Remarks by Consul General Gao Zhansheng at
2011 Silicon Valley Technology
Innovation & Entrepreneurship Forum
(October 21, 2011, Santa Clara Convention Center)
The Honorable Vice Chairman Cheng Siwei,
The Honorable President Clinton,
The Honorable Congresswoman Chu,
The Honorable Speaker pro Tempore Fiona Ma,
Ladies and Gentlemen:
It is a great pleasure and honor to be here today. First of all, I want to join President of the Forum- Fiona Ma- in extending congratulations on the opening of the Forum and welcome to all delegates in attendance here today, particularly, to the delegates coming all the way from China.
Standing at this podium, I can think of no better place to have an innovation forum than in Silicon Valley, innovation centre of the world. For the past few decades, high-tech innovation has been playing a significant role in growing the US economy. It is America's relentless innovation that gives it a competitive edge and makes it rank as the number one competitive economy in the world.
Like the United States, China has long been aware of the importance of innovation in creating a robust, healthy and sustainable economy. Over the last 10 years, China's economy has been growing by 10.5 percent annually, with both its GDP and trade volume rising to the second place in the world last year. However, that does not change the reality that we are still at the lower end of the global value chain. The technology content and added value of our products remain low.
For us, the past several decades of high-speed growth has also thrown off a host of serious problems, such as a lack of balance and coordination in development, inefficient use of recourses, environmental strains, and flagging demand and consumption.
In this context, China is determined to pursue a new and distinctive road to development, characterized by scientific, independent, open, peaceful, cooperative and common development.
Although each nation need to develop sound policy environment and find best practices to support science, technology and innovation, this can not happen in isolation. History has shown that countries benefit from increased international engagement and suffer from protectionism. When we inform each other of our respective findings and share them on the basis of equality, mutual benefit and reciprocity, we all will prosper and enrich the world.
China and the US have had a rich record of exchanges and cooperation in science and technology.
In January, 1979 when China and the US just established diplomatic ties, Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping signed China-U.S. Agreement on Cooperation in Science and Technology with President Jimmy Carter, the very first accord signed by our two governments. Since then, China-US science and technology cooperation has remained one of the strongest aspects of our bilateral relationship, covering a diverse array of fields, including basic research in physics and chemistry, civil industrial technology, geology, health, and disaster research.
32 years later, this January, when President Hu Jintao paid a state visit to the U.S., our two countries signed the extension of the Agreement, signifying our continuing commitment to maintain and expand science and technology cooperation. I trust that under the newly extended agreement, the realms of science and technology will continue to provide a solid common ground on which both nations increase mutual understanding, deepen mutual trust, and turn our creativity into products and services that benefit everyone.
Our two countries have also had productive exchanges in the area of innovation, which is evidenced by the successful launching of China-US Innovation Dialogues last October in Beijing and this May in Washington D.C. China-US Experts-Level Innovation Dialogue was held this March in San Francisco, helping to increase exchanges and understanding between our innovation communities.
Ladies and Gentlemen!
In a globalised world, China and the U.S. are getting increasingly interconnected and mutually dependent. A prosperous China is in America's interests, and a prosperous America is in China's interests. To sustain the good momentum of our cooperation and collaboration in science, technology and innovation, we need to take a long-term and strategic perspective on our bilateral relationship, work together to deepen strategic mutual trust, better appreciate each other's strategic intentions and development paths, respect each other's core interests and major concerns, and deal with difference in a proper way.
I do believe that this forum will further enhance our mutual understanding and generate more innovative ideas, bringing more opportunities for our science, business and innovation communities to cooperate for the benefit of our two nations and for the entire world as well.
I wish this forum a complete success!
Thank you very much!