On September 22, during President Xi Jinping’s state visit to the United States, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce and the Government of the U.S. Washington State jointly held the Seminar on the Economic and Trade Cooperation between Chinese Provinces and the U.S. States and the Establishment Ceremony of the Joint Work Group of the Trade and Investment Cooperation Between Chinese Provinces and the Washington State. The Deputy Representative of China International Trade of the Ministry of Commerce Zhang Xiangchen, and the Lieutenant Governor of the Washington State Brad Owen attended the opening ceremony and made speeches.
Zhang Xiangchen said that local cooperation is at the most basic and most practical level of the bilateral cooperation between China and the U.S., and it’s also the most direct way to make the achievements of the bilateral cooperation benefit people’s life. Actively carrying out the economic and trade communications between the provinces, states and cities, would expand the bilateral and reciprocal cooperation, boost the friendship between the people of the two countries and enrich the connotation of the new pattern of relationship between China-U.S. , the two great powers. Together with Liaoning, Shanghai, Hunan, Guangdong, Sichuan and Shaanxi, the Ministry of Commerce signed the Memorandum of Understanding of the Joint Work Group of Trade and Investment between Chinese Provinces and the Washington State, U.S., which will open a new chapter of bilateral reciprocal cooperation. He hoped that the two parties would make joint efforts to deepen the cooperation between China and Washington state, and to become a model of China-U.S. local economic and trade cooperation.
Brad Owen said that the economic and trade cooperation between Washington State and China enjoys a long history. At present, China is the largest export markets of the Washington state, whose export to China ranks first among the U.S. states. The enterprises of the two countries have conducted extensive investment cooperation. The establishment of the joint work group of the trade and investment between Chinese Provinces and the Washington State, U.S. would help to make the bilateral economic connections closer. Washington State welcomes the enterprises of the Chinese member provinces to invest in the Washington state.
In the section of enterprises discussion, the enterprise representatives of Boeing, Microsoft, Wal-Mart, Starbucks, Linkedin, HP and Goldman Sachs from the U.S., and the representatives of Poly, the Eastern Airlines, CRRC, Alibaba, ZTE and Unis from China exchanged views on exploring the potential of the two way investment deeply, promoting the application of the Internet technology in the commercial field and deepening the bilateral cooperation in the fields of aviation and agriculture.
During the seminar, Zhang Xiangchen signed the Memorandum of Understanding of the Joint Work Group of Trade and Investment between Chinese Provinces and the Washington State, U.S. with the representative of the Governor of Washington State and the Director of the Governor Office Jubi Shimomura. Zhang Xiangchen met with the former Chairman of Microsoft and the originator of Terra Power Bill Gates, and signed with him the Memorandum of Understanding of the Cooperation between Chinese Ministry of Commerce and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and witnessed the signing of the framework agreement between the Terra Power and China National Nuclear Corporation on the development of the fourth generation of nuclear power plant and commercial cooperation.
About 450 people attended the seminar, including the officials of the central and local governments of the two countries, the representatives of chambers of commerce and associations and people from the commercial and business circle.
The Joint Work Group of Trade and Investment between Chinese Provinces and the Washington State, U.S. is the 6th work group mechanism of investment and trade cooperation established for the economic and trade cooperation between the two countries. Since 2013, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce has established the work groups on trade and investment cooperation with California State, the City of Chicago, Iowa State, Texas State and Michigan State. The work group mechanism builds a new platform for the provinces and states of the two countries to deepen cooperation in several economic and trade fields, and to play active roles in closing personnel communication and expanding trade and investment cooperation.