Heartland Connect
腹地商贸通
for Trade & Investment
商贸交流会
August 25th, 2025 - Chicago, IL
Organized by
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Event Overview
Heartland Connect for Trade & Investment is an exclusive gathering specifically designed for local and business leaders from both the U.S. and China to explore new partnerships and opportunities in the Heartland Region. In partnership with the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce Chicago and with support from many U.S. and Chinese partners, this premier bilateral event brings together government officials, industry executives, agricultural innovators, healthcare leaders, and food sector professionals to foster meaningful dialogue and create actionable collaborations.
Building on the success of the annual U.S.-China Agriculture Roundtable, first launched in 2021, this expanded format now encompasses three critical industry sectors that define the economic backbone of America’s Heartland: Agriculture, Food, and Health.
Industry roundtables
Agriculture Roundtable
Inspired by legendary scientists Norman Borlaug, Yuan Longping, and George Washington Carver.
Agriculture continues to represent one of the most promising areas for U.S.-China economic cooperation, with complementary strengths that create significant trade and investment opportunities for both nations. This Roundtable convenes agricultural leaders, trade experts, policy experts, and business innovators from both countries to explore how bilateral partnerships can advance shared economic goals while addressing mutual sustainability objectives that benefit global agricultural development and food security.
Key Focus Areas:
- Trade & Business Opportunities
- Climate-Smart Agriculture
AG Roundtable Panel Descriptions:
- AG Trade & Business Dialogue
- This opening Dialogue will explore current and emerging opportunities in U.S.-China agricultural trade and investment. From investment trends to policy outlooks, the discussion will offer a high-level view from major agribusiness leaders and researchers of the forces shaping bilateral business engagement today and where future opportunities may lie.
- Climate-Smart Agriculture Dialogue
- As climate change reshapes the global agricultural landscape, U.S. and Chinese farmers, agribusiness leaders, and researchers face both unprecedented challenges and new opportunities for collaboration. This session will explore how climate-smart practices can boost productivity, protect natural resources, and strengthen food security while creating economic benefits for rural communities. Drawing on expertise from across the value chain, panelists will discuss the latest innovations in sustainable farming, soil health, and low-carbon food production. Building on the momentum of the annual U.S.-China Agriculture Roundtable, this conversation will highlight practical pathways for knowledge exchange and technology adoption between the Heartland and China.
Health Roundtable
Both the U.S. and China are struggling with similar challenges around better health outcomes for its people, this Roundtable will convene experts from both countries to explore what can we learn from each other, identify actionable initiatives going forward, and lay the groundwork for future collaboration for the mutual benefit of the U.S., China, and the world.
Key Focus Areas:
- Aging Population
- Improving Patient
- Experience
- Health Equity and Patient Access
- Cost Burden to Society vs. Infrastructure
- Digital Health Innovation
Health Roundtable Panel Descriptions:
- Panel 1: Expert Panel
- This panel brings together leading voices from the public health, medical technology, and academic sectors to explore the opportunities in U.S.-China collaboration around shared health challenges, such as aging populations and shifting disease burdens. Panelists will discuss how breakthroughs in health technology, medical research, and care delivery are reshaping outcomes and economic trajectories. With perspectives spanning research, policy, and industry, the conversation will highlight shared challenges and opportunities for collaboration in addressing the health needs of tomorrow’s population.
Event Agenda
