Vice Premier Zhang Dejiang Meets with IBM President Virginia M. Rometty and Her Party
On February 22, Vice Premier Zhang Dejiang met with IBM President and CEO Virginia M. Rometty and her party in Beijing. CPAFFC President Li Xiaolin and Assistant Foreign Minister Zhang Kunsheng were also present. The two sides had a candid discussion on the overall China-U.S. relationship, bilateral economic and trade relations, China’s social and economic development and the international situation.
Vice Premier Zhang extended his congratulations to Ms Rometty on taking up her position as President and CEO early this year. He said that, with concerted efforts by both sides, overall relations between the two countries would generally maintain good, positive momentum. Particularly, during President Hu Jintao’s visit to the United States in January 2011, the two heads of state had reached an important consensus on building a cooperative partnership based on mutual respect and benefit, laying a solid foundation. Recently, invited by US Vice President Joe Biden, Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping had paid a successful visit to the United States through which the two sides had enhanced mutual understanding and trust, further expanded practical cooperation in all fields and reached an important consensus on accelerating building a strong bilateral cooperative partnership. This was of great significance for maintaining a continuous, healthy and steady development of bilateral relations for a long time to come. The politicians and entrepreneurs of both countries were fully aware of the importance of bilateral cooperation. However, there were always some politicians in the United States who like to exploit such issues as the Renminbi exchange rate, Tibet, etc. to create obstacles to the development of relations. Although an irritant, they would not hinder healthy development of the bilateral relationship.
China was now implementing the 12th Five-Year Plan and endeavoring to readjust economic structure and expand domestic demand. The United States was also accelerating its economic restructuring and enhancing efforts to implement a “Plan to Double U.S. Exports” and the“Select USA”initiative. These provided a vast space for the two countries to cooperate in the fields of trade, investment, new and clean energy and newly emerging industries. China’s ongoing process of industrialization, urbanization and agricultural modernization would generate huge market demand. The growth and internationalization of Chinese enterprises would also accelerate the soaring demand for FDI. By 2015, the scale of China’s domestic consumer market would reach 31 trillion RMB. In the coming five years, China would import commodities worth over US$8 trillion, among which imports of high-tech products would form an important part. In the coming decade, China’s external investments would reach US$1 trillion. Facing this rare historic opportunity, China and the United States should join hands and further tap the potential for bilateral mutually beneficial cooperation to create a new situation in bilateral economic cooperation.
?Ms. Rometty expressed her thanks to Vice Premier Zhang for meeting her and her party. China’s economic growth benefited not only itself but also the whole world. It was a mode of mutual benefit and win-win cooperation. This was her first visit to Asia since she assumed the post of IBM CEO. China played an important role in IBM’s global business development. For years, the company had dedicated itself to research and innovation, attached great importance to personnel training and helped Chinese enterprises achieve better transformation and upgrading. IBM had shifted to China its headquarters for business in more than 140 countries and regions except for the developed countries. It was now actively planning to move the innovation center for energy and automobile industries to China. The company’s robust business growth in China not only expanded American exports to China and increased employment opportunities for both countries, but also boosted bilateral cooperation and promoted the overall bilateral relationship.
Vice Premier Zhang expressed his appreciation of IBM for its contribution to the development of bilateral relations. He said its 20-year successful business operation in China should be attributed to its correct understanding of the country. The continuous spread of the international financial crisis, particularly aggravation of the European sovereignty debt crisis, had had great impact on global economic recovery and stability of international finance. In West Asia and North Africa, regime change in some countries had triggered social instability. The situation in Iran was grave due to much saber rattling, affecting international oil supply and security. Against such a backdrop, China and the United States, the two largest economies in the Asia-Pacific region, and indeed the world, needed to uphold the spirit of cooperation, reduce frictions and prevent politicization of differences between them. The two countries should use bilateral channels as well as multilateral platforms such as the G20 to strengthen coordination in macro-economic policies, give full play to the capacity of the two engines of global economic development and promote vigorous and sustainable economic growth of not only themselves but also the rest of the world. Vice Premier Zhang hoped that IBM, as a global transnational enterprise and China’s old friend, would make its contribution in this aspect and promote cooperation between enterprises of China, the United States and the rest of the world so as to tide over the current economic difficulties together.???
