中美双边投资协定(BIT)谈判已经进行了7年，堪称两国当前经贸领域最重要的谈判项目。本月下旬，中国国家主席习近平即将对美国展开上任以来的首次国事访问，不少声音期待习近平此访能够让中美投资协定谈判取得突破。日前，美国94家大公司的CEO公开致信奥巴马和习近平，称他们支持高水准的BIT。美中贸易全国委员会（USCBC）主席10日表示，中美双方有望在奥巴马本届任期内达成双边投资协定。

习近平将于9月22日起对美国进行国事访问并出席联合国系列峰会

美中贸易全国委员会和保尔森中心9月15日同步发布给习近平和奥巴马的一封信，该信有94家美国大公司CEO签名，他们支持高标准的美中投资协定。在信中，CEO们呼吁两国领导人强调投资协定的重要性。

观察者网从美中贸易全国委员会官网上看到，这94家大公司名单包括了美国几乎所有的重要企业，包括工业企业波音公司、美国铝业、通用电气、福特汽车、卡特彼勒、霍尼韦尔、西屋电气、哈雷摩托车、埃克斯美孚；IT巨头英特尔、IBM、Facebook、思科、苹果、惠普、英威达；食品企业雅培、可口可乐、百事可乐、好时、强生、美赞臣；金融集团高盛、摩根大通、美国国际集团、美国运通公司、花旗集团、摩根士丹利、穆迪、维萨、万事达以及宝洁、安利、沃尔玛、彭博社、孟山都、辉瑞等知名企业。（完整名单附后）

CEO们指出，1978年中国改革开放以来,两国经贸关系稳步增长,成为美中关系的基础。两国现在超过6000亿美元的商品和服务贸易（每年）。因为这个稳固的基础,在各种压力下,在外交紧张时期,甚至严重的经济危机时,中美经贸保持了稳定。我们完全相信,两国应采取必要的措施来维护、加强和扩大这种关系。

CEO称，他们强烈支持美中迅速达成有意义和高水准的投资协定。高水准的BIT有清晰的规定，可以对两国的投资者提供相同的待遇和一系列的免责条款，是对两国经济产生直接和切实影响的关键因素。

目前，中美互为第二大贸易伙伴，中方统计的2014年双边贸易额高达5500亿美元。作为全球第一和第二大经济体，长期以来，“美国的消费”与“中国的生产”在推动中美经济增长的同时，客观上也成为拉动全球经济增长的“双引擎”。不过，这种分工与增长模式的弊端显而易见，国际金融危机证明其不可持续。

与中美双边贸易发展水平相比，中美双边投资发展水平显然要低得多。2014年美国对华实际投资为754亿美元，只占中国实际利用外资的5%。相比之下，由于中国企业“走出去”进程加快，同期中国对美投资超过385亿美元，美国成为中国企业对外直接投资的第三大目的地。争取早日达成一个高水平、双向平衡的双边投资协议，将推进中美经济关系。

中美投资协定谈判始于2008年，是两国当前经贸领域最重要的谈判项目。该谈判不仅有望极大释放两国相互间投资潜力，同时对美国的制造业回归政策及中国的改革与结构调整均有助益。

鉴于该协议的“负面清单管理模式”等一旦实施，有助于倒逼中国国内改革、加快中国企业国际化进程，有学者甚至将中美投资协定谈判与中国十余年前加入世贸组织相提并论，称其为中国的“第二次入世”。

美中贸易全国委员会主席约翰·弗里斯比（John Frisbie，中文名傅强恩）表示，美国商业领导人向习近平和奥巴马发出了强烈和团结一致的信号，他们支持高标准的中美投资协定。中美投资协定应该成为习近平访美时在经济领域首要要讨论的话题。

弗里斯比10日在该委员会的电话会议上表达了他对习近平访美的期望，他认为，中美双边投资协定谈判将成为中美元首会晤的首要议题，“两国代表将会在习近平访美前在华盛顿举行新一轮谈判，中方将提交修改后的负面清单，我认为中美双方有望在奥巴马本届任期内达成这一协定。”

