Christopher Adams joined Covington and Burling LLP as Senior Advisor in March 2018 and advises clients on matters involving China and the region. Mr. Adams has worked to promote the U.S.- China economic relationship for 25 years. Most recently, he served as the Senior Coordinator for China Affairs at the Treasury Department. He coordinated China policy issues across the U.S. government, led negotiations with China, and managed the highest level U.S.-China economic policy dialogues in both the Obama and Trump administrations.
Mr. Adams helped develop and implement U.S. trade policy toward China with the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) from 2007 to 2015 as Deputy Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for China Affairs, Senior Policy Advisor to the Deputy USTR, and Minister Counselor for Trade Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, USTR’s first representative in China.
Mr. Adams worked for the Eastman Kodak Company in China from 2001 to 2006 as Chief Representative for China; Vice President, North Asia Region; and Director, 2008 Olympic Programs. During this time, Mr. Adams was elected to four consecutive terms as a Governor of the American Chamber of Commerce in China and served on the Chamber’s Public Policy Development Committee.
Mr. Adams assisted companies with market access issues as a commercial officer in the U.S. Foreign Commercial Service in Beijing and Taipei, from 1993 to 2001. Before joining the Commerce Department, Mr. Adams managed media relations and information programs with the American Institute in Taiwan and directed business advisory services at a private trade association in Washington, DC. He is fluent and literate in Mandarin Chinese.

Tim Stratford is managing partner in the Beijing office of Covington & Burling LLP, an international law firm headquartered in Washington, D.C. Mr. Stratford’s practice focuses on advising international clients doing business in China and assisting Chinese companies seeking to expand their businesses globally. As a former Assistant United States Trade Representative, Mr. Stratford is the most senior former U.S. trade official working as a member of the U.S. business community in China. Except for the five years he spent in Washington, D.C. in government service (2005 to 2010), Mr. Stratford has lived and worked continuously in the greater China region since 1982, including as Minister-Counselor for Commercial Affairs at the US embassy in Beijing and as general counsel for General Motors China operations. Mr. Stratford has also served as chairman of AmCham China (2000-01). He is a graduate of Harvard Law School and Brigham Young University, and is fluent in Mandarin and Cantonese.