Craig Allen

On July 26, 2018, Craig Allen began his tenure in Washington, DC as the sixth President of the United States-China Business Council (USCBC), a private, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization of roughly 200 American companies that do business with China.

Craig Allen started his government career in 1985 at the Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration. He entered government as a Presidential Management Intern, rotating through the four branches of the ITA. From 1986 to 1988, he worked as an international economist in the ITA China Office.

In 1988, Craig transferred to the American Institute in Taiwan, where he served as Director of the American Trade Center in Taipei. He held this position until 1992, when he re-joined the Department of Commerce for a three-year posting in Beijing as Commercial Attaché responsible for the chemical sector, consumer goods, and medical equipment.

In 1995, Craig and his family transferred from the American Embassy in Beijing to the American Embassy in Tokyo. Initially, Craig served as a Commercial Attaché with responsibilities for consumer goods and standards. In 1998, however, he was promoted to Deputy Senior Commercial Officer with responsibilities for the entire section. In 1999, Craig became a member of the Senior Foreign Service.

In 2000, Craig and his family departed Tokyo for a two-year tour of duty at the National Center for APEC in Seattle. While there, he worked on the APEC Summits in Brunei, China, and Mexico.

In 2002, Craig and his family moved to Beijing for a three-year tour as Senior Commercial Officer at the US Mission to China. In this position, Craig managed the entire complement of 126 DOC staff in China from multiple DOC agencies. In Beijing, Craig was promoted to the Minister Counselor rank of the Senior Foreign Service.

In 2006, Craig and his family transferred from the US Embassy in Beijing to the US Embassy in South Africa to serve a four-year tour as Senior Commercial Officer at the US Consulate in Johannesburg responsible for all 16 South African Development Community countries.

In 2010, Craig became Deputy Assistant Secretary for Asia at the US Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration. He later became Deputy Assistant Secretary for China.

Ambassador Craig Allen was sworn in as the United States ambassador to Brunei Darussalam on December 19, 2014. He served there with distinction until his term of appointment ended in mid-July, 2018. He then transitioned to a non-government position as the President of USCBC, with offices in Washington, DC, Beijing, and Shanghai.

Craig Allen welcomes the opportunity of leading the nation’s top China-focused business association during this challenging period. He commented, “the US-China Business Council’s role serving its members and directly engaging on policy issues is more important than ever. USCBC is comprised of leading American firms operating in China. I look forward to magnifying the voice of these companies and advancing their strategic agendas. There is no more important bilateral relationship in the world today and business has a critical role to play.”

Craig received a B.A. from the University of Michigan in Political Science and Asian Studies in 1979. He received a Master of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University in 1985. While at Georgetown, Craig worked for the US Congress on issues associated with technology transfer to China.

In total, Craig has lived in Asia for 27 years, including 16 years in Japan and approximately 11 years in China and Taiwan. He has visited every country in Asia except Laos, North Korea, and Bhutan.