The sixth China International Import Expo (CIIE), currently underway in Shanghai from November 5 to 10, serves as a significant platform for fostering China-U.S. trade relations, according to Eric Zheng, President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai.
Speaking about the importance of the event, Zheng highlighted the substantial trading relationship between the United States and China. “Last year, the bilateral trade volume amounted to roughly about \$700 billion,” he said. “The U.S. exported goods and products to China worth over \$150 billion.”
Zheng acknowledged that while the two countries have faced political challenges in recent years, cooperation remains a vital component of their relationship. “In addition to competition—people focus a lot on that side of the relationship—I think cooperation remains very, very important for the bilateral relationship,” he emphasized.
He pointed to agriculture as a sector where collaborative efforts yield mutual benefits. “For agriculture, it shouldn’t be controversial, right? It is win-win for both sides. China is a net importer of agricultural products, and the U.S. is very strong in its agricultural products. U.S. farmers would love to export products to China and other parts of the world,” Zheng noted.
Recent agreements between the two nations to import agricultural products from the U.S. signal positive progress. “We’d like to see more of these cooperation initiatives,” Zheng said. “And I think CIIE is a very great platform, and it’s great that we expect to see some senior visitors from the U.S. That’s a very positive sign that the two sides are working more closely together.”
Zheng underscored the significance of the relationship between the world’s two largest economies. “We’re talking about number one and number two, that have enjoyed a substantial commercial relationship over the past decades, particularly since China opened to the outside world and particularly since China joined the WTO,” he said.
Emphasizing the mutual benefits, Zheng stated, “Both sides actually have benefited from this relationship. We’re looking for win-win solutions here, and not zero-sum. Decoupling is not an option because decoupling is in no country’s interests—not in the interest of China, nor in the interest of the United States.”
He reaffirmed the commitment of U.S. businesses in China to continue fostering this relationship. “Our members, U.S. companies, have been here for decades, and they’ve grown tremendously over the past decades together with the growth of this country. We’d like to continue to work in this country for the benefits of both sides, for both countries and both people,” Zheng concluded.
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CIIE is a great platform for developing China-U.S. trade relationship
cgtn.com