弗里斯比表示，中美双边投资协定非常重要，美方期望中方能追求更高水准的双边投资协定，并在科技政策上更平等对待美国企业。

美中贸易全国委员会会长傅强恩

而保尔森中心的主席保尔森（Henry M. Paulson, Jr.）称，BIT会让中国经济进一步对美国商业开放，会增加就业，也会让美国企业进入中国市场有更多的机会。

美中贸易全国委员会是美国的一个非政府、非盈利组织，拥有200多家在中国经商的美国会员公司，会员公司既有可口可乐等国际知名大型企业，也有众多美国小型企业和服务业公司。据该委员会最新的中国经济改革报告透露，习近平访美期间将在美中贸易全国委员会举办的一场活动上发表讲话。

中国市场仍是美企增长动力

美中贸易全国委员会主席弗里斯比在10日的电话会议上还表达了对中国市场的看法，他说，虽然现在中国经济发展放缓，但中国市场仍然非常重要，“如果我们展望未来，美中两国仍然将是全球经济增长的主要驱动力，这是中国市场仍然非常重要的原因。”

他还强调称，中国市场仍然是美国企业的增长动力，“重要的一点是，虽然中国经济发展放缓，但中国仍然是美国企业的增长动力。根据我的统计，对于美国企业来说，中国市场价值4000亿美元。”

当天，美中贸易全国委员会发表了一份会员调研报告。报告称，尽管在华美企增长下滑，但41%的企业在去年仍然取得了两位数的利润增长。2015年，有三分之二的项目报称盈利增长，20%的项目报称盈利下滑。85%的企业称他们的中国投资项目仍保持高回报或与往年持平，但成本上升以及竞争加剧仍在继续侵蚀利润空间。

根据美中贸易全国委员会此前的报告，虽然中国经济出现放缓，但中国仍是美国商品重要出口目的地，为美国经济增长作出了重大贡献。2014年，美国对华出口超过1200亿美元，中国是仅次于加拿大和墨西哥的美国第三大出口市场，也是增速最快的贸易伙伴。

“这次应该会有突破。”

对于习近平访美可能推动中美投资协定谈判，中国新闻日前引述有中国商务部官员的话说，“这次应该会有突破。”

中国商务部此前称，8月24日至28日，第二十轮中美投资协定谈判在北京举行。商务部说，中美双方“继续就负面清单进行了深入交流和谈判，力争为习近平主席9月对美国进行的国事访问创造良好氛围”。

“双方都动‘真刀真枪’了。”对于该轮谈判，中国商务部官员如此形容。该官员指的是围绕负面清单的讨价还价。迄今，围绕负面清单的争议是当前谈判的最大障碍。

所谓“负面清单”，是指一国政府规定哪些经济领域不开放的清单，除了清单上的禁区，其他行业、领域和经济活动都对外资开放。负面清单管理模式被认为是中国政府管理的“颠覆性变革”，已在中国自贸试验区得以先行先试。

在今年6月举行的第十九轮谈判中，中美双方首次交换了负面清单出价，并正式开启负面清单谈判，标志着谈判进入新阶段。

对于中方开列的负面清单，美国坚持认为其“过长”，希望中方予以缩短。而对美版负面清单，中方也不甚满意。鉴于每项负面清单的背后都关乎一些行业安危，个别项还关乎国家安全，谈判难度之大可以想见。

“9月初应该再次交换修改后的负面清单。”对外经济贸易大学国际经贸学院副院长崔凡表示，在习近平访美之前，就负面清单具体内容，关键基础设施和重要技术的界定、国家安全、国企竞争中立等问题，中美双方在业务层面上会有充分的意见交换。

习近平对这一谈判高度重视。在今年年初确定访美行程时，习近平应约同美国总统奥巴马通电话时就指出，要加快双边投资协定谈判。8月28日会见美国总统国家安全事务助理赖斯（Susan Rice）时，习近平再次指出，中美双方要加快双边投资协定谈判。

