Vice premier meets US business executives

BEIJING - Vice Premier Li Keqiang on Thursday met with top executives from two leading US companies, calling for them to work more closely with Chinese businesses. 

Li met separately with CEO and Chairman of the United Technologies Corporation (UTC) Louis R. Chenevert and Ellen Kullman, chair of the board and chief executive officer of chemical company DuPont.

Li stressed the importance of China-US relations, stating that the key is to take a long-term perspective and respect each other's core interests and major concerns.

Apart from governments, businesses can play an important role in advancing bilateral relations by seeking cooperation, Li said.

Li said China-US economic relations are interdependent, citing statistics that indicate that bilateral trade volume increased so far this year, despite a sluggish global economic recovery.

"This is the result of cooperation between the businesses of the two countries," Li said. "Fair play can benefit both, while protectionism hurts both."

Li said cooperation in innovation is a major part of China-US economic relations and can be a new area of growth.

He encouraged UTC, DuPont and other businesses to work more closely with Chinese firms and play an active part in the development of China's central and western regions.

Li also called on US business executives to be objective when introducing China's development to the US political sector.

Chenevert and Kullman spoke highly of China's investment environment and recognized their country's cooperation with China, stating that bilateral collaborations have been mutually beneficial.

They pledged to expand cooperation and help US lawmakers and politicians learn more about China, as well as make efforts to boost US-China relations.

UTC is a US-based multinational conglomerate that researches, develops and manufactures high-tech products, such as aircraft engines and fuel cells.