On August 29, 2023, Chinese Ambassador to the United States Xie Feng delivered a keynote speech at the fifth U.S.-China Business Forum held by Forbes at invitation. Ambassador Xie stressed that friends from the business community are important “stakeholders” in the China-U.S. relationship. He encouraged them to continue building bridges of friendship and cooperation, and play a vital role in deepening bilateral exchanges and stabilizing China-U.S. relations.

Ambassador Xie said that as a Chinese saying goes, “When a nest is toppled, no egg will stay intact.” Only when China-U.S. relations are sound can practical cooperation be smooth and investors be at ease. Ambassador Xie recalled that over the past three months since he arrived in the United States, he has reached out to American people from all walks of life. His deep impression is that the hope and foundation of China-U.S. relations lie in the people. One of his important tasks is to seek out supporters of China-U.S. relations, reduce differences and disagreements, and expand dialogue and cooperation, so as to jointly bring the China-U.S. relationship back to the right track and move it forward.

Ambassador Xie said that the two countries have recently made heartening progress in facilitating travels and people-to-people exchanges. China has resumed group tours to the United States, and the two sides have agreed to increase passenger flights. Going forward, we need to continue taking concrete steps, no matter how small they may look. The two sides can explore more tangible cooperation outcomes and inject more positive energy into bilateral relations, for instance, by adjusting the China travel advisory, renewing the China-U.S. agreement on cooperation in science and technology, holding the China-U.S. Tourism Leadership Summit, and facilitating visa application and border entry for each other’s citizens.