Dinner Honoring Vice Premier Wang Qishan and State Councilor Dai Bingguo
The Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Washington,
DC
July 28, 2009
The U.S.-China Policy Foundation was delighted to co-host a dinner honoring Chinese Vice Premier Wang Qishan and State Councilor Dai Bingguo during their visit to Washington, DC for the Strategic and Economic Dialogue. The event was held at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Washington, DC on Tuesday, July 28, 2009.
Addressing an audience of some 600 Chinese and American government officials, corporate executives and scholars, Vice Premier Wang and State Councilor Dai made remarks on the current state of U.S.-China relations, specifically addressing the challenges and opportunities for bilateral cooperation between both countries on a wide range of strategic issues.
In his remarks, Vice Premier Wang vowed to continue to work to enhance China-U.S. ties, explaining that the two countries have no other choice but to cooperate. Since history has shown that only those that embraced the historical trend will prosper, both nations need to embrace the trend of developing China-U.S. relations and push the bilateral ties to higher levels, Wang said.
State Councilor Dai emphasized the need for both sides need to treat each other with a positive attitude while continuing to build mutual trust. Dai observed that China is not only an indispensable part of world development, but also a crucial engine that provides great opportunities for world development. "Generally as far as China-U.S. relations are concerned, we need to maintain each other's core interests and maintain the long-term stability of our bilateral relationship," he said.
In addition to Vice Premier Wang and State Councilor Dai, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner also spoke at the dinner. Secretary Clinton called the dialogue "unprecedented" in the history of the U.S.-China relations, saying it has laid foundation for the bilateral comprehensive relations in the 21st century for meeting some of the biggest global challenges.
Secretary Geithner said China has undertaken a "remarkably ambitious set of reforms” to help its economy move forward from the global financial crisis and recession and called for the U.S. to get on a more "sustainable" footing. He praised Wang, his Chinese counterpart, as a "pragmatic person," a "troubleshooter" and a "firefighter" who tackles hard problems and finds a solution.
Former Secretary of State and USCPF Honorary Advisor Dr. Henry A. Kissinger also offered remarks on the progress of U.S.-China relations over the past 40 years and the challenges that lie ahead. Kissinger predicted the dialogue would serve to initiate an "extraordinary creative experience" for Sino-American relations.
Organizations joining the USCPF as co-hosts for the event include the US-China Business Council; the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations; the United States Chamber of Commerce; American-China Forum; the Brookings Institution; the Center for Strategic and International Studies; the Committee of 100; the Council on Foreign Relations; China Chamber of Commerce in the USA; China-U.S. Exchange Foundation; Hong Kong Phoenix Satellite Television; the Financial Services Forum; and the Peterson Institute for International Economics.
The event was widely covered by the U.S. and Chinese media and broadcast live on the C-SPAN network; the event video is available on the C-SPAN web site.
Transcript of remarks by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton (PDF)
Guests at the pre-dinner private reception greet State Councilor Dai Bingguo. (Photo by Kaveh Sardari)
USCPF Chairman Chi Wang greets Secretary of State Hillary R. Clinton. (Photo by Kaveh Sardari)
Guests of the USCPF enjoy dinner. (Photo by Kaveh Sardari)
Head table guests, including Maurice R. Greenberg, honorary chairman of the USCPF, stand to welcome Vice Premier Wang and State Councilor Dai. (Photo by Kaveh Sardari)
