International: Chinese Premier Li Qiang met with a delegation visiting China led by McCain, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the US-China Business Council, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on the afternoon of September 1.

Li Qiang said that for a long time, the US-China Business Council has played an important role in advancing China-US relations and economic and trade cooperation. Through the joint efforts of China and the United States, bilateral relations are currently stable on the whole. In May, President Xi Jinping met with President Donald Trump in Beijing and reached a series of important common understandings. China is willing to work with the United States to follow the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, strengthen dialogue and communication, expand mutually beneficial cooperation, properly manage differences, help build a constructive and strategically stable China-US relationship, and achieve more tangible results.

Li Qiang noted that a review of the development of current international economic and trade cooperation offers several important lessons: cooperation and mutual benefit are the trend; respect and understanding are the foundation; and moving toward each other is the key. The fundamental nature of China-US economic and trade relations is mutually beneficial cooperation, and strengthening cooperation is both an internal need and the right choice for both sides. Looking around the world, China may be the only country that possesses both the characteristics of being “large” and “new”—a market full of potential, where high-quality and advanced consumption, particularly intelligent consumption and green consumption, is growing rapidly. US companies are invited to seize the opportunities and expand and deepen their presence in the Chinese market. Given the large scale of China-US economic and trade cooperation, some conflicts and frictions are normal. As long as mutual respect and understanding are maintained and communication and dialogue are strengthened, solutions can be found.

China is willing to actively help address the reasonable concerns of US companies operating in China and safeguard a fair and competitive market environment in accordance with the law. At the same time, China hopes that the United States will also move toward China, address China’s concerns through concrete actions, and jointly implement the outcomes of economic and trade consultations between the two countries. It is hoped that the US-China Business Council will continue to leverage its influence, guide various sectors of American society to view China’s development in a rational and objective manner, and promote the stable, healthy and sustainable development of China-US relations.

McCain and other US representatives said that China-US relations are the most important bilateral relationship in the world today. The successful meeting between the two heads of state has provided stable expectations for economic and trade cooperation and brought greater certainty to the development of the global economy. The US business community is highly confident in the implementation of China’s 15th Five-Year Plan and the prospects for its economic development, and will continue to invest in and expand its presence in the Chinese market. They will firmly remain long-term partners in China’s development and a constructive force in China-US relations. The US-China Business Council is willing to serve as a bridge, enhance mutual understanding, trust and cooperation between the two sides, and advance the development of a constructive and strategically stable China-US relationship.

Chinese official Wu Chenglong attended the meeting.

Source: Swarna, Touhid, Lily, China Media Group (CMG).