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 through continued economic and trade cooperation.
Han, serving as President Xi Jinping's special representative, is in the U.S. capital to attend the inauguration ceremony of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Monday. During his meeting with business leaders 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 establish roots in the Chinese mainland.
\"We hope that U.S. companies 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,\" Han said.
He highlighted that President Xi and President-elect Trump had reached important common understandings regarding the development of China-U.S. relations during a recent phone call, setting a positive tone for future cooperation.
Han noted that China and the United States 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 our two countries and meets the expectations of the international community,\" he stated.
He acknowledged 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 affirmed China's commitment to advancing its reform and opening-up initiatives and to continuing to improve its business environment.
Representatives of the U.S. business community expressed optimism about China's economic prospects and the opportunities for development. They noted that the recent phone conversation between Trump and Xi sent a positive, encouraging message. \"As the world's two most dynamic and technologically advanced economies, the U.S. and China should pursue mutually beneficial cooperation and work towards finding a constructive and stable way to coexist,\" they said.
The U.S. business leaders voiced support for strengthening dialogue and communication to advance bilateral relations and economic and trade cooperation.
In addition to meeting with business representatives, Han also met with Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Sunday. Han welcomed U.S. companies, including Tesla, to seize opportunities arising from China's development. \"China welcomes U.S. companies to share in the fruits of our development and make greater contributions to promoting China-U.S. economic and trade relations,\" he said.
Musk expressed Tesla's readiness to deepen investment and cooperation with China, indicating a commitment to playing an active role in promoting economic and trade exchanges between the two countries.
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Han Zheng meets U.S. business leaders to strengthen China-U.S. ties
cgtn.com
