Chinese Vice President Han Zheng met with representatives of the U.S. business community in Washington D.C. on Sunday, expressing hopes for continued investment and collaboration between China and the United States. Han emphasized the crucial role U.S. companies play in China-U.S. relations and encouraged them to contribute to the “steady, sound, and sustainable development” of bilateral ties.
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.
During the meeting, Han noted that President Xi and President-elect Trump recently reached important common understandings regarding the future of China-U.S. relations during a phone conversation. He highlighted the broad common interests and vast potential for cooperation between the two nations, stating that fostering a stable and growing relationship benefits both peoples and meets international expectations.
“The U.S. business community has always been the backbone of China-U.S. relations,” Han said, acknowledging their participation in and contributions to bilateral economic and trade cooperation as well as China’s reform and opening-up efforts. He assured that China remains committed to advancing reforms and improving the business environment for foreign investors.
Representatives from the U.S.-China Business Council and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce expressed optimism about China’s economic prospects and development opportunities. They welcomed the positive signals from the recent phone conversation between Trump and Xi, viewing it as encouraging for future cooperation.
“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 stated.
Han also met with Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Sunday. He welcomed Tesla’s continued investment in China and invited U.S. companies to “seize the opportunity to share in the fruits of China’s development.” Musk expressed readiness to deepen investment and cooperation with China and to play an active role in promoting economic and trade exchanges between the two countries.
