Feature: U.S. dignitaries say U.S., China must keep good relations to benefit world

Charles Foster (L), chairman of U.S.-China Partnership and former chairman of Asia Society Texas Center, Chase Untermeyer (C), former U.S. Ambassador to Qatar, and Neil Bush, the son and private representative to former U.S. President George H. W. Bush discuss during the National Chinese Language Conference 2017 in Houston, the United States, April 7, 2017. The United States and China, two major countries in the world today, must keep good relations and strengthen their win-win cooperation as this will not only benefit the two countries, but also the whole world, some well-known Americans has said. (Xinhua/Zhang Yongxing)

by Xinhua writer Zhang Yongxing

HOUSTON, April 8 (Xinhua) -- The United States and China, two major countries in the world today, must keep good relations and strengthen their win-win cooperation as this will not only benefit the two countries, but also the whole world, some well-known Americans has said.

Charles Foster, chairman of U.S.-China Partnership and former chairman of Asia Society Texas Center, Chase Untermeyer, former U.S. Ambassador to Qatar, and Neil Bush, the son and private representative to former U.S. President George H. W. Bush, shared the view that the U.S.-China relations are the most important one in the world.

In their interviews with Xinhua on Friday on the sideline of the 10th National Chinese Language Conference (NCLC) in Houston, Texas, the U.S. dignitaries said such relations will have significant impacts on the two countries and the world as a whole.

"Meetings between the heads of state of China and the United States have always played a critical role in defining and maintaining this important bilateral relationship, no more so than today after a very bumpy start by President Donald Trump," Foster said.

"Chinese President Xi Jinping's meeting with President Trump indicates that both recognize the critical need to support and reinvigorate our most important bilateral relationship," he said.

From his point of view, Houston has played a greater role in U.S.-China policy than one might recognize.

"The world saw the iconic photo in 1979 when paramount Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping during his historic visit put on a 10-gallon Stetson hat at the Simonton Rodeo east of Houston, evidencing the huge change in U.S.-China relations," Foster said.

"Deng Xiaoping opened China's very first Consulate General in the United States in Houston. By virtue of the fact that President George H. W. Bush in 1974 served as one of our first envoys to our initial Liaison Office in Beijing, Bush established personal relations with key Chinese figures; those relationships served him well as vice president and president of the United States," he said.

As an international port city with a very large Chinese immigrant community, Houston continues to benefit from the relationship, with China as our second-largest trading partner, he said.

He added that Houston's energy, real estate and other sectors benefit from a significant flow of foreign direct investments from China to help fund local Chinatown expansions, high-rise condominium developments inside the Loop, and oil and gas and other Houston business deals.

Foster stressed that continued and honest dialogue between the United States and China is critical, Houston can continue to do its part in enhancing and improving U.S. bilateral relationship with China.

Untermeyer, former U.S. ambassador to Qatar from 2004 to 2007 and also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, pointed out the importance of a healthy and stable ties between the United States and China to the world economy and peace.

Describing China as a rising major country, he said: "China is very important for the U.S. and the world because the world peace and economic prosperity depend critically on China and the United State, the two countries must keep good relations and enjoy good cooperation."

"China is not our enemy and will not become our enemy. The U.S. does not need an enemy like China, but needs a friend like China, which is developing very fast over the past decades," said Untermeyer, who also served former U.S. President George H. W. Bush.

"What we need now is not confrontation with China, but cooperation with China. There exist problems between us, what we should do and must do is to work together to resolve the problems for a brighter future," he said.

Neil Bush, also a successful businessman and investor who has travelled to China for more than 100 times so far, said that like his father, he supports a good relationship with China as the ties have greatly benefited the two countries over the past decade.

"I am proud of my father as he has played a greater role in U.S.-China relations," he said.

"I firmly believe that the world needs a prosperous China, which is on a peaceful rise. The world also needs the most powerful countries like China and the United States to have good ties and good cooperation as this is of great importance for both of us and the world," he said.

The three Americans said in one voice that the meeting between the presidents of the two countries in Florida is very significant and the only way to elevate bilateral ties to a new high is honest dialogue and win-win cooperation.