire to meet our people, and by the personal relationships you’re forging here.  It’s made a deep impression.

As the former governors of California are in the room, as well as the present governor can tell you, there are no people in the world that know better than the people of California, that the United States of America is a Pacific nation.

For generations, Californians have looked to the Asian-Pacific region as a critical element of their prosperity.  And now, it is critical to our efforts, all of America's efforts, to put Americans back to work and expand opportunity.

I would venture to say, if we added up the hours in the last six months, the Vice President and I have probably spent 20 hours alone in conversation.  And we've pointed out that seven of our 15 largest export markets -- America's export markets -- are in Asia, with China now the foremost among them.  Last year alone, the United States exported to China more than $100 billion worth of goods and services, supporting hundreds of thousands of American jobs.  And those jobs that are tied to exports are quality, high-paying jobs, estimated to be worth more than 15 percent more than all other jobs in America.

And Mr. Vice President, as we've discussed, the faster the U.S. economy grows, the more Chinese citizens will benefit as well.  So there is a great potential for both of us in working together to increase and solidify this relationship.  The Vice President has been straightforward in the changes he'd like to see, and I have been equally as straightforward in the changes that I'd like to -- we'd like to see in our trade and economic relationship.

The Vice President indicated that China wants to invest more in the United States.  And we're working to make that easier, and there's a whole lot of governors here who are looking forward to that.  (Laughter.)  And thanks to the great work of our ambassador, Gary Locke -- and Gary, stand up so everybody can see you.  (Applause.)  Ambassador Locke was the Secretary of Commerce, as well as the -- when he was governor of the state of Washington.  His hallmark is getting things done, and getting them done quickly.

Under the ambassador's leadership, we are now issuing more than a million visas a year -- faster than ever before -- to Chinese students, to tourists, as well as to businesspeople.  (Applause.)  I assume that came from a student.  (Laughter.)  And I've explained the things that we need to see for American companies and workers.  Here too, we're making real progress. 

We very much want to see more of our businesses able to sell their goods and services in China.  And Vice President Xi has committed to help make that possible.  In this recent visit, China has opened its market to American auto insurers and has taken concrete steps to enforce intellectual property rights, and it has plans to reform its tax system, which will help increase demand for American goods and services by lowering taxes on so-called luxury goods.

As President Obama and I have told the Vice President and all of you -- and many of you have witnessed personally -- China has made the most remarkable progress in the shortest amount of time than maybe any country in history.  And we in our administration and in this country welcome those gains.  And I think American business leaders in this room will agree that we all welcome the competition.  I know American workers welcome the competition.  It not only pushes our companies to develop better products and services and our government to craft better policies, but it encourages our workers to be more cooperative [sic] and to work even harder, increasing productivity.

But the crux of our discussions is that competition only benefits everyone if the rules to the game are fair and followed.  So we will continue to work with the Vice President and the Chinese government to make sure that everyone is playing by the same rules on a level playing field.  I strongly believe, and I think Vice President Xi does as well, that the honest, sustained dialogue we've had this week can and will build a stronger relationship that benefits both our nations and our people. 

And ladies and gentlemen, it is now my great pleasure to introduce to you the Vice President of China, a man you are going to learn a great deal more about for a good number of years, ladies and gentlemen, my friend, Vice President Xi.  (Applause.)

END
1:15 P.M. PST

The White House

Office of the Vice President

For Immediate Release
February 17, 2012

Statement from Vice President Biden on the Spectrum Agreement to Safeguard First Responder Communications

After 9/11, we pledged that our cops, firefighters and EMTs would have the technology they need to stay safe and do their jobs. Part of that promise included deploying a nationwide, interoperable broadband network for our first responders. Today we made good on that overdue promise.  First responders put their lives on the line to protect us every day, and the least we can do is ensure that they have the dedicated bandwidth they need to communicate with each other.  It’s going to save lives and help keep our neighborhoods safe.

The White House

Office of the Vice President

For Immediate Release
February 14, 2012

Remarks by Vice President Biden and Chinese Vice President Xi to US and China CEOs

U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Hall of Flags, Washington, D.C.

4:50 P.M. EST

        VICE PRESIDENT BIDEN:  Thank you for the hospitality here at the chamber, Tom.  I appreciate it very much, and thank all of you at the chamber and from the U.S.-China Business Council hosting this event; and a warm welcome to Vice President Xi and the Chinese delegation.

        I indicated as -- the entry hall that we’ve not -- I’ve not been a very good host thus far.  Vice President Xi arrived yesterday, and we’ve had him going since 8:30 this morning, meeting after meeting.  He just returned from the Pentagon.  And immediately Tom Donohue said, well, don't forget, Joe, he’s much younger than we are.  (Laughter.)  

