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President Jiang Meets Washington Post Managing Editor
President Jiang Meets Washington Post Managing Editor
President Jiang Zemin answered questions on Sino-US relations, the Taiwan issue and China's political restructuring in an interview with three senior journalists of the Washington Post, Managing Editor Steve Coll, Editor for Editorial Page Fred Hiatt and Assistant Managing Editor for Foreign News Phil Bennett, who visited China as guests of the People's Daily.
Sino-US Relations President Jiang Zemin said that the viewpoint by some people outside China that China and the United States will inevitably come into conflict with each other is groundless.
He said he is "confident that the China-US relations will develop further in the new century" as long as the three Sino-US Joint Communiques and the basic norms governing international relations are abided by, as long as issues between the two countries are properly handled, and as long as the two countries work together in the long-term interests and in the interest of the overall situation in the world, enhance mutual trust and expand exchanges and cooperation.
China is the largest developing country and the United States the largest developed country and both are permanent members of the UN Security Council, Jiang noted.
Although the two countries may not see eye to eye on some issues, they share common interests and important responsibilities on major issues bearing on world peace and development, he said.
He said it is a feature of world development that with the accelerating of economic globalization, countries compete with one another in terms of the economy, science and technology, trade and human resources.
"There is competition between China and the US as well, which is nothing strange," Jiang said.
"Nevertheless, we also cooperate with each other in many important fields. And I believe that such cooperation enjoys a broad prospect," Jiang said.
The development of friendly relations and cooperation between the two countries conforms to the fundamental interests of the two peoples and is also of major significance to the cause of peace and development worldwide, he stressed.
In spite of ups and downs, the relationship between the two countries has been, on the whole, moving forward, Jiang noted.
"We have increased and expanded exchanges and cooperation in the economic, trade and other fields and conducted fruitful cooperation on major issues such as overcoming the Asian financial crisis and safeguarding peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula," he said.
All in all, a healthy and stable cooperative relationship between China and the United States is in the interest of peace and development in the Asia-Pacific and the world as a whole, he said.
Thanks to the reform and opening-up of more than twenty years, China has made tremendous progress in its economic and social development and achieved marked improvement in people's living standards, the President said.
But China remains a developing country with a large population, a weak foundation and a low development level. It will still take years of hard efforts to further improve the life of the 1.27 billion people and basically realize modernization, he said. "To devote ourselves to economic development and improve the people's life will always be the central task for our construction.
To achieve modernization in China calls for an international environment of lasting peace," he said.
"We Chinese have always been a peace-loving nation. The Chinese people want peace and love peace. We have long declared to the world in unequivocal terms that China does not seek hegemony and will never do so even if it becomes developed in the future," Jiang said.
"This has been well received among the people throughout the world," he said, adding that China follows an independent foreign policy of peace and stand ready to develop friendly relations and cooperation with all countries in the world on the basis of equality and mutual benefit.
China and the United States may disagree with each other on some issues as their national conditions differ, Jiang said, stressing that there is nothing strange about that.
"Many countries and nations in the world have differences and problems among them on this or that question. It is simply impossible for the world not to have any problems," he said.
What is essential is to put them in the right perspective and handle them properly so as to prevent them from hindering the normal development of state-to-state relations, and from affecting regional and world stability and development, the president said.
"We have stated on many occasions that the Taiwan question is the most important question standing in the way of our bilateral relations," Jiang said.
He said Taiwan has been part of Chinese territory since ancient times. An early resolution of the Taiwan question and the achievement of peaceful reunification between the two sides of the Taiwan Straits are the strong desire and firm will of the entire Chinese people.
The US side has on many occasions explicitly stated that it supports the one-China policy and abides by the three China-US Joint Communiques and its commitments, Jiang said.
As long as the US side honors its commitments and handles the Taiwan issue appropriately, this major obstacle to the stable development of China-US relations will be removed, he said.
Taiwan Issue Jiang said China hopes that the US Government will faithfully and strictly abide by the three China-US Joint Communiques and the relevant commitments it has made and handle the Taiwan issue properly from a strategic and long-term perspective.
