Tribute to the late OPEC Secretary General Barkindo and welcoming of the new OPEC Secretary General

August 03, 2022. VIENNA, Austria.

Heads of Delegation expressed words of condolences to OPEC Member Country Nigeria, the OPEC Secretariat and the family of HE Barkindo.

At the 31st OPEC and non-OPEC Ministerial Meeting, held via videoconference on 3 August 2022, a special tribute was paid to the late OPEC Secretary General, HE Mohammad Sanusi Barkindo, by all Heads of Delegation of participating countries in the Declaration of Cooperation (DoC) (video link attached).

Heads of Delegation recalled the key role HE Barkindo played in the global energy scene and in promoting the DoC, as a leading figure representing OPEC who skillfully built bridges with key energy stakeholders, including producers and consumers, globally.

Heads of Delegation expressed words of condolences to OPEC Member Country Nigeria, the OPEC Secretariat and the family of HE Barkindo.

At the same time, Heads of Delegation congratulated the new OPEC Secretary General, HE Haitham Al Ghais of the State of Kuwait, on his appointment by acclamation. They wished him all the success in leading the Organization and further supporting the cooperation between OPEC and non-OPEC oil-producing countries.

Source Link: https://www.opec.org/opec_web/en/press_room/6988.htm

First EFTA Council meeting under Liechtenstein's one-year Chairmanship

July 12, 2022. GENEVA, Switzerland.

Liechtenstein presented its priorities for the coming 12 months, which included the conclusion or significant progress of free trade agreements with several partner countries.

The EFTA Council met in Geneva for the first meeting under Liechtenstein’s Chairmanship. During the meeting, Liechtenstein presented its priorities for the coming 12 months, which included the conclusion or significant progress of free trade agreements with several partner countries, keeping relations among the EFTA States updated, fostering transparency, and strengthening the benefits for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises in free trade agreements. See the priorities of the Liechtenstein Chairmanship here.

From left to right: Mr Henri Gétaz - EFTA Secretary-General, Mr Kurt Jäger - Ambassador of Liechtenstein (Chair), Mr Patrick Ritter - Minister Counsellor of Liechtenstein, Ms Désirée von Hohenlohe - EFTA Council Officer, Ms Lise Lotte Høye - EFTA Trainee

Delegates discussed and appreciated the recent successful EFTA Ministerial meeting held on 20 June in Borgarnes, Iceland. The documents from the meeting can be found here.

On EFTA EU cooperation, the EFTA Secretariat updated the Delegates on the reception hosted at EFTA House with the Czech Presidency and EFTA delegations, where the Czech priorities were presented. Iceland took over the Chairmanship of the EFTA Standing Committee on 1 July, and the first meeting was hosted on 7 July, followed by the Joint Committee meeting on 8 July.

The EFTA States reviewed ongoing third-country processes. The first negotiation round with Thailand was constructive and helped pave the path for a comprehensive and ambitious free trade agreement. A new round will be held in the autumn of 2022. The 4th round of the EFTA-Chile modernisation process is confirmed to take place before the end of the year. The Council also took stock of the processes with ASEAN, Mercosur, and the GCC.

The Secretariat reported that the first EFTA FTA Monitor had been published on the EFTA website on 15 June 2022. The dedicated working group had further agreed on a work plan for the year ahead. In addition, the Secretariat updated the Council on the work related to MSMEs and the sustainability impact assessment project for Thailand.

The EFTA Council referred the documents related to the EFTA Secretariat audit for the 2021 financial year to the EFTA Budget Committee for scrutiny. The Council also approved two operating grants with CEN and CENELEC.

Delegates thanked the Icelandic Ambassador, Mr. Harald Aspelund, and the Norwegian Ambassador, Mr. Dagfinn Sørli, for their outstanding cooperation and work as this was their last EFTA Council meeting before taking up other duties.

The next Council meeting is scheduled for 20 September 2022.

Find photos from the meeting here.

