Despite thorny issues that often dominate the headlines, China and the United States are working closely on almost every major global issue, Chinese ambassador to the U.S. Cui Tiankai wrote in an article published in an American magazine Wednesday.
"This cooperation is not only out of good will, but also on the fundamental interest of both countries and their shared responsibilities to the world," Cui said in the article titled "China and America: Stay Focused on What Really Matters".
Cui cited the landmark expansion of the Information Technology Agreement (ITA) in July this year, the first major tariff-eliminating deal at the World Trade Organization in almost two decades. Because of this deal, about 1.3 trillion U.S. dollars worth of IT trade will be conducted with zero tariff rate per year, benefiting numerous businesses, workers and consumers worldwide.
"This deal would not have been possible without a critical agreement between China and the United States last November and close coordination and cooperation between the two sides," he wrote.
What really matters to China and the U.S., the world's two most important trading countries and the second-largest trading partner for each other, is not who has the privilege to write trade rules, but how to write rules together with other countries in a bid to jointly promote open, transparent and rule-based economic cooperation that benefits all. "Certainly a lot more can be done down the road," said the ambassador.
According to the Chinese envoy, tackling climate change is a priority for both China and the United States. Both have made bold commitments of cutting carbon emissions and are determined to promote comprehensive and balanced outcomes in the 2015 Climate Change Conference in Paris. Both believe that reducing carbon emissions will not impede economic growth but generate more jobs and opportunities, and bring more practical cooperation between them.
The U.S. demand for solar panels and wind turbines is rising rapidly, and Chinese companies can provide high-quality and economical products to meet that demand. China is also looking to build more nuclear power plants, apply more clean-coal technology and increase the exploration and consumption of natural gas. American products and expertise are surely welcomed.
In order for this to happen, Cui said, the United States should lift outdated restrictions on the export of high-tech energy products and avoid implementing unbalanced trade remedy actions against Chinese products.
