Former Minister of the State Council Information Office Zhao Qizheng speaks in the US-China Think Tank Symposium in Des Moines,Iowa, the United States, June 12, 2017. [Photo/Xinhua]

DES MOINES, the United States - The prospects of US-China relations are promising in various fields including economic and trade cooperation, agricultural exchange, education and investment, according to participants in the US-China Think Tank Symposium held Monday.

More than 20 Chinese and US experts and scholars gathered Monday in Des Moines, the capital of the midwest US state of Iowa, to deliberate on such topics as China-US relations, local cooperation and the prospects of the relationship between the two countries.

In a speech at the opening ceremony, Former Minister of the State Council Information Office Zhao Qizheng said rapid development of China-US economic and trade cooperation is not only an epitome of China-US relations, but also helps build up a solid foundation for China-US cooperation in other fields.

Statistics show that China-US trade volume grew from $2.5 billion in 1979 to $524.3 billion in 2016, a rise of 209 times, according to Chinese Consul General in Chicago Hong Lei.

China is the United States' largest export market outside North America, and is also one of the fastest growing major export markets of the United States.

"People of both countries have benefited from this economic and trade relationship," said Zhao, "China-US economic and trade cooperation promises huge opportunities and potentials, and the prospects are very promising."

The relationship between China and the United States has experienced ups and downs all the way along but has kept forging ahead as economic and trade cooperation played the roles of "ballast stone" and "propeller," Hong said.

In 2016, bilateral service trade volume between the two countries exceeded $100 billion, and two-way investment totaled $170 billion.

"China-US relationship is one of the most important bilateral relations in the world, for which economic and trade cooperation is the most active and lasting driving force," Hong said.