From left to right: Mr Aslak Berg - EFTA Senior Economic Officer, Ms Ólöf Hrefna Kristjánsdóttir - Minister Counsellor of Iceland, Mr Harald Aspelund - Ambassador of Iceland, Ms Helga Helland - Deputy Permanent Representative of Norway, Mr Dagfinn Sørli - Ambassador of Norway.

Désirée von Hohenlohe

Officer

Secretary-General's Office

+41 79 4533754

dvo@efta.int

Georg Gänser

Information and Records Supervisor

Secretary-General's Office

+32 2 28 61 765

georg.gaenser@efta.int

Source Link: https://www.efta.int/About-EFTA/news/First-EFTA-Council-meeting-under-Liechtensteins-one-year-Chairmanship-530716

US-China Business Council Elects New Board Members at Consequential Time in Bilateral Relationship

June 14, 2022. WASHINGTON, DC.

USCBC President Craig Allen welcomed the election of officers and members to the board of the Council, now in its 49th year of advocating for US companies doing business in China.

The US-China Business Council (USCBC) announced the election of officers and board members, including new chair Marc N. Casper, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.

“I’m honored to serve the US-China Business Council and work with my fellow board members to strengthen the US-China commercial relationship,” said Casper. “Following on the work of outgoing chairman Tom Linebarger, I plan to engage with American and Chinese leaders—in Washington and Beijing—to support a productive relationship between our two countries based on fairness, respect, and adherence to international legal norms.”

USCBC President Craig Allen welcomed the election of officers and members to the board of the Council, now in its 49th year of advocating for US companies doing business in China. “USCBC is fortunate to have Marc lead our board. He oversees a dynamic business that touches on many areas of critical significance in the US-China commercial relationship—technology, life sciences, manufacturing, and R&D. I also want to thank Tom Linebarger for having chaired our board for the last two years.”

“Today we are at a consequential moment in US-China relations,” added Allen. “We face a series of inflection points that could profoundly shape the direction of the world’s most important relationship for many years to come.”

Allen announced the following new board officers and members. The full list of board members can be found here.

Officers

Chair Marc N. Casper Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.

Vice Chairs Darius Adamczyk Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Honeywell

Kewsong Lee Chief Executive Officer The Carlyle Group

Secretary-Treasurer Jennifer Scanlon President and Chief Executive Officer UL Inc.

Counsel Eric C. Emerson Partner Steptoe and Johnson, LLP

President Craig Allen President US-China Business Council

Directors

Marc Allen Chief Strategy Officer and Senior Vice President The Boeing Company

Cristiano R. Amon Chief Executive Officer Qualcomm Incorporated

Craig Billings CEO Wynn Resorts

William S. Cohen Chairman and Chief Executive Officer The Cohen Group

John Donahoe President and CEO Nike, Inc.

Mary Callahan Erdoes Chief Executive Officer JPMorgan Chase’s Asset & Wealth Management

Jim Fitterling Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Dow

Seifi Ghasemi Chairman, President, and CEO Air Products

Lal Karsanbhai President and CEO Emerson

Deborah Lehr CEO and Managing Partner Edelman Global Advisory

Geoff Martha Chairman and CEO Medtronic

Doug McMillon President and CEO Walmart Inc.

Eric S. Musser President and COO Corning Incorporated

Milind Pant Chief Executive Officer Amway

Brian Sikes Chief Operating Officer Cargill

Bob Sternfels Global Managing Partner McKinsey & Company

Rajesh Subramaniam President and CEO FedEx Corporation

Jack P. Williams Senior Vice President Exxon Mobil Corporation

Press and Media Contact

For press inquiries, contact:

Doug Barry USCBC Director of Communications dbarry@uschina.org

To sign up to receive our press releases and statements, please contact:

Ian Hutchinson USCBC Digital Manager ihutchinson@uschina.org.

Source Link: https://www.uschina.org/media/press/us-china-business-council-elects-new-board-members-consequential-time-bilateral-relationship