Closing Remarks by Consul General Wang Baodong at the Reception of the 8th Annual Gala of

the China General Chamber of Commerce Chicago

(CGCC Chicago)

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, friends,

Good evening!

It gives me great pleasure to join everyone here. On behalf of the Chinese Consulate General in Chicago, I’d first like to extend warm congratulations to CGCC Chicago for a successful 8th Annual Gala! I’d also like to convey Ambassador Xie Feng’s cordial greetings and best wishes to you all!

Tonight via video link, Ambassador Xie shared with us China’s policy stance on the development of China-U.S. relations, introduced China’s current domestic situation and prospects for economic growth, gave high remarks on mutually beneficial economic and trade cooperation between our two countries, and placed high hopes on the business community in the American Midwest to strengthen interaction and collaboration with China. I fully agree with every word he said, and believe his remarks will be very helpful for everyone present to better understand today’s China and China-U.S. relations.

In another week, it will be exactly three months since I took office as Consul General of China in Chicago. I used to work at the Chinese Embassy in Washington, DC over a decade ago. Compared with that time, today’s China, USA and the bilateral relationship have all undergone major and profound changes. I’d like to take this opportunity to briefly share with you some of my thoughts and feelings.

As I see it, over the past 50 years and more, attaching importance to developing and managing relations with China has been the mainstream American public opinion as well as an important bipartisan consensus in the United States. As we recall, it is during the administration of Republican President Richard Nixon that China and the U.S. jointly broke the ice of bilateral relations and opened the gate to friendly exchanges. And it is during the tenure of Democratic President Jimmy Carter that the two countries formally established diplomatic relations, which changed the world’s strategic landscape. Over the past 45 years, through the joint efforts of our two peoples, China-U.S. relations have withstood wind and rain, and grown into a towering tree full of fruits, which is worth cherishing.

In early November, President Xi Jinping sent his congratulatory message to President-elect Donald Trump, expressing the hope that the two sides will, in the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation, find the right way for China and the United States to get along with each other in the new era. In mid-November, President Xi and President Joe Biden met in Lima, Peru to review the course of China-U.S. relations over the past four years and recap the experiences and inspirations. President Xi emphasized that major-country competition should not be the underlying logic of the times; only solidarity and cooperation can help humanity overcome current difficulties. Neither decoupling nor supply-chain disruption is the solution; common development can only be achieved through mutually beneficial cooperation. This summit meeting set the direction for the smooth transition and stable development of China-U.S. relations. In my opinion, standing at a new historical starting point, the towering tree of China-U.S. relations deserves better care and cultivation from us all , so that it can flourish and bear more fruits that benefit peoples of both countries and the entire world. If the tree were ravaged or even chopped down at will, both countries and the world would suffer, which should be avoided as much as possible.

Dear friends,

The Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee held in July this year made strategic arrangements for further deepening reform comprehensively to advance Chinese modernization. In the view of many international observers, as the new administration takes office soon, the U.S. will also embrace unprecedented comprehensive transformation. Faced with difficulties and obstacles on the road ahead, the Chinese government and the Chinese people will continue to promote high-quality development and high-level opening-up, and strive to foster a world-class business environment that is market-oriented, law-based and internationalized. This will surely inject strong new momentum into the Chinese economy and bring more new opportunities for China and the United States in expanding economic and trade cooperation. We sincerely hope that the business communities of both countries can seize and fully utilize this rare opportunity.

Over the past three months, I have forged extensive contacts with people from all walks of life in the Midwest States. I felt their concerns and worries about the status quo of China-U.S. relations. Yet at the same time, I shared their expectations on and confidence in the stable and healthy development of bilateral relations. Bearing the vision of “charting new horizons”, the Chinese Consulate General and I will continue to actively implement the important consensus reached by our heads of state, and go all out to build more bridges and provide better services for our two peoples to expand mutually beneficial cooperation. We also sincerely hope that everyone will continue to render care and support for the growth of China-U.S. relations, and we in particular warmly welcome our American friends to visit China more often. To conclude, let us join hands to write new chapters of win-win cooperation between our two countries together! 

Thank you.