Chinese envoys to the United States have highlighted the importance of deepening cooperation between China and the US state of California in trade, innovation and green development, while calling for mutual respect, openness and practical cooperation to help stabilize China-US relations amid global uncertainties.

The 2026 China-California Business Forum, themed "Better Understanding Better Business", on Tuesday brought together local US business leaders and a Chinese delegation consisting of more than 150 business leaders and trade officials from dozens of Chinese provinces. Hainan participated as the forum's guest province of honor.

In a video address to the forum, Chinese Ambassador to the United States Xie Feng said California's trade with China approached $90 billion last year, leading all US states, and noted that "two out of every five containers moving between China and the United States passed through California ports".

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Xie said China's economy had maintained strong momentum despite a "fluid external environment", adding that China's recently adopted 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) outlined a strategic blueprint for Chinese modernization and higher-quality growth.

More people had come to recognize that China, with stable policies, dynamic growth and greater openness, is "an anchor of stability for the global economy" and "a window of opportunity for all parties to share in China's development dividends", Xie said.

Calling California "a natural partner for China", Xie proposed four suggestions for advancing bilateral cooperation, including focusing on people's well-being, embracing green growth, upholding openness and unleashing innovation.

Green efforts

In particular, Xie said China and California could deepen cooperation in clean energy, green materials, carbon capture, utilization and storage, as well as green finance, including green bonds, climate funds and carbon markets, helping build "a cleaner, more beautiful and more sustainable world".

Xie also stressed the importance of stable China-US relations, saying that "the more turbulent the world becomes, the more important China-US relations are". He reiterated that "mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation should be the direction of our joint efforts".

Echoing Xie's remarks, Chinese Consul General in Los Angeles Guo Shaochun said the forum's development over the past decade demonstrated the significance of subnational cooperation between China and California.

Guo said China and California maintained highly complementary economies and close cooperation in trade, ports, shipping, education, film and television, among others.

He also highlighted the growing role of Chinese companies in California's economy. Guo said China ranked as the ninth-largest source of foreign investment in California in 2025, supporting more than 25,000 jobs.

At the same time, California-based companies including Apple, Qualcomm and Skechers continue to deepen cooperation with Chinese supply chain partners, he said.

Guo also pointed to cooperation between the ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach and Shanghai on green shipping corridors and low-carbon development in the global shipping industry.

On educational exchanges, Guo said Southern California hosts more than 50,000 Chinese students annually, contributing over $4 billion to the local economy.

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He also noted the success of Hollywood films in the Chinese market, citing Zootopia 2 as an example.

Guo said the business community remained "the most dynamic, pragmatic and resilient force in China-US relations" and called for expanded cooperation in modern agriculture, green transition, artificial intelligence, biomedicine and energy storage.

Local business leaders at the forum emphasized the significance of maintaining California-China cooperation.

Bay Area Council President and CEO Libby Schaaf expressed her appreciation for learning about China's trade policies and climate leadership. "May our example of collaboration and cooperation for our shared benefits be an example and inspiration for all," she said.

Contact the writers at renali@chinadailyusa.com