Export.gov - AOWG membership

The U.S. Commercial Service in China will provide the following market development services to AOWG member companies during their one-year membership in the AOWG.

Organization of bi-monthly AOWG meetings designed to discuss OBOR-related opportunities and initiatives, and to facilitate networking among members. The meetings will take place at the offices of the U.S. Commercial Service in Beijing, other CS China offices, or other locations, as appropriate.
Organization of meetings with Chinese government agencies such as the Ministry of Commerce, the National Energy Administration, and the National Development and Reform Commission; Chinese financial institutions such as the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the China Export-Import Bank; and Chinese engineering, procurement, and construction contractors and other related firms that will serve as the prime contractors for the design and construction of OBOR projects. The aim of these group meetings will be to gather information about participation in OBOR-related projects and to provide opportunities for U.S. companies to network with contacts at these institutions. AOWG member companies will be invited to participate in meetings and may attend as desired.
Informing AOWG members about Chinese Government-led OBOR programs and initiatives that are provided to CS China through Chinese Government notifications. Additional OBOR-related information provided to CS China from Chinese think tanks, non-governmental organizations and other relevant sources will be distributed via email to the membership as well as posted on the CS China web page at http://2016.export.gov/china/

AOWG Recruitment and Selection:

The U.S. Commercial Service in China is pleased to announce that it will be accepting applications for U.S. companies interesting in joining the AOWG between July 15, 2017 and August 15, 2017. Companies must submit a Gold Key Service questionnaire within 30 days of that announcement to demonstrate interest in participating in the AOWG as well as the AOWG GKS Amendment Worksheet.

This GKS questionnaire is usually used for new-to-market companies to find partners/distributors, but due to the fact that the primary services provided by the U.S. Department of Commerce for AOWG members focus on meeting and business facilitation, the Department has indicated that the Gold Key Questionnaire is appropriate for this purpose. In this regard, please answer the GKS questionnaire in terms of the types of OBOR companies/opportunities you would like to target as part of the AOWG activities. All current and future AOWG members will need to complete this questionnaire and the AWOG GKS Amendment Worksheet in order to apply for in the AOWG.

Potential participants will be assessed based on answers to this questionnaire according to the following weighted criteria: Suitability of Product or Service (25%), Product or Service Potential (20%), Experience with Major Infrastructure Projects (20%), Export Experience (20%), and Consistency of OBOR Working Group Goals (15%). The results from the scoring of each questionnaire will then be combined to create a rank-ordered list for that year’s membership.

CS China will limit its selection to no more than 35 U.S. companies in total. U.S. companies that produce products and/or services in the transportation, rail, and energy sectors will be allocated 30 slots. U.S. companies from all other industry sectors will be allocated 5 slots. CS China will inform selected companies as soon as possible after submission of their questionnaires. Once the allocation of 35 companies is complete, eligible companies will be placed on a waiting list and accepted for membership if a short-listed company fails to pay its membership fee by the annual payment deadline or otherwise leaves the AOWG.

No more than five business or industry associations that derive at least 75% of their membership from U.S. companies will be invited to join the AOWG at no cost, on a first-come first-served basis. There is no participation agreement required for industry associations; however, only employees representing these associations may participate in AOWG-related activities.

AOWG Membership Duration:

AOWG membership for all companies will last for a one-year period that commences annually on September 1 and ends on August 31 of the following year. Companies that join the AOWG during the one-year period as space becomes available will be admitted to the AOWG on a pro-rated fee basis.

Service Fee:

A service fee for AOWG members will be charged annually and is based on the U.S. Commercial Service Gold Key Program, the primary business development and meeting facilitation service provided to U.S. companies by the U.S. Department of Commerce. The fee for this service is as follows: $2300 Large Company, $700 SME*

* A Small or Medium-Sized Enterprise (SME) is defined as a firm with 500 or fewer employees or self-certified as a small business under Small Business Administration (SBA) regulations. A large company is defined as a firm with more than 500 employees. Subsidiaries will be classified based on the size of the parent company. Selected companies must pay the service fee by September 1 each year to ensure their participation in the AOWG.

Application Submissions

U.S. Companies interested in joining the American One Belt One Road (AOWG) working group should submit their OBOR Gold Key Questionnaire and the Gold Key Amendment Worksheet to Hengyan Tian (Hengyan.Tian@trade.gov) by the August 15, 2017 due date.

Print | Last Updated: 7/27/17 9:41 PM