A new study by the United States Council Foundations has found huge opportunities for U.S. companies in China's fast-growing services sector.

Since joining the World Trade Organization, China has reduced or removed many barriers to trade and foreign investment, triggering a vast increase in the opportunities for U.S. exporters of services.

China's $70 billion services market is already the sixth-largest in the world, and can be expected to grow with the expansion of the economy.

However, the author of "The Benefits of U.S.-China Trade in Services," Craig VanGrasstek of Harvards Kennedy School of Government, warns U.S. policy makers that "[w]e need to maintain appropriate pressure to ensure that China lives up to its WTO commitments. But we must also recognize that there are enormous long-term opportunities for American business in the services sector. Policy makers need to be aware that precipitous, unilateral actions could undermine our most successful exports, many of which are in services."

The report includes three case studies of how services trade with China is growing, through the experiences of UPS, EDS and Citigroup. Access to the Chinese market benefits not only these firms, but also their partners in the United States.

Copies of the study are available free of charge from the U.S. Council for International Business by calling (212) 703-5063 or by e-mailing