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US Vice President Meets Chinese Vice Premier
US Vice President Richard Cheney on Friday met with visiting Chinese Vice Premier Qian Qichen to exchange views on issues of mutual concern.
During the meeting, Qian said that China and the United States resumed contacts over 30 years ago and since then, bilateral relations have survived frequent difficulties to keep improving.
The three Joint Communiques issued by the two countries have set guidelines for both sides to develop cooperation and handle their differences, Qian said.
The Taiwan question has always been the most important and sensitive issue which is at the core of China-US relations, he said, noting that whether the question is handled properly or not will have a direct bearing on the development of bilateral relations in the new century.
The Chinese side hopes that the US would handle the Taiwan question with caution and in a proper manner, the vice premier said.
Cheney recalled that he visited China for the first time in 1975 accompanying then US President Gerald Ford, and was impressed by the development and changes in China when he revisited the country more than two decades later.
As China continues to modernize its economy and improve the living standards of its people, he said, US-China relations will become one of the most important bilateral relationships in the world in the coming decades.
He said that the new US government attaches great importance to its relations with China and will continue to follow the one- China policy.
The vice president said that he looks forward to cooperating with the Chinese side to strengthen and further develop relations between the two countries.
During the talks, Qian conveyed Chinese Vice President Hu Jintao's best regards to Cheney who, in return, asked Qian to pass on his regards to the Chinese leader.
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