China, US state Alaska to enhance economic cooperation

SAN FRANCISCO - China and the US Northwest state of Alaska have agreed to boost their partnership on energy, fishery, tourism and some other economic sectors, the Consulate General of China said Wednesday.

Chinese Deputy Consul General to San Francisco Ren Faqiang said that mutual benefit and win-win cooperation are the basic characteristics of China-US relations.

China has been the largest trade partner and export destination of Alaska since 2011, and Alaska's exports to China amounted to $1.18 billion in 2016, which created jobs and tax revenues for Alaska, Ren said at a China-Alaska economic forum held Tuesday in Anchorage, the largest city in Alaska.

China and Alaska complement each other economically, which offers a lot of potential for cooperation in energy and mining, Ren added.

China signed cooperation documents with the Alaskan state government and Alaskan gas companies on natural gas projects in November last year, which was widely viewed as an important step for both sides to cooperate on energy resources.