LEXINGTON, the United States, May 22 (Xinhua) -- The fifth China-U.S. Governors Forum kicked off here Wednesday, with officials from both countries expressing optimism over the future of local-level cooperation.
Chinese Ambassador to the United States Cui Tiankai told the press that local-level cooperation between the two countries is a "bright spot" in bilateral relations and will become a new driver for bilateral cooperation.
"Officials from both countries showed great enthusiasm in attending the forum, bringing with them many great ideas," Cui noted, adding that he is confident that some of the ideas on cooperation will materialize into tangible results.
Acknowledging that the China-U.S. relationship is facing uncertainties, he said he hopes "positive factors at local levels will triumph over the negatives in certain areas."
Cyrus Habib, lieutenant governor of the U.S. state of Washington, said that the forum of local leaders from both countries offers a unique opportunity to further the interest of both peoples.
"We are a complex country and China is also a very complex country. Even though our national governments do a lot, but still they can't do everything. We need states and even cities, which are much closer to the people, to engage in dialogue," he said.
The U.S. state of Kentucky is hosting the three-day forum this year. It will feature dialogues on business, culture, education and other issues, as well as a signing ceremony for a memorandum of understanding between the Chinese city of Chongqing and Kentucky.
The National Governors Association, one of the organizers of the event, said in a statement that about 400 people from both countries are expected to attend to event.
"This shows strong interest in forging and maintaining strong relationships at the subnational level for the mutual benefit of the United States and China," it said.
Initiated in 2011, the China-U.S. Governors Forum has become an important platform to promote exchanges and cooperation between local governments of the two countries.
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