DETROIT ? Former Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for China Affairs, Charles Freeman III, will be the keynote speaker during the Detroit Chinese Business Association?s Ten-Year Anniversary event October 27 at the Troy Marriott Hotel.

Freeman is based in Washington D.C. and is now the Managing Director for The China Alliance, an association of four law firms ? Butzel, Armstrong Teasdale, Michel Best & Friedrich and Cassels & Graydon, located in Canada. These firms have agreed to collaborate in the development of their respective China practices, enhancing their ability to serve the needs of clients in a rapidly growing China market. Through the Alliance, Butzel Long has offices and on-the-ground capabilities in Beijing and Shanghai.

?Butzel Long and the China Alliance have scored a great strategic advantage for our clients and for any North American company based in the Midwest which has interests in China,? stated Peter Theut, Chair of the Global Trade Group at Butzel Long. ?Access to the knowledge, relationships and contacts that Charles offers is unmatched anywhere. He has remarkable expertise in several industries including automotive, manufacturing, pharmaceuticals and natural resources.?

As the former Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for China Affairs, Freeman was the United States? Chief China trade negotiator, responsible for the development and implementation of the United States? overall trade policy with respect to China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macao and Mongolia. He served a major role in the Bush Administration?s management of the unique challenges of U.S. trade with China, and its efforts to secure the benefits of China?s World Trade Organization accession for American businesses, workers, farmers and service providers.

He has played a central role in negotiating with China and solving problems across a wide range of issues, including intellectual property rights protection; financial and non-financial services; tax, industrial standards and technology policies; and agricultural market access.

The Detroit Chinese Business Association?s mission is to foster U.S.-China business relationships and promote entrepreneurship within the Chinese American community by offering high-impact services to more than 1,400 members.

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