Paulson calls on next US president to strengthen relations with China
22/10/2008 17:10
The next US president should fully recognize China's emergence as a global
economic leader, and take US-China relations to the next level through more
engagement, US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said in New York
yesterday.
Addressing the annual gala of the National Committee on US-China
Relations (NCUSCR) in New York, Paulson advised the next US president to start
from the perspective that China will continue to play a key role in the world
economy.
"We must recognize that China's growth is an opportunity for US
companies and consumers, for our producers, exporters and investors," he said,
"A stable, prosperous and peaceful China is in the best interest of the Chinese
people, the American people and the rest of the world."
Paulson appreciated
that China has been working closely with the US government in response to the
current world financial crisis.
"We welcome Chinese Premier Wen's statement
that China will play a constructive and cooperative role in global efforts to
deal with the current financial market turmoil," said the secretary.
He
reiterated that the only path to success with China is through engagement, with
the Strategic Economic Dialogue (SED) being an important facility.
Reviewing
achievements of the SED talks, which was initiated by Chinese President Hu
Jintao and US President George W. Bush in 2006, Paulson said that a strong
foundation has been built for this dialogue by focusing on policy areas in which
China's reform agenda and US interests intersect.
He hopes that the next US
president will expand on the SED to take US-China relations to the next
level.
Established in 1966, the NCUSCR is a private, non-partisan and
non-profit organization. In 1972, it sponsored the historic visit of China's
ping-pong team to the United States.
Xinhua
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