Chinese Vice President Han Zheng met with representatives of the U.S. business community in Washington D.C. on Sunday, emphasizing the importance of strengthening China-U.S. relations and encouraging continued investment in the Chinese mainland.
During the meeting, which included members from the U.S.-China Business Council and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Han expressed hope that U.S. companies would \"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.\"
Han is in Washington D.C. to attend the inauguration ceremony of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Monday as the special representative of Chinese President Xi Jinping, at the invitation of the United States.
He noted that President Xi and President-elect Trump had recently reached important common understandings regarding the development of China-U.S. relations during a phone conversation. Han highlighted that both countries share broad common interests and vast potential for cooperation.
\"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 expectation of the international community,\" Han stated.
He praised the U.S. business community as the backbone of China-U.S. relations, describing it as a participant, witness, contributor, and beneficiary of bilateral economic and trade cooperation, as well as China's reform and opening-up efforts. Han reaffirmed that China will unswervingly advance its reform and opening-up policies and continue to improve its business environment.
Representatives of the U.S. business community welcomed the positive signals from the recent phone conversation between Trump and Xi. They expressed optimism about China's economic prospects and development opportunities, emphasizing the importance of pursuing mutually beneficial cooperation and finding a constructive and stable way for the two countries to coexist.
The U.S. business leaders voiced support for strengthening dialogue and communication to advance bilateral relations and economic and trade cooperation.
Han also met with Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Sunday. He noted that China welcomes U.S. companies, including Tesla, to seize opportunities to share in the fruits of China's development and contribute to promoting China-U.S. economic and trade relations.
Musk expressed readiness to deepen Tesla's investment and cooperation with China, aiming to 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
