China, US sign 5 trade contracts

China and the United States have signed five economic and trade agreements. The agreements are related to intellectual property rights, technology, trade statistics, energy and business cooperation, China's News Agency (Xinhua) reported. A signing ceremony for the agreements was held after the 22nd session of the China-US Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT), held in southwest China's city of Chengdu. Vice Premier Wang Qishan co-chaired the meeting with US Commerce Secretary John Bryson and Trade Representative Ron Kirk.During the session, John Bryson awarded the China Council For The Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) with the Peace through Commerce Medal for its efforts to promote Sino-US trade. China and the U.S. are each other's second-largest trading partners. The total value of Sino-US trade amounted to 385.3 billion US dollars last year.