Trade and investment have come to be the foundation, the ballast, of the U.S.-China relationship, providing great stability.

Protecting basic rights such as freedom of expression enhances social stability.

I have learned some core lessons along the way. Among the most important, I have become a firm believer that a strong geopolitical relationship can be born out of a strong economic relationship, which often begins with trade.

The U.S.-China relationship is one of the most important bilateral relationships in the world.

We want to free up trade and investment, and to simplify customs controls, access, standards and paperwork.

We now have an explosion of new trade and investment incentives - currently 15 under implementation, close to 10 signed, more than 20 under negotiation and at least 16 more proposed.