US-China Trade Issues—with Craig Allen, President US-China Business Council

On July 26, 2018, Craig Allen began his tenure in Washington, DC, as the sixth President of the United States-China Business Council (USCBC), a private, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization representing over 200 American companies doing business with China. Prior to joining USCBC, Craig had a long, distinguished career in US public service. Craig began his government career in 1985 at the Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration (ITA). He entered government as a Presidential Management Intern, rotating through the four branches of ITA. From 1986 to 1988, he was an international economist in ITA’s China Office. In 1988, Craig transferred to the American Institute in Taiwan, where he served as Director of the American Trade Center in Taipei. He held this position until 1992, when he returned to the Department of Commerce for a three-year posting at the US Embassy in Beijing as Commercial Attaché. In 1995, Craig was assigned to the US Embassy in Tokyo, where he served as a Commercial Attaché. In 1998, he was promoted to Deputy Senior Commercial Officer. In 1999, Craig became a member of the Senior Foreign Service. From 2000, Craig served a two-year tour at the National Center for APEC in Seattle. While there, he worked on the APEC Summits in Brunei, China, and Mexico. In 2002, it was back to Beijing, where Craig served as the Senior Commercial Officer. In Beijing, Craig was promoted to the Minister Counselor rank of the Senior Foreign Service. After a four-year tour in South Africa, Craig became Deputy Assistant Secretary for Asia at the US Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration. He later became Deputy Assistant Secretary for China. Craig was sworn in as the United States ambassador to Brunei Darussalam on December 19, 2014. He served there until July 2018, when he transitioned to President of the US-China Business Council. Craig received a B.A. from the University of Michigan in Political Science and Asian Studies in 1979. He received a Master of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University in 1985.

On July 26, 2018, Craig Allen began his tenure in Washington, DC, as the sixth President of the United States-China Business Council (USCBC), a private, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization representing over 200 American companies doing business with China. Prior to joining USCBC, Craig had a long, distinguished career in US public service. Craig began his government career in 1985 at the Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration (ITA). He entered government as a Presidential Management Intern, rotating through the four branches of ITA. From 1986 to 1988, he was an international economist in ITA’s China Office. In 1988, Craig transferred to the American Institute in Taiwan, where he served as Director of the American Trade Center in Taipei. He held this position until 1992, when he returned to the Department of Commerce for a three-year posting at the US Embassy in Beijing as Commercial Attaché. In 1995, Craig was assigned to the US Embassy in Tokyo, where he served as a Commercial Attaché. In 1998, he was promoted to Deputy Senior Commercial Officer. In 1999, Craig became a member of the Senior Foreign Service. From 2000, Craig served a two-year tour at the National Center for APEC in Seattle. While there, he worked on the APEC Summits in Brunei, China, and Mexico. In 2002, it was back to Beijing, where Craig served as the Senior Commercial Officer. In Beijing, Craig was promoted to the Minister Counselor rank of the Senior Foreign Service. After a four-year tour in South Africa, Craig became Deputy Assistant Secretary for Asia at the US Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration. He later became Deputy Assistant Secretary for China. Craig was sworn in as the United States ambassador to Brunei Darussalam on December 19, 2014. He served there until July 2018, when he transitioned to President of the US-China Business Council. Craig received a B.A. from the University of Michigan in Political Science and Asian Studies in 1979. He received a Master of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University in 1985.

(Moderator) Dr. Eden Woon is the President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong, effective from September 1, 2022. Dr. Woon is an experienced business and academic leader who has also served many years in government and NGOs, and is no stranger to the business community in the Greater China region and beyond, having spent his career in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, Thailand, and USA. Prior to joining AmCham HK, from 2018 to 2022, Dr. Woon was the President of Asian Institute of Technology, an international graduate engineering institute in Bangkok which focuses on sustainability. In 2017-2018, he was the Vice Chairman of Alba Group Asia, an environmental engineering company headquartered in Berlin. From 2010 until November 2017, Dr. Woon was the Vice-President for Institutional Advancement of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. From 2006 to 2010, Dr. Woon was based in Shanghai, being the Managing Director of Li & Fung Group's China Corporate Office and Managing Director of Toys ”R” Us China. He has also been a Vice-President of Starbucks Coffee Company in China. In 1997-2006, Dr. Woon was the CEO of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce. Dr. Woon was the Executive Director of the Seattle-based Washington State China Relations Council from 1994 to 1997. Dr. Woon served in the US Air Force until 1993 when he retired as a Colonel. He once acted as China policy advisor to the US Secretary of Defense and had a stint in Beijing. He also taught Mathematics at the US Air Force Academy for six years, reaching the title of Associate Professor. Dr. Woon spent his childhood in Hong Kong and received his BA degree from the University of Iowa and his MA, MS, and PhD degrees, all in Mathematics, from the University of Washington in Seattle. He is also a graduate of the National War College in Washington, DC. A U.S. citizen and fluent speaker of both Mandarin and Cantonese, Dr. Woon serves as Special Advisor to the Shaw Foundation of Hong Kong, as a Board member of the Hong Kong Ballet, and he is a Justice of Peace of Hong Kong. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations in New York.