China-US relations: American businesses welcome, Chinese Vice-President Han Zheng tells Henry Paulson in Beijing

Beijing has sent a welcoming message to US companies during a visit by American banker and former treasury secretary Henry Paulson, while urging Washington to expand “positive” policies and cut “negative” ones.

Paulson, founder of the US-China policy think tank the Paulson Institute, was received on Tuesday by China’s Vice-President Han Zheng and top diplomat Wang Yi, with the Chinese side expressing hopes to “bring bilateral ties back on the track of sound and steady growth” with Washington.

“We welcome more US companies to invest and do business in China [and] to share development opportunities together,” Han said, according to state media Xinhua.

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He said Beijing’s approach to the United States was guided by “mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation”.

Han noted that the two countries were in charge of the most important bilateral relations in the world and should “enhance mutually beneficial cooperation in all areas, push forward the world’s economic recovery together and address global challenges”.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who last week wrapped up a four-day visit to Russia for security talks, met Paulson’s delegation on the same day.

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“The nosedive of China-US relations does not meet the interests of the two peoples, the expectations of the international community and the trend of the times,” said Wang, according to a statement from his ministry.

“It is hoped that the United States will return to the rational and pragmatic track in its China policy, take concrete actions to lengthen the positive list and shorten the negative list, and work with China to explore ways of peaceful coexistence as two major countries,” said Wang, who also heads the ruling Communist Party’s foreign affairs office.

Wang expressed appreciation for Paulson’s “long-term commitment” to promoting the development of China-US relations with an “objective and rational attitude”, and hoped that he and his foundation would continue to play a constructive role.

South China Morning Post