Chinese Vice-Premier Urges Clear-Cut Settlement of PNTR IssueChinese Vice-Premier Wen Jiabao said Wednesday afternoon that a clear-cut and unconditional settlement of the permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) issue will be good both for China and the United States.Wen told visiting U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman and U.S. congressmen and officials accompanying the secretary that China's attitude towards the bilateral agreement concerning China' s entry into the World Trade Organization is "serious" and " earnest," and hopes the U.S. will honor its promise as well. "To settle the PNTR issue in a clear-cut and unconditional manner will be beneficial for both China and the United States," he said. The Chinese vice-premier stressed the importance of keeping relations between China and the United States stable, saying that development of bilateral relations will not only serve the fundamental interests of the Chinese and American people, but also be conducive to peace and stability in the Asian-Pacific region and the whole world. During the hour-long talks, Wen answered various questions raised by the U.S. guests. Glickman, who is here on behalf of President Bill Clinton, arrived in Beijing last night. Glickman said that President Clinton pays great attention to U.S.-China relations. The president and many congressmen are in favor of granting China PNTR. The U.S. secretary also said that the U.S. Government will continue to make efforts to have the PNTR issue resolved. As well as Beijing, Glickman will visit Shanghai and Hong Kong during his four-day China tour. |
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