2011-01-21 17:38

CHICAGO - As the world's largest developing country and the largest developed country, China and the United States now have a broader basis for cooperation in promoting world economic growth, maintaining world peace and stability, and advancing sustainable global development, Chinese President Hu Jintao said here Thursday.

The two nations also shoulder more important common responsibilities on those issues, he said during a speech at a welcoming dinner hosted by Chicago Mayor Richard Daley.

Mutually beneficial economic cooperation provides indispensable and strong support for building the China-US cooperative partnership, and the US Midwest region's sustainable and fast-growing exchange and cooperation with China in recent years serves as a vivid example for the development of bilateral relations, Hu said.

As two major trading powers, China and the United States are both beneficiaries of free trade and therefore should set an example in improving the global trade system, pushing forward the Doha Round talks and resisting protectionism, Hu said.

China is ready to work with the United States to unleash the great potential for cooperation in such fields as finance, energy, environment and infrastructure construction, Hu said.

The Chinese president also underscored the importance of youth, saying teenagers represent the future of a country and the hope of the world, and the rosy picture of China-US relations is ultimately painted by the youth of the two countries.

Hu said Chicago has long taken the lead among US cities in strengthening its bonds with China, as evidenced by a variety of communications and cooperation in the fields of economy, trade, education and culture, among others.

Hu voiced hope that Chicago could serve as a role model in promoting bilateral practical cooperation and friendship between the peoples of the two countries.

"What we have done today is to make our peoples, our children and our grandchildren live in happiness and prosperity for ever, and for the world's lasting peace and sustained development," he said.

"The seeds of friendship and cooperation we sowed today is bound to take root and bear fruit in the future, and the China-US cooperative partnership will definitely have a better tomorrow," he added.

Daley, for his part, welcomed Hu's visit to Chicago and stressed that China and the United States should continue cementing the cooperative partnership between the two countries.

Past years have witnessed a closer bond between Chicago and China on political and economic fronts, Daley said.

Chicago's long-range goal is to make the city the most China-friendly city in the United States, Daley said. He said Chicago welcomes more Chinese businesses to establish and expand their presence in the city, and invites more Chinese tourists to visit.

As a major economic hub, Chicago needs to strengthen its trade ties  and promote people-to-people exchanges with China to secure its global competitiveness, Daley said.

Addressing the welcoming dinner, Daley said he believed that Hu's historic visit would push the relationship between China and Chicago to a new level.

Hu arrived in Chicago on Thursday, his only stop outside Washington during his four-day state visit to the United States. He will leave for home Friday.