Chinese Premier Li Qiang said on Thursday that, looking to the future, China and the United States need to find the right way to coexist. He called for increased efforts to strengthen China-U.S. ties and expand cooperation.
Li made the remarks while meeting with friendly organizations in the United States, including representatives from the U.S.-China Business Council, the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Council on Foreign Relations, as well as scholars and business leaders, on the sidelines of the general debate of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly.
Li said that China-U.S. relations are the most important bilateral relations in the world, and that the two countries should respect each other, coexist in peace, pursue win-win cooperation and achieve common prosperity through mutual success.
Economic and trade relations are a key component of bilateral ties, Li added. He said China has the confidence and ability to maintain stable and healthy economic development and create more opportunities for enterprises from around the world, including U.S. companies.
No matter how the external environment changes, China will do its utmost to provide greater certainty for the development of foreign businesses, Li added.
The Chinese premier stressed that China will always work with the U.S. side to jointly promote the stabilization and improvement of China-U.S. economic and trade ties on the basis of equality, respect and mutual benefit, while upholding a constructive and responsible attitude.
In the meantime, China will remain focused on development and continue to promote the steady growth of its own economy, Li said.
As China's economy has a unique and stable operating mechanism, with market potential and innovation momentum being rapidly unleashed and economic vitality continuously increasing, it will present enormous and foreseeable development opportunities for businesses, he said.
Li added that China will always honor its commitments and unswervingly advance opening up, continuously relax market access, and expand imports.
China will actively respond to foreign businesses' concerns and offer help to resolve practical difficulties, so as to ensure that foreign enterprises feel at ease when operating and developing in the country.
Li stressed that as the foundation of the China-U.S. relationship lies in grassroots connections, its sound development requires the joint efforts of the people from both countries.
He expressed hope that people from all walks of life in the United States will take more positive actions to enhance mutual understanding between the two countries, expand practical cooperation in various fields, and make greater contributions to promoting the development of both countries and enhancing their friendship.
The U.S. participants at the meeting said that China has made admirable achievements in economic growth, technological innovation, social development, and other fields in recent years.
Noting that U.S.-China relations concern both countries as well as the wider world, they also expressed hope that the two sides will maintain high-level exchanges, expand dialogue across various fields, strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation, enhance people-to-people exchanges, and foster long-term and stable U.S.-China relations, thereby injecting more certainty into the international community.
The U.S. business community expressed optimism about China's economic development prospects and its willingness to continue expanding investment in China to play the role of a bridge to promote bilateral cooperation and enhance mutual understanding.
(With input from Xinhua)