        We’re joined by so many distinguished business leaders, and this indicates at least two things, Mr. Vice President, they're honored to have you here as our guest and, secondly, how important they feel and we feel -- U.S.-China economic and trade relationships are for both our nations.  And as you and I have discussed in the past, Mr. Vice President, we presume as well to think they're important for the world at large.

        In this area, as in many others, we’re working together to an unprecedented degree.  Let me be clear:  I believe, as the President said also to the Vice President in the Oval Office not long ago, we believe that a rising China is a positive development -- not only for China but also for the United States and the world.  It will fuel economic growth and prosperity, and a rising China will bring to the fore a new partner with whom we can have help meeting the global challenges we all face.

        Even as our nations cooperate, though, as the Vice President point out, we will continue to compete.  As Americans, we welcome this competition.  I’ve said to the Vice President before, it’s part of our DNA.  And it pushes our companies to develop better products and services and our government to craft better policies.

        But competition can only be mutually beneficial if the rules of the game are understood, agreed upon and followed.  I’m pleased that we have made progress in areas of concern.  China’s exchange rate is appreciating, though still substantially undervalued in our view.  China has committed to rebalance its economy and has just informed us that it will move forward this year with a tax reform policy that will increase imports and promote consumption.

        China has also just told us that it will open third-party liability auto insurance market to foreign companies, an important step in the reforming of the financial sector.  

        And China has responded to our concerns about procurement policies and established a high-level body to strengthen enforcement of intellectual property rights as well.  

        For our part, the U.S. is working to be responsive to Chinese concerns as well.  For example, the United States is expending our visa processing capacity in China to help reduce delays and encourage Chinese travel to the United States.

        But I’m sure, as the Vice President will be the first to tell you, we have work to do -- especially on issues like discriminatory subsidies and financing, protecting intellectual property and trade secrets and ending the practice of making the transfer of technology a requirement for doing business.

        The United States will also work to ensure that all countries play by the international rules.  We’ve brought cases that have challenged unfair trade practices, and we’ve defended U.S. producers and workers in many arenas.

        And in last months, State of the Union address, President Obama announced further steps to investigate and challenge unfair trading practices, protect our markets from counterfeit and unsafe goods and level the financial playing field for our companies.

        I look forward to hearing from those of you gathered here today about both the benefits -- and there are many -- and the challenges of doing business in China, as well as about your plans here and their plans here in the United States.  We welcome your suggestions as to how our governments can address the difficulties you face.

        And I want to thank you again, Tom, for your hospitality and thank all of your colleagues for joining us, and I look forward to our discussions.

        Mr. Vice President.

        VICE PRESIDENT XI:  (As interpreted.)  Vice President Biden, President Donahue, Chairman Muhtar Kent, Chairman Wan Jifei, business representatives to both China and the United States, ladies and gentlemen, dear friends it gives me great pleasure to attend this business roundtable in Washington D.C., together with Vice President Biden.

        I wish to thank the CCPIT, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the U.S.-China Business Council for their careful organization, and business leaders of both countries for their active participation.  The 20-plus business leaders from China and the United States present today include representatives both of the rural economy, financial sector, the traditional manufacturing industry and emerging industries.  They represent both state-owned enterprises and private companies.

        The broad and active participation of business people in both countries has made the comprehensive, mutually complimentary, and win-win China-U.S. economic relationship more colorful and more dynamic.  The purpose of my current visit to the United States at the invitation of Vice President Biden is to implement the important agreement of the two Presidents and advance the China-U.S. cooperative partnership.

        This morning, I met with President Obama and held talks with Vice President Biden.  During these meetings, we had in-depth and candid exchange of views on China-U.S. relations and major international and regional issues of shared concern.  We reached a new and important agreement that will help us enhance mutual trust, increase mutual understanding, and generate win-win outcomes.

        We had an in-depth exchange of views on economic and trade issues.  We agree that China-U.S. economic relationship is highly mutually complimentary and full of dynamism.  The two sides should quicken our steps to build a comprehensive and mutually beneficial economic partnership, advance the investment and trade package plan on cooperation, address economic frictions through dialogue and cooperation instead of by protectionist means so as to promote a steady recovery and growth of the two economies and the world economy as a whole.

        With regard to the U.S. concerns concerning trade imbalance, IPR protection, indigenous innovation and investment environment, the Chinese side has taken steps to address them and will continue to do so.  We hope that the U.S. side will adopt the same positive attitude and take credible steps as soon as possible to address Chinese concerns on lifting restrictions on high-tech exports to China and providing a level playing field for Chinese companies investing in America.

