Chinese Ambassador Zhou Wenzhong, on April 10, addressed a gathering of the INFO Public Policy Roundtable hosted at IBM Governmental Programs in Washington, DC.
His Excellency Ambassador Zhou spoke about China’s development and its increased productivity and improved standard of living for the Chinese people but acknowledged the challenges of ensuring that all Chinese citizens are able to reap the economic benefits associated with China’s progress. The Chinese government is actively working to ensure a “Harmonious Society.” The Ambassador emphasized that China is pursuing a path of peaceful development that concentrates on economic and social progress in China while committing themselves to maintaining world peace and promoting common development, in a global context.
On the trade front, Ambassador Zhou talked about the importance of the US-China relationship and emphasized the importance of utilizing positive engagement to resolve disagreements, rather than more aggressive approaches. These remarks were made in the wake of a WTO IPR-related case that had just been filed by the US government. There was an acknowledgement of the challenges that governments face in responding to their own domestic constituencies – this is true for both the US and China. Positive engagement, through vehicles such as the intended focus of the bilateral Strategic Economic Dialogue were emphasized.
