China in Chicago with Hon. Ping Huang, Consul General of China in Chicago

On April 30, 2008, Hon. Ping Huang, Consul General of the People’s Republic of China, gave a lecture about developments in modern China.
His presentation was threefold. First he presented the social and economic situation in China. Second he discussed China’s path of peaceful development. Third and lastly he spoke on U.S. and China relations.

Ever since adopting its “opening up policy”, China has made remarkable progress in political, economic, and social developments. The economy has maintained steady growth. At present China’s GDP ranks 4th in the world; while its total import and export value ranked 3rd. Chinese peoples’ living standards have improved. Not only has China’s sturdy development benefited its 1.3 billion people, but also offered tremendous business opportunities to other countries by contributing about 16% of global economic growth in 2007.

That having been said, China is still the largest developing country in the world. Developing the economy and steadily improving the living standards of the Chinese people is the central task of the Chinese government.

China will adhere to the path of peaceful development and the building of a harmonious world in years to come. China will make use of the international peaceful environment to develop itself and at the same time promote world peace. To do this, China must open itself wider and work more closely with the rest of the world so that “we all come out as winners.” China will continue to pursue the independent foreign policy of peace and will always be a strong force for world peace without seeking hegemony or engaging in expansion.

Next Mr. Huang discussed the relations between China and the United States. China and the United States established diplomatic relations in 1979. The relation on the whole is moving forward steadily. It has become one of the most important state to state relations in today’s world. President Hu Jintao and President Bush have met and reached agreements on a wide range of issues.

In the early days of diplomatic relations China and the U.S. had no intergovernmental co operational agreement at all. Today there exists over 30. President Bush and President Hu Jintao met several times in recent years and reached important agreements over a wide range of issues: economy, trade, counter-terrorism, non-proliferation, education, environmental protection, and law enforcement – just to name a few. Also important is maintaining close consultation and cooperation of major international and regional issues such as the North Korean and Iranian nuclear issues, UN reforms, climate changes, disease control and prevention, Dar fur, Myanmar, and the Middle East.

In 2007 China and the U.S. trade reached a new record. With a total of 300 billion which was 10.5% increase more than the previous year. China is now the United States’ 2nd largest trading partner and vice versa.

China is a major and fastest growing export market for the United States; while the U.S. is China’s 2nd largest export market.

Between China and the Midwest states there have been developments in trade, culture, education, and technology. Many companies have a huge investment in China. 30 Chinese companies are doing business in the Midwest with a total investment of 100 million. The U.S. investment in China is much larger with 56 billion U.S. dollars total.

2008 is an important year for both China and the U.S. China will not only mark the 30th anniversary of its reform and opening up but also host the Olympic Games. The U.S. will elect its new president.

It is Mr. Huang’s wish that the advancement of the constructive and cooperative China/U.S. relationship should prosper.

There were several interesting topics brought up in the question and answer session of the presentation. Questions were raised concerning China’s position on Dar Fur. Also discussed was how the Chinese government balances globalization and political system of China (communism). Another topic that was brought up was about the competition between China and India. Someone else brought up human rights and whether the ends justify the means.