Chinese Vice President Han Zheng emphasized the importance of strengthening China-U.S. relations during a meeting with representatives of the U.S. business community in Washington D.C. on Sunday. Han called for continued investment from U.S. companies in China, inviting them to \"play an active role as a bridge\" between the two nations.
The meeting included representatives from the U.S.-China Business Council and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Han is visiting 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.
Han 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. He stated 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 serve the common well-being of the peoples of the two countries and meets the expectation of the international community,\" Han said.
He acknowledged the crucial role of the U.S. business community as a \"participant, witness, contributor, and beneficiary\" of bilateral economic and trade cooperation, as well as China's reform and opening-up efforts. Han assured that China will \"unswervingly advance its reform and opening-up efforts and continue to improve its business environment.\"
The U.S. business leaders expressed optimism about China's economic prospects and development opportunities. They noted that the recent phone conversation between Trump and Xi sent a positive and encouraging message. They emphasized that as the world's two most dynamic and technologically advanced economies, the United States and China should pursue mutually beneficial cooperation and work towards finding a constructive and stable way to coexist.
The business community reaffirmed their support for strengthening dialogue and communication between the two countries to continue advancing bilateral relations and economic and trade cooperation.
On the same day, Han also met with Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Han welcomed U.S. companies, including Tesla, to seize opportunities in China. \"We welcome U.S. companies to share in the fruits of China's development and make greater contributions to promoting China-U.S. economic and trade relations,\" he said.
Musk expressed readiness to deepen Tesla's 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
