NEW YORK, Sept. 4 (Xinhua) -- The city of Zhaotong in China's Yunnan Province is aiming to promote economic and cultural ties with U.S. cities and bolster the two countries' local-level exchanges and cooperation.
Addressing the China (Zhaotong) - USA Economic and Cultural Cooperation Conference in New York's Manhattan on Tuesday, Su Lizhong, secretary of the Communist Party of China Zhaotong Municipal Committee, said that Zhaotong is a historic city with over 2,000 years, famed for its rich natural resources and colorful intangible cultural heritage.
Located in China's southwest, the city is a well-connected transportation hub between China and Southeast Asia and South Asia, he said, adding that Zhaotong is also a favorable destination with convenient business environment for foreign investors.
Su expressed his expectation of more and closer China-U.S. exchanges at the local level, and invited American investors and entrepreneurs to seek opportunities in Yunnan and benefit from economic and cultural cooperation.
Hou Lihong, science and technology counselor in New York, said that Zhaotong, located in the northeastern part of Yunnan Province, is an important section of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative.
Hou highlighted that China's pursuit of high-quality development will offer more opportunities for the win-win cooperation between China and the United States.
Jeffery Jones, former mayor of Paterson City and chairman of the Council for Trade and Investment Promotion (CTIP), said that he traveled in many Chinese cities such as Beijing, Wuhan and Guangzhou before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Encouraged by the news that China is adhering to the opening-up policy and moving forward, Jones said he believes that CTIP will engage with more areas in China in exploring business. ■
