Premier Li Keqiang called for pragmatic efforts to promote negotiations for a high-standard China-US bilateral investment treaty as soon as possible at a meeting on Thursday with former United States Treasury secretary Henry Paulson.

Paulson, currently chairman of the Paulson Institute, a think tank aimed at strengthening US-China relations, has been a frequent visitor to China.

He also met with Li last month in New York, along with US experts in finance, media and research, during intervals in meetings at the United Nations.

Li said China introduced the negative list and pre-access national treatment systems into the BIT negotiations. In a sluggish world economy and with rising trade protectionism, strengthening cooperation between the two countries sends a positive signal that promotes investment and trade liberalization, he said.

Li said he hoped both sides would continue to make pragmatic efforts to promote positive outcomes in the negotiations and that they will quickly reach agreement on a high-level investment treaty.

Paulson said his institute will continue to promote bilateral relations.

"The meeting sends a clear message via Paulson to the US that China welcomes foreign investment, including American enterprises, and that the US should uphold trade liberalization and investment facilitation no matter who is elected the new president," said Chen Fengying, a researcher at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations.

huyongqi@@chinadaily.com.cn

Henry Paulson, the former Treasury secretary of US attends a meeting with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on Oct 20, 2016.Kenzaburo Fukuhara/Reuters.