中美两国首脑对BIT谈判发挥决定性推动作用不乏先例。2013年7月，在加州安纳伯格庄园“习奥会”达成共识的基础上，中美双方最终同意以“准入前国民待遇加负面清单”的模式进行实质性谈判，极大促进了谈判进程。

“谈判如果取得实质性推进，可以成为中国经济一个突破点。”对外经济贸易大学中国WTO研究院院长屠新泉说。但他同时提醒，鉴于谈判还面临很多实质性分歧，期待能在这次访问中结束谈判是不现实的。

以下为公开信全文和签名的企业CEO名录（英文）：    

      Dear President Obama and President Xi:

On the eve of President Xi’s state visit to the United States, we want to reiterate the importance of strong and mutually-beneficial trade and investment ties between our two countries. As the two largest economies in the world, the United States and China need a positive and enduring commercial relationship, which is an essential anchor for global economic growth.

Since China’s reform and opening up began in 1978, bilateral trade and economic relations have grown steadily to become the foundation of the US-China relationship. Our two countries now trade over $600 billion of goods and services. It is because of this robust foundation that throughout the various strains on the relationship, periods of diplomatic tension, and even a severe economic crisis, the economic relationship has endured and remained steady. We fully believe that it is in both of our countries’ interest to take the necessary steps to maintain, strengthen, and expand that relationship.

As such, we firmly support the rapid conclusion of a meaningful and high-standard Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) between our two countries. As we look at the range of issues on the bilateral agenda, a high-standard BIT – with clear provisions providing equal treatment to each country’s investors and a short list of exceptions – is one of the key items that could make an immediate and tangible impact for both of our economies.  

Just as China’s accession to the World Trade Organization in 2001 stimulated dramatic growth in bilateral trade, concluding a BIT agreement will provide greater transparency and consistency to our respective investment regimes. We believe that increased cross-border investment flows will create economic growth and jobs, lending new momentum to the commercial relationship and fortifying the economic foundation already built.

We hope that significant progress can be made on this historic agreement during President Xi’s visit in September.

Sincerely,

Miles D. White

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Abbott

Barry Lee Myers

Chief Executive Officer

AccuWeather, Inc.

Evan G. Greenberg

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

ACE Limited/ACE Group

Michael S. Burke

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

AECOM

Mark T. Bertolini

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Aetna

Seifi Ghasemi

Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.

Klaus Kleinfeld

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Alcoa

Kenneth I. Chenault

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

American Express Company

Peter D. Hancock

President and Chief Executive Officer

American International Group, Inc.

Steve Van Andel

Chairman

Amway Corporation

Tim Cook

Chief Executive Officer

Apple Inc.

Gary E. Dickerson

President and Chief Executive Officer

Applied Materials, Inc.

Juan R. Luciano

Chief Executive Officer and President

Archer Daniels Midland

William A. Wulfsohn

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Ashland Inc.

Barbara Hackman Franklin

President and Chief Executive Officer

Barbara Franklin Enterprises

Former US Secretary of Commerce

Warren E. Buffett

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Berkshire Hathaway

Michael Bloomberg

Founder

Bloomberg LP

Dennis A. Muilenburg

President and Chief Executive Officer

The Boeing Company

Ray Dalio

Chairman and Co-Chief Investment Officer

Bridgewater Associates

Patrick M. Prevost

President and Chief Executive Officer

Cabot Corporation

David. W. MacLennan

President and Chief Executive Officer

Cargill

David Rubenstein

Co-Founder and Co-Chief Executive Officer

The Carlyle Group

Douglas R. Oberhelman

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Caterpillar Inc.

Craig A. Rogerson

President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board

Chemtura

Roberta Lipson

Chief Executive Officer and President

Chindex International, Inc.

Carl Casale

President and Chief Executive Officer

CHS Inc.

John D. Finnegan

Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer

The Chubb Corporation

David Cordani

President and Chief Executive Officer

Cigna

Chuck Robbins

Chief Executive Officer

Cisco

Michael Corbat

Chief Executive Officer

Citigroup, Inc.

