The United States Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade Francisco Sanchez arrived in Guangzhou on April 1 to present Harley Seyedin, the president of the American Chamber of Commerce in South China, with the Peace Through Commerce Medal.

Seyedin has spent nearly 10 years promoting US-China trade ties through his volunteer work at the American Chamber of Commerce in South China, increasing the membership in Guangdong, Fujian and Hainan provinces and in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region from about 200 to more than 2,000 people.

The Peace Through Commerce Medal, commissioned in 1790 by Thomas Jefferson during his tenure as the United States' first Secretary of State, has been awarded to fewer than 20 individuals in its 223-year history. It is the highest civilian honor awarded by the US Department of Commerce.