On August, 19, 2009, Wu Bangguo, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), met with a U.S. congress delegation led by Howard L. Berman, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

During the meeting, Wu spoke positively of the bilateral relations. He called on both sides to implement the consensus reached by the heads of state of the two countries and foster bilateral mutually beneficial cooperation to a higher level, stressing the efforts will not only serve the common interests of the two nations and two peoples, but will also be essential to maintaining peace, stability and development in the world. China has always attached great importance to ties with the United States and is ready to work with it to increase dialogue, exchanges and cooperation by proceeding from a strategic and long-term perspective. He urged both sides to respect each other's concerns and core interests and push ahead with the China-U.S. relations along the positive, cooperative and comprehensive track.

Wu said the friendly exchanges and cooperation between the NPC of China and the U.S. congress have played an important role in the development of China-U.S. relations. He expressed hope that both sides will continue to maintain the momentum of exchanges, build mutual understanding and trust and promote pragmatic cooperation, so that both peoples will benefit more from the development of bilateral ties.

Berman and other congressmen said they were delighted to witness the growth momentum of bilateral ties, noting that in face of the global challenges in the 21st century, the two sides should join hands to keep closer their ties. As U.S. congressmen, they pledged to continue making positive contributions to the development of bilateral ties.