Richard J. Tobin

Chief Executive Officer

CNH Industrial

Muhtar Kent

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

The Coca-Cola Company

William S. Cohen

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

The Cohen Group

Former US Secretary of Defense

Richard Lavin

President and Chief Executive Officer

Commercial Vehicle Group

Tom Linebarger

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Cummins

Thomas P. Joyce

President and Chief Executive Officer

Danaher Corporation

Robert A. Iger

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

The Walt Disney Company

Andrew N. Liveris

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

The Dow Chemical Company

Ellen Kullman

Chair of the Board and Chief Executive Officer

DuPont

Daniel R. Langdon

Chief Executive Officer

East Penn Manufacturing Co., Inc.

Douglas M. Baker, Jr.

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Ecolab

Dr. John C. Lechleiter

President, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Eli Lilly & Company

David N. Farr

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Emerson

Fabrizio Freda

President and Chief Executive Officer

The Estée Lauder Companies

Rex W. Tillerson

Chairman and Chief Executive

ExxonMobil

Mark Zukerberg

Chairman and CEO

Facebook

Frederick W. Smith

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

FedEx Corporation

Peter Oosterveer

Chief Operating Officer

Fluor Corporation

Mark Fields

President and Chief Executive Officer

Ford Motor Company

Jeffrey R. Immelt

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

General Electric

Lloyd Blankfein

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

The Goldman Sachs Group Inc.

Matt Levatich

President and Chief Executive Officer

Harley-Davidson Motor Company

Michael O. Johnson

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Herbalife

John P. Bilbrey

Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer

The Hershey Company

Meg Whitman

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

The Hewlett Packard Company

Carla A. Hills

Chair and Chief Executive Officer

Hills & Company

Former US Trade Representative

David M. Cote

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Honeywell

Ginni Rometty

Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer

IBM Corporation

Brian Krzanich

Chief Executive Officer

Intel

Jeff N. Gentry

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

INVISTA

James E. Lillie

Chief Executive Officer

Jarden Corporation

Alex Gorsky

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Johnson & Johnson

Alex A. Molinaroli

Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer

Johnson Controls

James Dimon

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

JP Morgan Chase & Co.

Henry R. Kravis

Co-Chairman and Co-CEO

Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co.

David H. Long

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Liberty Mutual Insurance Group

David Holl

President and Chief Executive Officer

Mary Kay Inc.

Ajay Banga

President and Chief Executive Officer

MasterCard

Douglas L. Peterson

President and Chief Executive Officer

McGraw Hill Financial

Mack McLarty

Chairman

McLarty Associates

Kasper Jakobsen

President and Chief Executive Officer

Mead Johnson Nutrition

Kenneth C. Frazier

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Merck & Co., Inc.

Martin P. Slark

Chief Executive Officer

Molex, LLC

Hugh Grant

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Monsanto Company

Raymond W. McDaniel

President and Chief Executive Officer

Moody's Corporation

James P. Gorman

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Morgan Stanley

Truman Hunt

Chief Executive Officer

Nu Skin Enterprises

Mark S. Towe

Chief Executive

Oldcastle, Inc.

Gregory H. Boyce

Chairman

Peabody Energy

Indra K. Nooyi

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

PepsiCo

Ian C. Read

Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer

Pfizer

Stephen F. Angel

Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer

Praxair, Inc.

David S. Taylor

President and Chief Executive Officer

The Procter & Gamble Company

Tom Lynch

Chief Executive Officer

TE Connectivity

Marc N. Casper

President and Chief Executive Officer

Thermo Fisher Scientific

John J. Haley

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Towers Watson

Keith E. Williams

President and Chief Executive Officer

UL LLC

Greg Hayes

President and Chief Executive Officer

United Technologies Corporation

Charles Scharf

Chief Executive Officer

Visa

Dr. Peter S. Chen

President & Chief Executive Officer

VOLK Flow Controls, Inc.

Doug McMillon

President and Chief Executive Officer

Walmart Stores, Inc.

Danny Roderick

President and Chief Executive Officer

Westinghouse Electric Company

Steve Voorhees

Chief Executive Officer

WestRock

Jeff Fettig

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Whirlpool Corporation