Chinese and Japanese Nongovernmental Organizations’ Declaration of Action Commemorating 40th Anniversary of Normalization of Diplomatic Relations
On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between China and Japan, representatives gathered in Beijing for a meeting of Leaders of the Chinese and Japanese Nongovernmental Organizations to fully exchange views on further carrying out people-to-people friendly exchanges and cooperation and promoting a long-term steady and healthy development of China-Japan relations under the new situation. The Declaration of Action jointly released declares
First, we deem that in the past 40 years since the normalization of diplomatic relations, with the concerted efforts by both sides, China-Japan relationship has witnessed significant development in every field, bringing great benefit to both countries and peoples and making important contributions to peace, stability and prosperity of the Asian-Pacific region and the world at large. We will continue to make full use of the advantages of people-to-people friendship, promote exchanges and cooperation between the two countries in various fields covering politics, economy, culture, education, science and technology, sports, trade unions, women’s affairs, news media, youth and local government and further enrich the contents of the China-Japan strategic relations of mutual benefit.
Second, we will, as always, observe the principles set forth in the four political documents including the Sino-Japanese Joint Statement and in the spirit of “taking history as a mirror and looking to the future” enhance mutual political trust, safeguard the overall interests of China-Japan friendship and consolidate the political basis of the bilateral relations.
Third, we hold that China and Japan are most important trade partners with strong economic complementarities creating a huge potential in cooperation. Under the current global economic situation, it is most important that the two countries strengthen communication, coordination and mutually beneficial cooperation. We will intensify our efforts to boost practical cooperation in the fields of energy conservation, recycle economy, new energy, new materials and finance, push forward transformation and upgrade of bilateral economic and trade cooperation, foster new growth areas in the economy so as to achieve win-win results and common development.
Fourth, the foundation of China-Japan friendship lies among the people. The future of China-Japan friendship relies on youth. We will take the 40th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations and the Year of Exchanges and Friendship Between the Two Peoples as an opportunity to further boost cultural exchanges, particularly friendly exchanges between the youth. We will increase interaction between the two peoples to enhance mutual understanding and friendly sentiments between the two peoples, foster successors to the cause of China-Japan friendship and let the spirit of China-Japan friendship take root in the hearts of the people and pass on from generation to generation.
Fifth, we deeply cherish the memory of the older generations of friendly personages of the two countries who have made great contributions to the development of China-Japan relations. We are determined to carry forward their behest and the spirit of China-Japan friendship, advance with the times and strive for opening up new prospects of the cause of China-Japan friendship and achieving the lofty goals of “peaceful coexistence, lasting friendship, mutually beneficial cooperation and common development”.
The China-Japan Friendship Association
The Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries
The All-China Federation of Trade Unions
The All-China Youth Federation
The All-China Women’s Federation
The China Council for the Promotion of International Trade
The Japan-China Friendship Association
The Japanese Council for the Promotion of International Trade
The Japan-China Cultural Exchange Association
The Dietmen’s League for Japan-China Friendship
The Japan-China Association for Economy and Trade
The Japan-China Society
The Japan-China Friendship Center
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Fiji-China Friendship Association Founded
The Fiji-China Friendship Association (FCFA) was founded in Suva on February 3 in a launch ceremony attended by around 100 people from different walks of life?and?various ethnic groups of Fiji.
Dr. Jiko Luveni, Minister for Women, Social Welfare?and?Poverty Alleviation, spoke at the ceremony to declare: “Today marks another milestone achievement in the bilateral relationship between Fiji?and?the People’s Republic of China. This association is the extension of the formal relations between our two countries to include our people in an effort to promote?and?strengthen understanding, friendship?and?cooperation through people to people programs?and?activities.”
Chinese Ambassador Huang Yong expressed warm congratulations, saying: “The launch of the Fiji-China Friendship Association comes at a time when our two peoples are trying to expand our friendship?and?cooperation. It will organize visits, meetings, workshops, art performances to help build ties in various fields,?and?I believe people from all walks of life will benefit from its activities. The launching of the FCFA opens a new channel in China-Fiji relations. It is a bridge between our two peoples?and?a catalyst promoting cooperation.”
Fiji’s Prime Minister Josaia Vorege Bainimarama, Minister of Foreign Affairs?and?International Cooperation Inoke Kubuabola, Fiji’s Ambassador to China Commodore Esala Teleni,?and?President of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries Li Xiaolin sent messages of congratulations.
