HONG KONG, July 9 (Xinhua) -- At a forum opened here Tuesday, many prominent politicians, scholars and business leaders said China and the United States should enhance communication and dialogue so as to push forward their trade negotiations and cooperation.

The two-day forum, co-hosted by the China Center for International Economic Exchanges (CCIEE) and the China-United States Exchange Foundation (CUSEF), two think tanks, is to review the status quo and explore prospects of China-U.S. trade and economic relations.

"I hope that at the end of this gathering we can come away more positive and more confident about the future," Tung Chee-hwa, founder of the CUSEF, said in his opening remarks.

The forum coincides with the 40th anniversary of the establishment of U.S.-China diplomatic relations and follows the Group of 20 summit, during which leaders of China and the United States agreed to restart economic and trade consultations between their countries on the basis of equality and mutual respect, the organizer said.

The forum, attended by hundreds from across the world, strives to promote U.S.-China relations by looking for ways to meet the current challenges and be a driving force for future cooperation and stability.

Zeng Peiyan, chairman of the CCIEE, said in his keynote speech that China's economy is deeply globalized and has facilitated the development of Asia and the world. He said China-U.S. economic cooperation and trade are mutually beneficial.

"China and the United States enjoy massive convergence of interests. Therefore, the two countries should become good partners," he said.

Yasuo Fukuda, former prime minister of Japan, said that in today's dramatically changing world, "all of us should stand up positively to this new historical phase" of China's growth.

Ed Feulner, chairman of Asian Studies Center at the Heritage Foundation, said China and the United States should regard the negotiations as an opportunity to reach the "shared goal" of remodeling and upgrading the economic relationship between the two sides.