CRI听力:Premier lauds China-US biz ties, mentions "Big Apple"

On the sidelines of the first day of this year's UN general debate, Premier Li Keqiang has met with a group of high-profile former officials and statesmen, saying the relationship between China and the US still has a lot of room to grow.

"This time I've come to New York City to attend the general debate of the UN General assembly and a series of high-level UN events during the leaders' week. And I cherish this opportunity for having this discussion with representatives of different communities in New York to exchange views with you on China-U.S. relations and issues of mutual interest."

The session with the Chinese Premier has included former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, former Secretary of Treasury Henry Paulson and former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Addressing the roundtable, moderated by Bloomberg, Li Keqiang used a bit of humor to try to highlight the economic links between the two countries.

"China and the United States now have not only stable political ties, but also enjoy very close business cooperation. I've been told that every second of every day, a person in China is buying an iPhone product. The products are so popular in China right now that many of them probably aren't even aware that the real "big apple" is New York City."

Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg says getting together for a more intimate discussion is going to prove helpful in maintaining ties.

"A strong relationship between the United States and China we all think is critical to addressing so many of the world's big challenges. And today is a rare opportunity in a small group for a candid exchange of views and perspectives on some of the challenges we face and how we can work together on them."

Premier Li Keqiang also used the meeting to poke a bit of fun at Bloomberg, who became New York's Mayor after becoming a billionaire through Wall Street.

"And, I remember very vividly Dr. Kissinger gave me his well-known book 'On China' -- it's an autographed copy of his book -- and I also got a copy of Secretary Paulson's book 'On the Brink'. My book of Dr. Kissinger's is autographed, and am wondering if Mr. Bloomberg would like a cut of the royalties for the recommendation of the book, I'm wondering what price I should put on my autographed copy of the book?"

Premier Li Keqiang is scheduled to address the UN General Assembly as part of his time in New York before heading north to Ottawa for an official visit to Canada.

From there, he'll wrap up his North American trip with a stop-over in Cuba.

For CRI, I'm Xie Cheng.