Xi says both sides should avoid politicizing economic and trade issues, and calls on entrepreneurs to fulfill social responsibility

WASHINGTON - The highly complementary economies of China and the United States seek more cooperation in the future, said Vice-President Xi Jinping at a roundtable of business leaders on Tuesday afternoon.

Addressing more than 20 Chinese and US entrepreneurs, Xi called on both sides to help advance trade and economic ties, which serve as the "ballast" and "propeller" of relations.

Entrepreneurs should turn the great potential cooperation into concrete and tangible results, said Xi with US counterpart Joe Biden by his side.

Both sides should avoid politicizing economic and trade issues as well as all forms of interference, and should strive to safeguard the general situations of Sino-US economic and trade cooperation and relations, Xi said.

"With regard to the US concerns about trade balance, intellectual property rights protection, indigenous innovation and investment environment, China has taken steps to address them and will continue to do so," he said.

"We hope that the US will adopt the same positive attitude and take credible steps as soon as possible to address Chinese concerns on lifting restrictions on high-tech exports to China, and providing a level playing field for Chinese companies investing in America," he said.

Vice-President Xi Jinping (center) and US Vice-President Joe Biden (second right) participate in a US-China roundtable with business leaders at the US Chamber of Commerce in Washington on Tuesday. [Liu Jiansheng / Xinhua]