Largest- ever delegation seeks opportunities in the US

China sent its largest- ever delegation, comprising more than 150 investors, to participate in the SelectUSA Investment Summit in 2017, according to a report by fi nancial news portal yicai. com on Monday.

Experts said this has good implications for the bilateral economic relationship between China and the US. “Chinese investors’ growing enthusiasm for the US will benefi t the bilateral relationship,” He Weiwen, senior fellow of the Center for China and Globalization, told the Global Times on Monday.

The summit, launched in 2013, is the highest- profi le event promoting foreign direct investment in the US. It began on Sunday and ends on Tuesday in Washington.

A 100- day action plan was agreed on in April to tackle trade issues between the two countries. Under this plan, the US welcomes more Chinese investors.

China and the US have al- ready achieved initial results in agriculture, energy, fi nancial services and investment under the plan. This shows that the two countries are dealing with the relationship on a practical and item- by- item basis for mutual benefi t rather than making unreasonable blames on China by the US, He said.

But He said it’s still unclear when the two countries will resume talks on a bilateral investment treaty ( BIT), though the report from yicai. com said growing Chinese investment in the US was benefi cial for the two countries to restart the negotiations.

At least 29 rounds of BIT talks have been held since 2008, according to Xinhua.

Negotiations are still on the agenda, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said at a US-China Business Council annual meeting on June 6 in Washington, Xinhua reported.

Chinese firms invested a record $ 46 billion in the US in 2016, triple the amount in 2015, according to a report jointly released on May 17 by the Rhodium Group and the National committee on US-China Relations.

Bilateral direct investment reached a record high of more than $ 60 billion in 2016, said the report.

China’s investment has become a highlight and an important driving force in China-US economic and trade relations, according to a report from theMinistry of Commerce on May 25.