More than 250 representatives from the Chinese and U.S. business communities participated in an event marking the 20th anniversary of the U.S.-China Commercial Match-Making Program in Beijing on Monday, with many of them expressing optimism in the Chinese market and bilateral business cooperation.
The event was jointly hosted by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), the U.S. Embassy in China, and the U.S. Department of Commerce's International Trade Administration.
The U.S.-China Commercial Match-Making Program was jointly established in 2005 by the CCPIT and the U.S. Department of Commerce's International Trade Administration. Over the past two decades, more than 100 economic and trade events have been organized under the program, serving over 3,000 enterprises from both countries. It has become a landmark initiative for practical cooperation between the business communities of the two nations.
"In recent years, the exchanges between both sides around green and low-carbon initiatives, rail transit, and financial investment have actually been increasing. This aligns with the expanding scope of cooperation between the two sides, and I believe it also conforms to the trend of China-U.S. cooperation," said Li Xiang, deputy director of CCPIT's Department of Industry Promotion.
Moving forward, said Li, the CCPIT will leverage the U.S.-China Commercial Match-Making Program to further consolidate and deepen areas of bilateral cooperation. It will actively promote in-depth collaboration between enterprises of both countries in fields such as the digital economy, business services, healthcare, and new energy vehicles, aiming to achieve more tangible results, he added.
This sentiment of growing collaboration and mutual benefit was echoed by American business leaders present at the event, who shared their insights on the vast opportunities and evolving focus areas of U.S. enterprises operating in the Chinese market.
"China's rapid development and its huge market, I believe, have potential in various industries and are attractive to all companies. In the next step, we are not only focusing on intelligence, but also on how to be more environmentally friendly and reduce environmental pollution. This is also one aspect we are considering," said Harry Song, managing director of Greater China, Korea, Singapore at Harsco Rail.
"I think there are actually a great many opportunities in China, and we are very optimistic about the future prospects. Therefore, we will definitely continue to increase our investment in China. In the future, we may also further enhance our service capabilities in China," said Shan Wenjun, general manager of government affairs at GE Aerospace in Greater China.
China, US business leaders celebrate 20th anniversary of cooperation program
