吴邦国在中美经贸合作论坛开幕式上的致辞

在中美经贸合作论坛开幕式上的致辞

中国全国人大常委会委员长 吴邦国

Speech at the Opening Ceremony of the China-US Economic and Trade

Cooperation Forum

by Chinese NPC Chairman Wu Bangguo

很高兴在我访美的第一站，有机会出席中美经贸合作论坛，与各位新老朋友一起，探讨新形势下加强和改善中美经贸合作的问题，共同推动两国企业合作。首先，我谨向论坛的成功举办表示热烈的祝贺，向与会各界人士致以诚挚的问候和良好的祝愿，对两国有关方面为此付出的努力表示衷心的感谢。

I am very happy that in the first leg of my US visit, I have the opportunity to attend the China-US Economic and Trade Forum, meet new and old friends, and, together with them, discuss the question of strengthening and improving China-US economic and trade cooperation under the new situation and jointly promoting cooperation between the two countries’ enterprises. First of all, I would like to express my warm congratulations on the successful opening of the forum, my sincere regards and good wishes to personages from various circles, and my heartfelt thanks for the efforts of the two countries’ relevant parties in this respect.

国际金融危机的蔓延和深化，给中美两国经济造成重大冲击，也严重影响了中美经贸

合作尤其是企业合作。据统计，今年1至7月份，中美贸易额同比下降了16.1%，美在华投资同比下降19.1%。尽快遏制和扭转这一下滑势头，实现中美经贸合作的可持续发展，是摆在我们面前的共同任务。在当前困难的形势下，要完成这一共同任务，首先也是最重要的，就是要提振合作信心。朋友们也许会问，面对困难局面，信心从何而来。我想告诉朋友们的是，虽然世界经济复苏的迹象还不明显，国际金融危机的长远影响也不可忽视，但中美经贸合作前途光明。

The spread and deepening of the international financial crisis have caused major impacts on the two countries’ economies and have also seriously affected China-US economic and trade cooperation, particular enterprises’ cooperation. According to statistics, from January to July this year, China-US trade volume decreased by 16.1 per cent as compared to the same period of last year; US investment in China dropped by 19.1 per cent as compared to the same period of last year. Curbing and changing such a decline as soon as possible and bringing about sustainable development in China-US economic and trade cooperation are our common tasks. To accomplish such common tasks in the current difficult situation, the most important is to boost our confidence in cooperation. Our friends here may ask: In front of such a difficult situation, where does confidence come from? I would like to tell our friends that although the indications for world economic recovery are not prominent yet and the long-term impact of the international financial crisis is not to be overlooked, the prospect of China-US economic and trade cooperation is bright.

一是中美经贸合作的大势不会改变。这里包括两个方面：一方面中美经济互补优势没有改变。中国是世界上最大的发展中国家，发展是中国的第一要务。改革开放30年来，

中国经济年均增长9.8%，即使今年上半年也实现了7.1%的增长，全年有望实现8%左右的增长目标。中国正处在工业化、城镇化加速推进的过程中，有大量的投资需求，还有13亿人的消费市场。中国的发展、中国巨大的市场，为包括美国在内的各国经济复苏与发展提供不竭的商机与动力。美国是世界上最大的发达国家，国内生产总值占世界总量的18.3%，国民消费占世界消费品市场总额的43%，对外贸易额居世界首位，尤其是在科技、人才、管理、营销等方面具有明显优势。中美经济这种互补优势并没有因为国际金融危机的影响而改变。另一方面中美经贸合作基础良好。2008年双边贸易额达3337.4亿美元，已互为第二大贸易伙伴。在过去的5年间，美对华出口年均增长20%，去年中国从美国进口的大豆和棉花，分别占美出口总量的49%和34%。美在华投资项目累计达5.7万多个，投资额超过610亿美元。今年1至7月份，中美签订技术引进合同888项，合同金额达32.6亿美元，同比增长41.3%，占中国技术引进合同总额的25.3%，在中国技术引进来源地中列第一位。虽然今年上半年中美贸易额同比下降，但降幅低于中国外贸总额降幅近7个百分点。这些数据足以说明，中美经贸关系已经形成合作共赢的基本格局，这一基本格局没有因为国际金融危机的影响而改变。

