Holbrooke meets Chinese FM amid flurry of US diplomacy on China

US Ambassador to the United Nations Richard Holbrooke said he held "excellent" and "very constructive" talks March 21 with Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan.

"The talks were excellent, we spent about two hours with the foreign minister. We talked about UN issues, we talked about everything, human rights, the UN, Taiwan, everything," he said following the meeting.

"I repeated...that we stand for the same thing that five (US) administrations stand for, the one China policy, Three Communiques, peaceful cross-strait dialogue, peaceful resolution of the problem," he said.

Ambassador Holbrooke was scheduled to hold meetings with Chinese President Jiang Zemin and Vice Premier and foreign policy architect Qian Qichen in the afternoon.

"The Chinese position this morning was very constructive and we will report it in detail to the president and the secretary of state," he said.

"We have some very serious differences, notably on human rights issues, which we also addressed," he said.

He, however, reiterated President Bill Clinton's commitment to push China's permanent normal trading relations status with the US through the US Congress by June 3, in an effort to implement a landmark trade accord signed by Washington and Beijing in November.

Holbrooke also pointed out that four US officials of cabinet rank would be visiting China within a month -- National Security advisor Sandy Berger is due in Beijing next, while Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman and Commerce Secretary William Daley are also expected soon.

"I think that illustrates very clearly the enormous importance that all Americans place on relations between the United States and the People's Republic of China," Holbrooke told Tang.

His visit comes after Chen Shui-bian swept to power in Taiwan in Saturday's polls, changing the political landscape of the island which has been ruled by Kuomintang Party for 50 years.

Holbrooke's trip follows visits late last month by US Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott and the commander of US forces in the Pacific, Admiral Dennis Blair.

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