Xi Jinping asks Starbucks's Schultz for help mending US-China ties

Chinese leaders have often tried to utilize ties with US business leaders to improve US-China relations, and have repeatedly stressed the role of commerce as a stabilizer in bilateral ties

President Xi Jinping called on Starbucks Corp. to help improve China-US ties, striking a business-friendly tone as the Biden administration prepares to take over in Washington.

“I hope Starbucks will make active efforts to promote China-US economic and trade cooperation and the development of bilateral relations,” Xi said in reply to a letter from Chairman Emeritus Howard Schultz. Xi’s letter was dated Jan. 6 and published Thursday by the official Xinhua News Agency.

“China has embarked on a new journey of comprehensively building a modern socialist country, which will provide a broader space for companies from all over the world,