China hopes for progress in investment treaty negotiations with US

BEIJING — China is willing to work with the United States to progress negotiations on the bilateral investment treaty, Premier Li Keqiang said Monday.

As each other's largest trading partners and with economic interests highly integrated, China and the US can achieve win-win through deepening cooperation, Li said when meeting with the first delegation to China from the new US congress.

"China is willing to expand trade, two-way investment and cooperation at the local level and handle any disputes or frictions through dialogue with the US to realize a more balanced trade relationship," Li said.

The premier said a healthy and stable China-US relationship and enhanced cooperation is in the interests of the two countries and is conducive to the world peace, stability, development and prosperity.

Li said the meeting between President Xi Jinping and President Donald Trump several days ago set the tone for the progression of bilateral relations. He said China was willing to work with the US to enhance exchanges and dialogue in various fields and at all levels and promote greater development of relations based on mutual respect and benefits.

US senators Steve Daines, John A. Barrasso, Rob Portman, John Neely Kennedy and congressmen Chris Stewart and Brad Wenstrup said the US-China relationship was the most important bilateral relationship for the US.

The US delegation said congress will strengthen its relations with China and expects more lawmakers to visit China and contribute to mutually beneficial cooperation.