Participants to an online international forum starting Tuesday urged China and the United States to seek common ground to push their relations back on track and make joint contribution to resolving major global challenges.

The two countries should jointly build relations based on coordination, cooperation and stability, said Zeng Peiyan, chairman of the China Center for International Economic Exchanges (CCIEE), when addressing the three-day forum on China-U.S. relations.

The event was co-organized by the China-United States Exchange Foundation (CUSEF) and the CCIEE.

Different social systems of the two countries do not necessarily lead to confrontation, and coexistence and mutual progress are absolutely possible, Zeng said, stressing that China is a participant and contributor of the current international order, bringing opportunities, rather than threats, to the world.

Zeng called on the United States to meet China halfway, avoid confrontation, and achieve mutual benefits. China and the United States should restart dialogues, reshape economic and trade ties, improve mutual trust and expand cooperation, Zeng said.

Tung Chee-hwa, vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and head of the CUSEF, said the two countries, despite disputes in trade and economic policies, had managed to expand cooperation in multiple areas, including tackling global financial crises.

China and the United States should open a new chapter, refocus on cooperation and jointly meet challenges, Tung said.

Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Carrie Lam lamented the so-called sanctions imposed by the United States on Hong Kong and expressed the hope that the new U.S. administration will view the national security law in Hong Kong in a fair manner.

Nearly 1,300 U.S. companies are operating in Hong Kong and 85,000 U.S. citizens are living in Hong Kong, Lam said, adding that Hong Kong hopes to play a constructive role in leveraging its unique advantages under "one country, two systems" and continue to serve as a commercial bridge connecting the two major economies.

Other forum participants said in the post-pandemic era, China and the United States should promote dialogue and communication as well as strengthen cooperation on global issues, which will not only benefit the two countries but also have a positive and far-reaching impact on global development.

Jean Chretien, former prime minister of Canada, said China-U.S. relations play a key role in helping the world rise above the shadows of the pandemic. Yasuo Fukuda, former prime minister of Japan, said that the resolution of many global issues, including climate change, requires joint efforts of the two countries.

Carlos Gutierrez, former U.S. Secretary of Commerce, said the two economies rely much on each other and can not "decouple," calling on the two sides to avoid a "cold war" in technology and not to politicize business issues.

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