Aerial view of Shanghai Photo: VCG

More top executives from US companies are paying in-person visits to China and have expressed their strong interest in taking part in China's development and pragmatic economic and trade cooperation between China and the US.

China's Commerce Minister Wang Wentao met with Microsoft President Brad Smith on Wednesday, noting that China welcomes multinational companies to continue to do business in the country and strives to promote high-quality development and high-level opening-up, according to a statement posted on the website of the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) on Wednesday.

The two exchanged views on Microsoft's development in China, China-US economic and trade relations and other issues, according to the statement.

China hopes Microsoft can play a constructive role in China-US cooperation in artificial intelligence and other areas and promote the sound development of bilateral trade and economic ties, MOFCOM quoted Wang as saying.

Smith said Microsoft has been in the Chinese market for over three decades and is willing to continue to deepen its links with the Chinese market. It will also contribute to the digital transformation of the Chinese economy and promote bilateral pragmatic cooperation.

Also on Wednesday, Gong Zheng, mayor of Shanghai, met with John McDonald, president and chief operating officer of the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS). Gong said he looks forward to deepening strategic cooperation with the ABS and jointly forging high-end shipping services to promote the smart and green transition of the shipping industry.

Gong called for efforts to achieve win-win results in allocating resources in the clean fuel supply chain for shipping vessels and in promoting and researching the use of pure-electric vessels.

For his part, McDonald said the ABS is willing to deepen cooperation with Chinese partners to promote an energy transition in shipping vessels and to build a green shipping corridor, adding that the ABS looks forward to contributing more in the effort to build Shanghai into an international shipping center.

On the same day, though without physically being in China, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said on Wednesday that the California-based chip designer will continue to develop a new set of products that comply with US government regulations involving exports of high-end chips to China, days after US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo threatened to "tighten" export controls against China.

Despite the external challenges, many US multinationals actively explored partnerships at the recently concluded 6th China International Import Expo in Shanghai and China International Supply Chain Expo in Beijing, in a reflection of their willingness to build stronger ties with their major trading partner.

"Just as some friends from the business community have said, China has become a synonym of the best investment destination. The 'next China' is still China," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin told a regular press conference on Wednesday.

Global Times