NEW YORK, Sept. 4 (Xinhua) -- The city of Zhaotong in China's Yunnan Province is aiming to promote economic and cultural ties with U.S. cities and bolster the two countries' local-level exchanges and cooperation.

Addressing the China (Zhaotong) - USA Economic and Cultural Cooperation Conference in New York's Manhattan on Tuesday, Su Yongzhong, secretary of the Communist Party of China Zhaotong Municipal Committee, said that Zhaotong is a historic city with over 2,000 years, famed for its rich natural resources and colorful intangible cultural heritage.

Located in China's southwest, the city is a well-connected transportation hub between China and Southeast Asia and South Asia, he said, adding that Zhaotong is also a favorable destination with convenient business environment for foreign investors.

Su expressed his expectation of more and closer China-U.S. exchanges at the local level, and invited American investors and entrepreneurs to seek opportunities in Yunnan and benefit from economic and cultural cooperation.

Hou Lihong, counselor of science and technology section of China's Consulate General in New York, said that Zhaotong, located in the northeastern part of Yunnan Province, is an important section of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative.

In recent years, Zhaotong has shifted its focus to high-quality development, and its living environment and infrastructure construction have been significantly improved, he said, stressing that the development of Zhaotong is an epitome of China's pursuit of high-quality development.

China will continue to advance high-quality development, expand high-level opening up, share the progress of Chinese modernization with the rest of the world, and inject fresh impetus into the global economy, Hou said.

Hou also highlighted that China's pursuit of high-quality development will offer more opportunities for the win-win cooperation between China and the United States.

Jeffery Jones, former mayor of Paterson in the U.S. state of New Jersey and chairman of the Council for Trade and Investment Promotion (CTIP) of New Jersey, said that he traveled in many Chinese cities such as Beijing, Wuhan and Guangzhou before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Encouraged by the news that China is adhering to the opening-up policy and moving forward, Jones said he believes that the CTIP will engage with more areas in China in exploring business.

Zhaotong is a populous city in Yunnan Province and a significant node along the famous "Southern Silk Road" in ancient times, acting as a two-way corridor linking China's inland areas with South Asia and Southeast Asia, and serving as a gateway to the rest of China.

It is also one of the largest high-quality apple bases in China, and boasts of large produce of potato and Gastrodia elata. Enditem

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