Chinese Vice President Han Zheng met with representatives of the U.S. business community in Washington D.C. on Sunday, emphasizing the importance of bolstering China-U.S. relations and encouraging American companies to deepen their investment in the Chinese mainland.
Han is attending the inauguration ceremony of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Monday as Chinese President Xi Jinping's special representative at the invitation of the United States.
During the meeting, Han expressed hope that U.S. businesses will \"continue to invest and take root in China, play an active role as a bridge, and make a greater contribution to the steady, sound, and sustainable development of China-U.S. relations.\"
He highlighted the recent phone conversation between President Xi and President-elect Trump, noting that they reached important common understandings regarding the development of China-U.S. relations.
\"China and the United States share broad common interests and vast potential for cooperation,\" Han stated. \"Getting the bilateral relationship off to a good start and keeping it growing steadily serves the common well-being of the peoples of the two countries and meets the expectations of the international community.\"
Han praised the U.S. business community as the backbone of China-U.S. relations, describing them as participants, witnesses, contributors, and beneficiaries of bilateral economic and trade cooperation as well as China's reform and opening-up initiatives.
\"China will unswervingly advance its reform and opening-up and continue to improve its business environment,\" he added.
Representatives of the U.S. business community welcomed the positive message from the recent conversation between President Xi and President-elect Trump. They expressed optimism about China's economic prospects and opportunities for development, supporting strengthened dialogue and communication to advance bilateral relations and economic and trade cooperation.
Han also met with Tesla CEO Elon Musk during his visit. Han noted that China welcomes U.S. companies, including Tesla, to seize opportunities and share in the fruits of China's development.
Musk stated that Tesla is ready to deepen its investment and cooperation in China and play an active role in promoting economic and trade exchanges between the United States and China.
Reference(s):
Han Zheng meets U.S. business leaders to strengthen China-U.S. ties
cgtn.com
