Vice-Premier Liu ends US trip with New York meeting

Vice-Premier Liu Yandong greets a guest at the Symposium on China-US Cultural Exchange and signing ceremony of cultural cooperation agreements at the Carnegie Hall in New York on Friday. ZHANG YUWEI / CHINA DAILY

Chinese Vice-Premier Liu Yandong concluded her US visit in New York as she met with US leaders in education, culture and the arts on Friday.

Coinciding with her 68th birthday, Liu told a group of American guests - including major experts in China-US relations - at Carnegie Hall that the occasion was special for her because she could spend the day with old and new American friends.

"This experience and your presence today remind me of a Chinese song - Be Friends Forever - whose lyrics go 'friendship is worth more than gold and life becomes an easier journey when we have more friends. Sincerity is what makes us friends and what makes everything work, so let's be friends forever'," said the vice-premier at a luncheon.

On Friday morning, Liu attended a symposium on China-US cultural exchange, whose guests included Steve Orlins, president of the National Committee on US-China Relations, and Josette Sheeran, president and CEO of the Asia Society in New York.

During her five-day visit to the US, Liu first visited Chicago, then Washington and New York. She attended 32 events and met with nearly 1,000 representatives from political, academic and business circles.

Liu said she felt the enthusiasm from the people she met during her trip, which she said showed that people-to-people relationship is a "driving force" for the good relations between the world's two largest economies.

"As long as we work together and build a bridge that can cross the Pacific Ocean and connect the hearts and minds of two peoples, we can deepen the mutual understanding and friendship … and we will definitely succeed in building this unprecedented and inspiring new model of 'major-country' relations," said Liu.

In Washington, Liu co-chaired with US Secretary of State John Kerry the fourth China-US High-Level Consultation on People-to-People Exchange on Thursday.

"State-to-state relations, at the end of the day, are all about people-to-people ties," said the vice-premier, adding that these exchanges can help cross the barriers of national borders and nourish the friendship between the two countries.