| Doctor Henry Kissinger,
Ambassador Carla Hills,
Mr. Greg Brown,
Secretary Elaine Chao,
Ladies and gentlemen,
I would like to begin by thanking you for hosting this event, which brings together friends, both old and new, for a delightful gathering.
I cherish the fond memory of the gracious dinner you held for me in Washington during my official visit to the United States back in 2003. On that occasion, I made a speech entitled Working Together to Write a New Chapter in China-US Relations, in which I drew three conclusions. First, China and the United States both gain from peaceful coexistence, and lose from conflicts. Second, mutual interests serve as the bedrock of our cooperation. Third, China-U.S. cooperation is conducive to stability in the Asia-Pacific region as well as peace and development in the world.
Five years have passed since then and I am happy to see that these three conclusions have stood the test of time. China-U.S. relations have made significant progress.
First, our high-level contacts are more frequent than ever before. There are now over 60 dialogue and consultation mechanisms between our two countries. The Strategic Economic Dialogue and the Strategic Dialogue have, in particular, played an important part in increasing strategic mutual trust between the two sides.
Second, our two-way trade grew from $126 billion in 2003 to $302 billion last year, an increase of nearly one and a half times within five years. China and the United States are now each other's second largest trading partners. Dialogue and cooperation have extended to a number of new areas, such as energy resources, climate change, product quality and food safety. The U.S.-China 10 Year Energy and Environment Cooperation Framework signed not long ago stands out as a good example of such cooperation.
Third, China and the United States have maintained communication and coordination on global security issues such as counter-terrorism and non-proliferation and on regional and international hotspot issues such as the Korean nuclear issue. Our joint efforts have contributed to world peace and stability.
Ladies and gentlemen,
As a Chinese saying goes, "amity between people holds the key to sound relations between states." The ever-deepening friendship between our two peoples is an integral part of our growing relations.
In the wake of the devastating earthquake that hit Wenchuan of Sichuan Province, generous assistance in cash and in kind flew in from the United States. The total amount exceeded $100 million and most of the assistance came from non-governmental sources. I remember running into three young Americans in Beichuan, one of the hardest hit areas, when I was overseeing rescue and relief work there the day after the quake struck. I learned from my conversation with them that they were American volunteers rushing to the quake zone from Chengdu, capital city of Sichuan. They were the first group of volunteers from foreign countries that I met in the afflicted areas. After them, headed by USAID, representatives of some well-known American companies and organizations also went to the quake areas, under the danger of aftershocks and offered us their advice on recovery and reconstruction. Their visit was the very first of its kind in the history of exchanges between our two countries, and I later had a meeting with them in Beijing. Thanks to the efforts of the U.S. government and people of various sectors, 150 Chinese students from the earthquake area are now studying in the State University of New York. I am convinced that when they return to China after finishing their studies here, they will contribute their knowledge to the building of their homeland and will join in the endeavor to promote China-US friendship.
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