Gutierrez underscores strategic trust in Sino-U.S. ties

BEIJING, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Former U.S. Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez has urged enhancing strategic trust and deepening economic cooperation between China and the United States, saying China is more a collaborator than a competitor for the U.S. economy.

Speaking to Xinhua after a gathering of Chinese and U.S. business leaders and former officials held on Wednesday, Gutierrez said a lack of strategic trust is the main challenge in bilateral relations.

"We often don't understand China very well and then Chinese companies and government officials may not understand the U.S. system very well. I think that leads to misunderstandings and misunderstandings can lead to a lack of trust," Gutierrez said.

He said an upcoming meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Barack Obama will be opportunity for the two leaders to build a personal relationship, which he said will play an important role in bilateral ties.

"What makes this meeting is so special is that it's going to be in an informal setting. The two leaders will have the opportunity to spend time together alone," said Gutierrez.

He emphasized tolerance in building trust between the two countries, saying China and the United States should be tolerant of their differences and focus on the fact that they have a lot of similarities.

He also called for more efforts to help the two nations better understand each other, including promoting tourism and education exchanges.

There is a great deal of room for the world's two biggest economies to step up cooperation in areas like energy and financial services.

"Sometimes our companies will compete, but that is normal, that's part of the marketplace. The important thing is that we are friends, allies and collaborators," he said.

The United States and China, the world's two biggest economies, are also each other's second-largest trade partners. Trade between the two countries has ballooned over the past three decades to hit around 500 billion U.S. dollars in 2012.

Gutierrez said the United States should "be careful in being too prescriptive" in terms of what it wants China to do regarding its exchange rate policy.

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