CHICAGO, Nov. 14 (Xinhua) -- Political and business figures from China and the United States on Thursday discussed cooperation opportunities in agriculture and artificial intelligence at the 9th annual gala of China General Chamber of Commerce Chicago (CGCC Chicago) in downtown Chicago.
Themed "Driving Forward Together," the event gathered some 800 participants from both countries.
Addressing the gala in a video keynote speech, Chinese Ambassador to the United States Xie Feng said President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump recently held a successful meeting in Busan, South Korea, recalibrating the direction of the China-U.S. relations at a crucial moment again, and "injecting confidence into both countries and the world."
The 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China adopted at its fourth plenary session the recommendations for formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan, which has drawn a grand blueprint for China's economic and social development in the coming five years, and will open up broader space for cooperation between the business communities of China and the United States.
"A healthy and steady developing China-U.S. relationship serves the common interests of all sides and meets the shared expectations of our two peoples and the international community," Xie said, adding that "the success of China and the U.S. is an opportunity for one another, and our bilateral relations are win-win in nature."
There are over 7,000 Chinese-invested companies operating in the United States today, and about 80,000 American businesses have invested in China. "They are the main force and beneficiaries of China-U.S. cooperation," Xie said.
It is estimated that CGCC's Chinese member companies alone have cumulatively invested over 140 billion U.S. dollars in the U.S., supporting more than 1 million jobs. American companies, at the same time, have invested a total of over 1.2 trillion U.S. dollars in China.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson enumerated the contributions of Chinese companies to the development of the city of Chicago, praising that Chinese investments have created good jobs, foster technological advancements, and are truly "enriching all of our respective communities."
"With the continued partnership and collaboration with powerhouses like China, we can achieve our shared goals of sustainable growth, technology exchange and innovation," Johnson said.
In his welcome speech, CGCC Chicago Chairman Ni Pin called on China and the United States to advance innovation and creativity together and achieve a future of shared prosperity together.
CGCC Chicago is a non-profit member-based organization representing Chinese companies in the nine Midwest states in the United States.
