Saturday, May 24, 2025
14.4 C
London

China’s Xi pens letter to Starbucks tycoon to promote trade

- Advertisement -

China’s President Xi Jinping has asked former Starbucks chairman Howard Schultz to help promote trade between Washington and Beijing in a rare missive to a foreign business figure, state media reported Thursday.

Xi, responding to an earlier message from Schultz, urged the multi-billionaire to “continue to play an active role in promoting China-US economic and trade cooperation”, the official Xinhua news agency said.

China will “provide a broader space for companies from all over the world, including Starbucks and other American companies, to develop in China”, Xi wrote in his letter.

It was not immediately clear why the letter was published by state media, but it comes as relations between the superpowers have reached a nadir with bitter disputes over trade, tech, security and rights.

- Advertisement -

Starbucks, a ubiquitous sight in major Chinese cities, says it has opened over 4,700 coffee shops across the country since 1999.

Schultz, who stepped down as chairman of the chain in 2018 but retains an honorary title at the company, had previously congratulated Xi on China’s transition into “moderately prosperous society”, Xinhua said.

US-China ties have grown increasingly strained under the administration of Donald Trump.

Beijing and Washington have also sparred over blame for the Covid-19 pandemic and China’s human rights record in Xinjiang and Hong Kong.

- Advertisement -

But China’s top diplomat Wang Yi has called for both sides to “restart the dialogue” and “rebuild mutual trust” with the incoming US administration of president-elect Joe Biden.

Xi and Schultz previously met at a formal reception in Seattle during the Chinese leader’s state visit to the US in 2015.

© Agence France-Presse

- Advertisement -

Hot this week

Kate Middleton expecting twins, according to reports

According to news on the Internet, the Duchess of...

Is BTS’s Taehyung colour blind?

The rumour mill online has been speculating that Korean...

Hurley wore ‘the dress’ after being snubbed by top fashion designers

Model Liz Hurley became famous after wearing "the dress"...

Hyun Bin taking legal action against rumours involving Son Ye Jin

While the hottest K-drama screening on-air is undoubtedly Crash...

HK protesters call for boycott of Ip Man 4: The Finale

Hong Kong -- The final instalment of the Ip...

ChatGPT at two — and OpenAI’s vision for the future

Two years after OpenAI launched ChatGPT, the groundbreaking AI...

Vertical Institute Unveils Generative AI Course to Meet Growing Demand for Digital Proficiency

The future of work is undeniably intertwined with artificial...

Jimmy Carter: The Nobel US president who lived to be 100

Jimmy Carter, the peanut farmer who became the 39th...

Manmohan Singh: The leader who transformed India

Manmohan Singh's story is one of remarkable transformation, both...

Why AI ‘hallucinates’: What’s missing in the models

The American writer Richard Powers' latest novel, Playground, delves...

Challenging job market diminishes appeal of postgraduate studies in China

China is seeing a significant decline in postgraduate entrance...

Fatherhood changing in East Asia: Dads get into parenting and housework

A transformation in fatherhood is quietly unfolding across East...

Related Articles

Popular Categories

spot_img