"China and the United States will continue to develop a positive relation no matter who wins the US presidential election," - said Chinese Premier Li Keqiang at the economic forum in New York, at the same time refusing to name the candidate he supports. Republican Donald Trump threatened to raise tariffs on Chinese goods, and to insist on more stringent trade talks if elected. His Democratic rival Hillary Clinton changed tactics on trade, spoke out against the Pacific Trade Agreement, which it had previously approved of.

Li Keqiang, who attended the UN General Assembly in New York, said that the US elections are an internal matter. "No matter who will be elected, I believe that the Chinese-US relations will continue to grow steadily and in a positive direction." In addition, Li Keqiang responded to complaints from foreign business leaders about the limited access to the Chinese market, saying that China was open to foreign investment, although some sectors of the economy have not yet "matured".