'Business is business, politics is politics', says Chinese Vice-Premier to US
Vice-Premier Wang Yang called on China and the United States to tackle economic disputes in a way similar to how he handles his role in his family and the Communist Party.
In an address to a dinner at the National Committee on US-China Relations, Wang said politicising economic issues would only lead to more confrontations. "Business is business, politics is politics," he said.
He went on to say that the situation was similar that which he encountered every day. "I am a Communist Party member. But when I am back home, I have to do what my wife asks me to do. “Because work and life are two separate things," he said.
Work and life are two separate things
Wang said his last trip to the US aimed to find common ground between the two nations, but the aim of this trip was to manage the differences, which he said would make the world more colourful.
“The US would not be the US if it only had Manhattan, but not Las Vegas," he said. "The world would not be the same if there was only Washington, but not Beijing.
Beijing had been implementing various economic reforms, but Washington should not expect them to be accomplished overnight, he said.
The US was a "teacher" of market economy with its more than 200 years of experience, but China was still a "student" with only 30 years of experience since its economic opening up, he said.
