File Photo: Chinese Consul General in Houston Li Qiangmin delivers a speech at the opening ceremony of an art exhibition event in Houston, Texas, the United States, Jan. 5, 2019. (Xinhua/Liu Liwei)
Chinese Consul General in Houston Li Qiangmin has said that cooperation is the only correct choice for both China and the United States, and that conflict can only hurt both.
The consul general made the remarks on Saturday in his keynote speech to open the 2019 Southern-U.S. China Summit in Houston, U.S. state of Texas, which was co-hosted by the Houston Tsinghua Alumni Association and the Peking University Alumni Association of Houston.
Given the two countries' differences in stage of development and economic system, it is inevitable that the two sides will experience differences and friction in their commercial cooperation, Li said.
"By adopting a rational and cooperative attitude, the two countries have managed to resolve previous conflicts, bridge differences, and render the bilateral commercial relationship more mature through dialogue and consultation," he said.
The one-day meeting, which was dedicated to celebrating the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China and the 40th anniversary of China-U.S. diplomatic relations, attracted around 200 scholars, business representatives, and alumni of Tsinghua University and Peking University to discuss education, energy, health care and investment among other subjects.
Dong Wang, president of the Houston Tsinghua Alumni Association, said that alumni of Tsinghua and Peking universities are committed to China-U.S. exchanges and cooperation and have made contributions to the relations between the two countries.
Wendy Zhao, president of Peking University Alumni Association of Houston, said that no matter how the political rhetoric shifts, the trend of international collaboration and communication cannot be interrupted.
"We believe that tensions could only be temporary. As part of the international community we will never spare our efforts to promote understandings and communications of both sides," she said.
The annual meeting is the second forum jointly organized by the two alumni associations in Houston, the fourth largest city in the United States.