        Since the normalization of China-U.S. relations, business people of the two countries have worked together to make progress.  What they have done has made important contribution to China-U.S. economic cooperation and overall China-U.S. relationship.  In the process, they have shared development opportunities and reaped handsome profits.  This is a true example of one reaps what he has sown.

        Given the growing uncertainties and instability in world economic recovery, there has become an even more pressing need for China and the United States, and our businesses, to strengthen cooperation.  In August last year, in Beijing, Vice President Biden and I attended a business forum.  And today, once again, we are having this face-to-face interaction with business representatives of both countries.

        In doing so, we want to increase and expand China-U.S. economic and trade cooperation and bring it to a higher level, to the greater benefit of the two peoples.  To achieve this end, I would like to share with you some of my observations.  First, the British thinker Francis Bacon said, “The ripeness or un-ripeness of the occasion must ever be weighed.”

        At present, both China and the United States are at a critical juncture of shifting growth models.  China is implementing its 12th Five-Year Plan with focus on expanding consumption, upgrading service sector, and encouraging Chinese companies to go global, while the United States is implementing the National Export Initiative, investing in America and programs with focus on expanding exports, boosting the manufacturing sector, and inviting in foreign companies.

        The economic agendas of the two countries have a lot to offer to each other and there is space for our cooperation in energy, environmental protection, biomedicine, advanced manufacturing and infrastructure.  I hope business people of the two countries will follow their trend to seize the opportunities and translate potentials into real win-win outcomes.

        Second, range far your eye over long vistas.  We should adopt a long-term perspective and have broad vision.  The vision of an entrepreneur decides his strategy, his actions decide his attainments.  I hope business people will not let the drifting clouds block their views, will not allow their hands to be tied by some temporary disturbances.  Instead, I hope they will develop more and better products and services.  Here I wish to congratulate General Motors for becoming world champion in car sales last year.

        As far as I know, the SAIC-GM, a joint venture of SAIC and GM now produces and sells 1.2 million cars every year.  For two consecutive years, GM sales in China has exceeded its sales in the States.  Last year, the urbanization rate of China reached 51.2 percent with urban population totaling 690 million.  With the continued process of urbanization, it is estimated that by 2015 the total retail sales of consumer goods in China will reach 32 trillion RMB.

        During the 12th Five Year Plan period, China will import over $8 trillion U.S. worth of commodities.  Such a huge Chinese domestic market offers broad space for mutually beneficial cooperation between Chinese and American business communities.  We welcome more American companies to make investment in China.

        Third, to strengthen the role of China-U.S. economic relationship as the ballast and propeller in our bilateral relationship -- those two metaphors of ballast and propeller shows how much weight our economic relationship carries and as that it serves a strong, driving force.

        Last year, our bilateral trade hit a record high of $446.6 billion U.S., an increase of 16 percent on year-on-year basis.  At this rate, it is expected to top $500 billion U.S.  I hope business communities and chambers of commerce in both countries will continue to care about support and take part in China-U.S. economic cooperation, present a true picture of mutually beneficial China-U.S. economic relationship to the governments and the people, oppose protectionism, and more vocally effectively prevent politicizing economic issues and avoid various kinds of undue interference so as to uphold to the overall interests of China-U.S. relationship and bilateral relationship.

        Fourth, running business conscientiously, honestly fulfill corporate social responsibility.  Both Chinese and American business people should come to realize that only with credibility a company can win a good reputation.

        I’m happy to learn that Chinese Wanxiang Group in recent years has purchased some bankrupt American enterprises that has helped to keep more than 3,500 jobs for local people.  And the Tianjin Pipe Corporation of China invested $1 billion U.S. in the state of Texas, creating 800 jobs for local people.  I am also happy to learn that some of the American companies represented here have taken active parts in poverty alleviation and scholarship programs.  All these have demonstrated the strong sense of social responsibility and morals of Chinese and American business people.

        I hope while expanding your business, you will further reward the local community, creating jobs for local people, increasing revenues for local governments and taking part in the public welfare and community development projects, so that our two people benefit more from China-U.S. economic cooperation.

        Ladies and gentlemen, American writer Edward Bellamy said, “The Golden Age is before us, not behind us.”  Looking ahead to 2012 and even longer time to come, I’m fully confident that the Chinese economy will maintain steady and fast development; that the U.S. economy will achieve strong recovery and growth, and that China-U.S. economic cooperation has a bright future.

        I sincerely hope that business people of the two countries will seize the opportunity and strive for greater progress and write more success stories in China-U.S. economic cooperation.  I thank you.  (Applause.)

END 5:08 P.M. EST