China's leader has called on Starbucks' former chairman Howard Schultz to help promote US-China relations, according to Chinese state media.
Chinese President Xi Jinping had written to Schultz, encouraging the American billionaire and the global coffee giant he ran for years to improve economic and trade ties.
Xi's letter was in response to a message from the US businessman.
According to a person familiar with the matter, Schultz recently sent the Chinese president a translated copy of his latest book, "From the Ground Up: A Journey to Reimagine the Promise of America." The correspondence included a letter to Xi, which pointed to Starbucks' longstanding commitment to China and its employees there, the person added.
Xi suggested that Schultz and Starbucks (SBUX) "continue to play a positive role in advancing" relations between the two countries. Xi also emphasized that China was working to open up further to "enterprises from across the world, including Starbucks and other American companies," the agency reported.
In a statement, Schultz said it was a "great honor" to have received a reply from Xi.
"I truly believe Starbucks' best days are ahead in China and that the values of creativity, compassion, community and hard work will guide the company toward an even greater business and community contribution, while continuing to build common ground for cooperation between our two countries," he added.
