U.S., China experts gather in Michigan to share thoughts on bilateral ties

Dozens of Experts from a diverse range of fields gathered at the Michigan CHINA Forum on Saturday to share thoughts on CHINA-U.S. relations and probe into cooperation opportunities between the two countries.

The two-day forum, titled "Empower the Transformation," consists of five-panel discussions ranging in topics from business and education to environment and sports. The event, which is being held at the University of Michigan (UM) in the Midwestern U.S. state of Michigan, is aimed at providing a platform for professionals and students to gain insights, dispel biases and engage in inspiring dialogues.

"Actually, the UM was the first place that the Chinese Ping-Pang delegation visited in the United States in 1972," said Brian Wu, Associate Professor of Strategy at the Ross School of Business of the UM.

Ronald Inglehart, Political Scientist and Professor Emeritus at the UM, and also a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, told Xinhua that "CHINA's rise creates opportunities for both countries, so the emotional perception that if CHINA rises, the United States will suffer should not be true."

Delivering a keynoted speech, Chinese Consul-General in Chicago Zhao Jian said that over the past 40 years, bilateral, regional and global cooperation between CHINA and the United States have been very fruitful.

"From regional hot-spots to counter-terrorism and nonproliferation, from global financial crisis to environment protection, and from disease control to moon exploration, the list of areas of CHINA-U.S. cooperation is growing longer and longer," said Zhao.

Founded in 2017, the Michigan CHINA Forum is a non-profit organization with an aim to tap bilateral cooperation and mutually beneficial development opportunities between CHINA and the United States.