Wang Yi Holds a Group Meeting with Delegation of the U.S.-China Business Council Board of Directors

On July 22, 2024, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister Wang Yi held a group meeting with the delegation of the U.S.-China Business Council (USCBC) Board of Directors in Beijing.

Wang Yi welcomed the representatives of the U.S. business community for their visit to China. Noting that the USCBC celebrated its 50th anniversary last year, Wang Yi said that President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter fully affirming the USCBC's work and encouraging the USCBC to build more bridges of friendly exchanges between China and the United States, forge more bonds of practical cooperation, and contribute to writing a new chapter of win-win cooperation between China and the United States in the next 50 years.

Wang Yi said, the just-concluded Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee is an important meeting that attracted worldwide attention with historic significance. He said, "As the first delegation from the U.S. business community to visit China after the plenum, you can feel the new atmosphere of China's further deepening reform comprehensively from the first time, making your visit a highly timely one." A review of China's development history shows that China has made great strides to catch up with the times thanks to its reform and opening up. After the 18th CPC National Congress, China has successfully achieved its first centenary goal, also as a result of reform and opening up. Now to usher in a new phase of Chinese modernization and achieve the second centenary goal, China still needs to rely on reform and opening up. The Resolution adopted by the plenum has more than 20,000 characters, covering all aspects of promoting Chinese modernization, and offers a panoramic view of further deepening reform comprehensively. The Resolution lays out more than 300 important reform tasks, and makes it clear that all of them shall be completed by the time the People's Republic of China celebrates its 80th anniversary in 2029, which will provide a solid guarantee for Chinese modernization.

Wang Yi further introduced the important measures in the Resolution on deepening reform, especially high-standard opening up, pointing out that China's reform and opening up is guided by principles and has a clear direction, and the overall objectives are to continue to improve and develop the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics and modernize China's system and capacity for governance. Any attempt to change China's social system and development path is futile. China is following the right path chosen by the Chinese people, and will neither copy foreign models nor export the Chinese model. China is ready to strengthen exchanges and integration with other countries on the basis of equality and mutual respect and move forward hand in hand on the path to world modernization.

Wang Yi pointed out that the China-U.S. relationship is one of the most important bilateral relationships in the world. Whether China and the United States engage in cooperation or confrontation bears on the well-being of their two peoples and the future of humanity. China has consistently maintained stability and continuity in its policy toward the United States. It has always handled its affairs with the United States in accordance with the three principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation. China is committed to strengthening dialogue, managing differences and expanding cooperation with the United States, so as to stabilize, improve and push forward China-U.S. relations. At the same time, China also has interests, principles and a bottom line that it must safeguard. Wang Yi expressed the hope that the U.S. business community will continue to work hand in hand with China to not only achieve greater development for itself, but also make new contributions to the development of China- U.S. relations and the friendship between the two peoples.

Wang Yi listened carefully to the remarks of the U.S. representatives and responded to each of their concerns.

Wang Yi said, as President Xi Jinping pointed out that for China and the United States, two major countries, turning one's back on another is not an option; it is unrealistic for one side to remodel the other; and conflict and confrontation has unbearable consequences for both sides. Viewed from the perspective of "my own country first", the world is a cramped and crowded place perpetuated in "fierce competition". Viewed from the perspective of "a global community with a shared future", the world is a vast and broad place full of cooperation opportunities. The earth is broad enough for China and the United States to develop and prosper together. The past 45 years have shown that when the overall environment of China-U.S. relations is favorable, all parties will benefit. In an unfavorable environment, the scope for exchanges and cooperation is inevitably constrained. Wang Yi expressed the hope that the USCBC and its member companies will make full use of their connections and influence, and drawing upon their development experience in China, present a true, multi-dimensional and panoramic view of China to the U.S. government, Congress and all walks of life. He urged them to voice more objective, positive and rational views to promote the right perception of China in the United States, stop suppressing China in economy, trade, science and technology, and effectively resolve the obstacles that hinder people-to-people and cultural exchanges to promote the steady and sound development of China-U.S. relations.

USCBC Board Chair Rajesh Subramaniam, Founder of United Family Healthcare Roberta Lipson, President of Boeing Global Brendan Nelson, CEO of the United States Education Testing Service Amit Sevak, and USCBC President Craig Allen said that they welcome the important signal of further deepening reform comprehensively released by the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee. The consistency, coherence and stability of the Chinese government's policies are crucial for foreign companies, including those from the United States, to continue to invest and do business in China on a long-term basis. The representatives hope that the plenum will stimulate China's new round of economic reform and further opening up, and attract more sustainable foreign investment. The U.S.-China relationship is the most important bilateral relationship in the world, of which economic and trade relationship is a stabilizing factor. The U.S. business community has confidence in continuing to deepen its cooperation with China and looks forward to further deepening bilateral cooperation in economy, trade, investment, green development, healthcare, education, people-to-people and cultural exchanges and other fields. It is committed to building a strong and balanced U.S.-China relationship, which fully serves the common interests of the two countries and two peoples. The USCBC is ready to actively leverage its influence and role and firmly act as a stabilizing force for the development of U.S.-China relations.