Chinese business delegation to visit US in Dec for exchanges: CCPIT

Yang Fan, a spokesperson for China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) Photo: CCPIT

The China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) will organize a delegation of Chinese entrepreneurs to visit the US in early December at the invitation of the US Chamber of Commerce, a spokesperson of the CCPIT said on Thursday. A Chinese expert said that the move echoes the growing expectations for businesses to vote with their feet for closer and predictable economic and trade ties between the world's two largest economies and trading partners.

The remarks were made in response to a media inquiry about recent practical exchanges and interactions between the business communities of the two countries, as well as their views on the future development of China-US relations.

Speaking at Thursday's press conference, Yang Fan, the CCPIT spokesperson, said that China-US bilateral relations have remained generally stable and positive after the two heads of state met in Busan, South Korea, and agreed to strengthen cooperation in areas such as the economy and trade, creating favorable conditions for deeper exchanges and collaboration between the business communities of both countries.

Multiple events have been organized between the two major trading partners recently, with more expected in the foreseeable future, said Yang.

Regarding the upcoming trip by the delegation of Chinese businesses to the US, she said that participating companies span a wide range of sectors, including agriculture and food, machinery and electronics, financial services, cross-border trade, logistics and transportation, biomedicine, and trend culture.

The delegation will engage extensively with US government and business representatives and hold multiple China-US business exchange events, actively introducing China's new initiatives for high-quality development and high-level opening-up, said Yang.

Through face-to-face communication, we hope to build trust, address concerns, deepen cooperation, promote mutual achievement, and realize shared prosperity, Yang said.

In addition, at the invitation of the Canada China Business Council, the delegation will also visit Canada, where it will engage extensively with Canadian government and business representatives, according to Yang. The visit aims to advance the implementation of the outcomes of the meeting between the two heads of state in Gyeongju, South Korea, and actively promote practical cooperation in the economic and trade sectors, said the spokesperson.

Even when relations were very tense, close interactions between Chinese and US enterprises never stopped, showing that companies "vote with their feet" in seeking cooperation, He Weiwen, a senior fellow at the Center for China and Globalization, told the Global Times on Thursday.

He noted that since the meeting between the two heads of state in October, bilateral economic and trade relations have improved, giving these exchanges new momentum and providing the business community with a better environment for cooperation and greater market confidence. Against this backdrop, He said that the December visit of the business delegation to the US is expected to achieve positive results that benefit both sides.

This month, the CCPIT and the US side have jointly organized a series of business-exchange events, such as the 2025 health economy and innovation development dialogue conference co-hosted by the China Chamber of International Commerce and the US-China Business Council, and the China-US healthcare and insurance industry roundtable jointly held by the CCPIT and the US Embassy in China. A China-US food and beverage industry cooperation forum will also be held soon, according to the spokesperson.

Businesses from both countries have participated with strong enthusiasm and a clear willingness to cooperate, and they share high expectations for the stable, healthy, and sustainable development of China-US relations, said Yang.

"The potential for China-US economic and trade exchanges remains very large," He said, noting that despite trade tensions, the economic fundamentals of both sides remain complementary and mutually beneficial.

In 2024, China's exports to the US and imports from the US accounted for 14.7 percent and 6.3 percent of China's total exports and imports for the year. China is the US's third-largest export destination and second-largest source of imports. In 2024, US exports to China and imports from China accounted for 7.0 percent and 13.8 percent of the US total exports and imports for the year respectively.

"It is important to seize this favorable window, strengthen and expand these fundamentals, lengthen the list of cooperative projects, and further reduce tariffs and trade barriers - areas where the US still has considerable room to act," He added.