First, the general trend of China-US economic and trade cooperation will not change. This includes two aspects: On the one hand, the complementary nature between China’s and US economies has not changed. China is the largest developing country in the world. Development is a task of primary importance for China. In the last 30 years of reform and opening up, China’s economy has grown by 9.8 per cent annually on the average. Even in the first half of this year, it registered a 7.1-per cent increase. It is hopeful of reaching an 8-per cent increase or so for the whole year. China is amid industrialization and urbanization acceleration process, which requires large amounts of investment. In addition to this, China has a consumption market of 1.3 billion people. China’s development

and huge market provide inexhaustible business opportunities and propelling force for various countries’ economic recovery and development, including the United States’. The United States is the largest developed country in the world. Its GDP accounts for 18.3 per cent of the world’s total. Its national consumption accounts for 43 per cent of the aggregate amount of the world’s consumer products markets. Its foreign trade volume ranks first in the world. It enjoys even more notable advantages in science, technology, talented personnel, operation, and marketing. Such a complementary nature between China’s and US economies has not changed because of the international financial crisis. On the other hand, China and the United States have a good foundation in economic and trade cooperation. In 2008, bilateral trade reached $333.74 billion and both became each other’s second largest trade partners. In the last five years, US export to China has increased by 20 per cent. Last year China’s imports of soybeans and cotton respectively accounted for 49 and 34 per cent of the US total export. There were a total of 57,000 US investment projects in China, with an aggregate investment of over $61 billion. From January to July this year, China and the United States signed 888 technology import contracts, with a total amount reaching $3.26 billion, an increase of 41.3 per cent over the same period of last year, accounting for 25.3 per cent of the total amount of China’s technology import contracts, ranking first among places of origin for China’s imports. China-US trade volume dropped in the first half of this year as compared to the same period of last year, but the rate of decrease was nearly 7 per cent lower than the rate of decrease in China’s total foreign trade volume. These figures fully suggest that China-US trade relations have presented a basic pattern of cooperation and win-win. And this basic pattern has remained unchanged despite

the impact of the international financial crisis.

二是中美两国实施的刺激经济增长计划带来新的合作商机。为应对国际金融危机的冲击，保持国民经济平稳较快发展，中国政府实施积极的财政政策和适度宽松的货币政策，推出了进一步扩大内需、促进经济增长的一揽子计划，包括大规模增加政府公共投资和实行结构性减税，制定和实施产业调整振兴规划，大力拓展国内消费市场尤其是农村市场，开展重点民生工程建设和铁路、电信、水利等基础设施建设，大幅度提高社会保障水平，着力改善低收入家庭生活。为摆脱经济危机困扰，美国政府也推出了自上世纪30年代以来力度最大的刺激经济复苏计划，涉及金融、房地产、税收、基础设施、汽车、环保、能源、科技、医保改革等众多领域。中美两国刺激经济增长计划的实施，给两国经贸合作带来了新的商机。在今天的论坛前，两国企业和有关方面又签署了41项投资和经济技术合作协议与合同，总额达123.8亿美元，涉及新能源及原材料、通信、电子、机械、旅游等领域。这再次说明双方合作的机会很多，只要善于危中觅机，是可以大有作为的。

Second, the implementation of China’s and US stimulus economic plans has brought about new business cooperation opportunities for both countries. To counter the impact of the international financial crisis and maintain steady and relatively fast national economic development, the Chinese Government has implemented a proactive financial policy and a moderately relaxed monetary policy and introduced a whole package of plans to further expand domestic demand and promote economic growth, including increasing government investments in public facilities, carrying out structural tax reductions, formulating and implementing industrial adjustment and invigoration programmes, vigorously expanding domestic markets, particularly rural markets, conducting key livelihood-related construction projects as well as railways, telecommunications,

and water conservancy projects, enhancing the level of social security by a wide margin, and making efforts to improve the lives of low-income families. To recover from the economic crisis, the US Government has also introduced the strongest stimulus economic recovery plan since the 1930s, which involves the financial sector, real estate, taxation, infrastructural facilities, automobiles, environmental protection, energy, science, technology, and medical insurance reform. The implementation of China’s and US stimulus economic plans has brought about new business opportunities for economic and trade cooperation between the two countries. At today’s forum, enterprises and the relevant departments of the two countries have signed 41 investment and economic and technological cooperation agreements and contracts, with a total amount of $12.38 billion, involving new energy, raw materials, telecommunications, electronics, machinery, and tourism. This has once again proved that both sides have many opportunities for cooperation; as long as both sides are good at seeking opportunities, there is a lot they can do.

