Harmonious China-U.S. relationship good for the world: former U.S. Secretary of Commerce

(ECNS) -- Carlos M. Gutierrez, former U.S. Secretary of Commerce, said China and the United States are the two most important countries in the world and a harmonious China-U.S. relationship is good for the world.

Gutierrez made the remarks while attending the 2024 Boao Forum for Asia, scheduled for March 26 to 29 in Boao of south China's Hainan Province.

The U.S. should not take TikTok as a national security concern

Gutierrez mentioned that he uses TikTok and likes it. "A lot of people do. I don't understand why this wonderful little APP can be a national security concern," he said.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill early this month that could potentially lead to the nationwide ban on short-video app TikTok, citing unfounded national security concerns due to its Chinese ownership.

The bill gives ByteDance, the China-based company that owns TikTok, roughly five months to sell TikTok.

If divestiture is not achieved by that time, it will be illegal for app store operators such as Apple and Google to offer the app for download.

The bill still needs passage in the Senate to become law but the move has drawn widespread criticism from both within and outside the U.S.

Harmonious China-U.S. relationship benefits the world

Gutierrez emphasized the significance of harmonious relations between China and the U.S.

They are the most important two countries in the world and it's good for the world that the two countries get along, he said.

"We need to understand that China and the U.S. have different histories, cultures, and principles. And we need to respect that," he stressed.

"I think over the long term wisdom will prevail. As the saying goes "We should strive for harmony, and not for sameness, not to be the same in everything," he added. 

"We should be harmonious in our relationship and there are some things about each other that are different," he said.

He noted that China has been a leader in many ways. "China today has an impact on where the world goes because it's so big and so important," he said.