Chinese and U.S. firms signed 32 trade and investment contracts on Monday worth some 10.6 billion U.S. dollars, which the U.S. Chamber of Commerce said will support U.S. economic growth and job creation.

U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke (L) meets with visiting Chinese Commerce Minister Chen Deming at the US Commerce Department in Washington, the United States, on April 27, 2009. [Xinhua]

"With businesses in both countries struggling, these deals come at a critical time and will help create jobs and stronger commercial bonds between the United States and China," said Myron Brilliant, the chamber's senior vice president of international affairs, who presided over the signing ceremony.

Companies like China Mobile, Lenovo, Amway, Cisco, Dell, Emerson, EMC, Ford, Freescale and Hewlett-Packard signed deals at the ceremony.

"The Chinese government does not pursue a trade surplus with the U.S.," visiting Chinese Commerce Minister Chen Deming wrote in an article published on The Wall Street Journal on Monday.

"We will continue to encourage Chinese companies to import more from the U.S., and we will also welcome U.S. companies and trade-promotion agencies to be more active in China," said Chen.

Prior to the signing ceremony, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products hosted a forum, at which senior American and Chinese business executives spoke about the importance of U.S.-China cooperation in addressing shared economic, geostrategic, and environmental challenges.

U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk (L) meets with visiting Chinese Commerce Minister Chen Deming at the US Trade Representative Office in Washington, the United States, on April 27, 2009.[Xinhua]??

(Xinhua News Agency April 28, 2009)