三是中美两国经济结构调整战略将拓展新的合作领域。虽然中美两国经济发展阶段不同，但都面临艰巨的调整任务。要看到，即使没有国际金融危机也面临经济发展方式调整的压力，只是国际金融危机使调整任务变得更加迫切。据说美国公众普遍认为，过度依靠超前消费的增长方式是不可持续的。美国政府提出把应对金融危机与解决发展模式问题结合起来，以绿色技术作为促进经济增长、提高国际竞争力和创造就业的根本。同样，中国在努力保持经济平稳较快发展的同时，注重把解决当前困难与实现可持续发展结合起来，着力调整经济结构、促进产业升级，下大决心扩大国内需求特别是消费需求，促进经济发展方式转变。也就是说，中美两国经济结构调整，将使低碳经济、可再生能源和清洁能源、洁净煤和碳捕捉及封存、智能电网、建筑能效、新能源汽车等方面的合作，成为中美经贸

合作尤其是经济技术合作与企业合作新的增长点。我们高兴地看到，前不久在华盛顿举行的首轮中美战略与经济对话，再次重申《中美能源环境十年合作框架文件》下的各项行动计划，拟就关于加强气候变化、能源和环境合作的谅解备忘录，进一步表达了双方在上述领域加强合作的愿望，预示着两国经贸合作前景更加广阔。

Third, China and the United States will explore new spheres of cooperation in strategy for economic structural adjustments. Although China and the United States have different economic development stages, they are facing an arduous task of adjustments. We should understand that even if there were no international financial crisis, we are also facing the pressure of economic development mode adjustment, only the international financial crisis has made the task of adjustments even more urgent. As reported, the US public generally believes that a growth mode of hyper-consumption type is not sustainable. The US Government proposed dealing with the financial crisis in combination with resolving the development mode, and using green technology to promote economic growth, improve international competitiveness, and create job opportunities. For the same reason, China, while maintaining steady and relatively fast economic development, is making efforts to adjust the economic structure and promote industrial upgrades and is strongly determined to expand domestic demand, particularly consumption demand, and stimulate the transformation of the economic development mode. In other words, the two countries’ economic structural adjustments will help turn cooperation in low-carbon economy, renewable energy, clean energy, clean coal, carbon capture and storage, smart electricity grids, energy efficiency buildings, and new energy automobiles into China-US economic and trade cooperation, particularly into new growth points in

economic and technological cooperation as well as enterprises’ cooperation. We are pleased to see that the first round of China-US strategic and economic dialogue held in Washington not long ago reiterated various action programmes under the China-US 10-Year Energy and Environment Cooperation Framework, drew up a memorandum of understanding on strengthening cooperation in climate change, energy, and environmental protection, and further expressed both sides’ wish to strengthen cooperation it these fields. These indicate that both sides have broader prospects for economic and trade cooperation.

经贸合作是中美关系的物质基础，也是两国关系持续充满活力的重要保障。要克服当前困难，把双方加强和改善经贸合作的愿望转化为现实，很重要的一条是要充分发挥企业在经贸合作中的主体作用。希望双方企业发挥各自优势，积极探索合作的新途径，通过开展联合研究、建设示范工程、共同开发技术、扩大相互投资等形式，共同开拓合作的新领域。希望两国政府及有关方面把企业合作作为加强和改善中美经贸合作的优先方向，积极为企业合作牵线搭桥，加强知识产权保护，努力改善政策和法制环境，推动双边贸易和投资便利化。在当前情况下，尤其要坚持自由贸易原则，防止各种形式的贸易保护主义。应充分发挥中美战略与经济对话以及商贸联委会等其他相关机制的作用，从中美经贸合作大局出发，及时妥善解决合作中出现的问题，为两国经贸合作尤其是企业合作创造良好的环境、提供更多的便利。我相信，经过中美两国企业和有关方面的共同努力，一定能够战胜眼前的困难，迎来中美经贸合作更加美好的明天。

Economic and trade cooperation is the material foundation of China-US relations and is also an important guarantee for the two countries’ relations to remain full of vitality. We should overcome the current difficulties and turn into reality both sides’ wish to strengthen and improve economic and trade

cooperation. An important point in this respect is to bring into full play the principal role of enterprises in economic and trade cooperation. We hope that both sides’ enterprises will display their respective strong points, actively explore new ways for cooperation, and jointly widen new spheres of cooperation through conducting joint research, building pilot projects, developing technologies, and expanding mutual investments. We hope that the two countries’ governments and relevant departments will use enterprises’ cooperation as a priority direction in strengthening and improving China-US economic and trade cooperation, actively build bridges for enterprises’ cooperation, strengthen intellectual property rights protection, make efforts to improve policy and legal system environments, and promote the facilitation of bilateral trade and investment. In the current situation, it is particularly necessary to uphold the principle of free trade so as to prevent all forms of trade protectionism. There is a need to bring into full play the role of China-US strategic and economic dialogue, the Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade, and other mechanisms. Proceeding from the overall situation of China-US economic and trade cooperation, there is a need to promptly and appropriately resolve problems in cooperation as well as create a good environment and provide more convenience for the two countries’ economic and trade cooperation, particularly for cooperation between both sides’ enterprises. I believe that with the joint efforts of both sides’ enterprises and the relevant departments, we will be able to overcome the current difficulties and usher in a better tomorrow for China-US economic and trade cooperation.