American International Education Foundation - 
"Bringing the World a Little Closer"

The American International Education Foundation (AIEF) is a non-partisan, non-profit foundation with significant expertise in bringing together East Asian and U.S. officials on education, business development and cultural issues.  

AIEF has partnered with government officials, educators, business leaders and school representatives in China, Taiwan, Korea and the United States on educational and cultural exchange programs since 1992. The foundation provides a number of diverse services, including business/student/teacher training programs, cultural orientation seminars, educational conferences and fairs, reference guides and directories.

On various programs, AIEF works closely with organizations including the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, U.S. Department of Commerce, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and Shanghai Intellectual Property Administration. The Los Angeles-based foundation has offices in Washington, D.C., Shanghai, Taipei and Seoul.

China's WTO Compliance

As China works to comply with WTO requirements, AIEF again is playing an important role in the nation's largest metropolitan area. In May 2004, the Shanghai Municipal People's Government and the Shanghai Intellectual Property Administration signed a seven-year training agreement with AIEF. 

Under the plan, AIEF will provide education and training programs to Shanghai IPR policy makers, administrators, educators, judges, custom officers, business owners and enforcement agents.

Successful Track Record

This IPR initiative builds upon AIEF's already strong reputation in China. AIEF has demonstrated a successful track record in bridging the information gap between China and the United States with diverse tools ranging from specialized business training conferences in Beijing to popular U.S. reference books in Chinese.

After China's accession into the World Trade Organization (WTO), AIEF co-organized with the Beijing office of UNESCO several sessions on WTO compliance matters, as part of an International Education Cooperation Week in September 2002. 

The Beijing forum allowed distinguished U.S. experts to educate high-level Chinese business leaders, government officials, educators and administrators on WTO topics ranging from Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) to International Contacts and Business Development. WTO compliance seminars on eight different areas were also hosted in Shanghai and Nanjing.

Educational Exchange

In 1999, AIEF escorted one of the largest groups of U.S. school representatives ever to attend the Chinese Government's International Education Exhibition. More than 20,000 visited the American Pavilion, hosted by AIEF, making it by far the most popular among the 16 nations participating in the event. 

Through cooperation with Chinese governmental organizations and consultation with the U.S. State Department, AIEF has helped organize numerous training and exchange programs in many cities in China.

As China addresses challenging IPR and WTO compliance issues, AIEF takes pride in helping the nation deal with these new business priorities, and move towards a more meaningful role in the global economy.