He stressed that this is of critical importance to the stability across the Taiwan Straits and the healthy development of China-US relations.
He said the Taiwan issue has remained unresolved for so long and it is largely the United States that should be blamed for.
Jiang noted that the US sent its Seventh Fleet to the Taiwan Straits in the 1950s and the US Government has always protected the Taiwan authorities for more than twenty years thereafter.
After the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States, the US Congress passed the Taiwan Relations Act in disregard of the opposition of the Chinese people, Jiang stated, adding that over the years, the US has never ceased selling sophisticated weapons to Taiwan.
The US has subscribed to the one-China principle and made commitments to the Government and the people of China. But at the same time it has sold large quantities of advanced weapons to Taiwan, he noted, saying that this has in effect abetted the separatist activities for Taiwan independence.
With regard to the Taiwan issue, China has long put forward the policy of "peaceful reunification and one country, two systems", he said.
By "one country, two systems", "we have taken into full consideration the history and realities of Taiwan", Jiang said, stressing that it conforms both to the desire of the people on both sides of the Taiwan Straits for reunification and to the fundamental interests of the people of both sides.
This formula accommodates fully the existing social system and way of life in Taiwan, he said. He added that if the Taiwan authorities truly think for the people in Taiwan, they will realize that this is the only way out and future for Taiwan.
"It is our consistent proposition that the Taiwan issue should be resolved peacefully through negotiations on an equal footing within the context of the one-China principle," Jiang said.
"We have reiterated time and again that as long as the Taiwan authorities explicitly recognize the one-China principle, dialogues and talks between the two sides of the Taiwan Straits may resume right away and anything can be discussed," the President said.
"We have exhibited great patience and exchanged views with people from all walks of life in Taiwan in various forms," Jiang said, stating that "we have worked hard" for closer economic and cultural ties between the two sides and an early realization of the Three Direct Exchanges (exchanges of mail service, trade, air and shipping services across the Taiwan Straits).
All these have demonstrated "our sincerity and resolve for a peaceful reunification," he said.
"We stated long ago that we would not undertake to renounce the use of force. But this is by no means targeted at our compatriots in Taiwan. Rather it is directed against any foreign attempt against the reunification of China and directed against Taiwan independence," Jiang said.
"We will spare no effort in achieving peaceful reunification,"Jiang said, adding that "we have full confidence and capabilities to stop any activities for Taiwan independence and safeguard China's state sovereignty and territorial integrity."
Political Restructuring The President said that to improve socialist democratic system is an important objective of China's modernization drive.
In response to questions concerning China's political restructuring, Jiang said, "We practice socialism in China, which makes our people masters of the country." People of all ethnic groups in China enjoy extensive rights and freedoms that are guaranteed by the Constitution, including political freedom, he said.
Jiang said that it is politically biased to call China an autocracy without freedom and democracy simply because China's democracy and political system differ from those in the West.
The founding of the People's Republic of China marked a historical progress in the course of realizing people's democracy, Jiang said. Never before in the Chinese history of 5000 years had the Chinese people enjoyed rights and freedoms so extensively.
"This is an essential point to be taken into consideration in judging China's political system," Jiang said.
China has practiced the socialist system for only half a century, which is not a long time and it needs to be improved in all areas in practice, and China's political system also needs to be improved in the course of practice, Jiang said.
Jiang said that since the adoption of reform and opening-up, China has made major progress in the political restructuring.
"We have decided to develop a political system of socialist democracy, govern the country according to law, and build a socialist country under the rule of law. This is an important measure that we have taken to strengthen and improve our political system," Jiang said.
Jiang said that the main purpose of China's political restructuring is to reinvigorate the Party and state organs and improve their efficiency, bring into full play the initiative of people from all quarters, expand grass-roots democracy, and remedy the inadequacies in the superstructure so as to make the superstructure more responsive to the expansion of the economic foundation.
"All this is aimed at steady economic development and all-round social progress," Jiang said.
"We will further ensure our people their rights to democratic election, decision-making, management and supervision. This will make our decision-making process sounder and more democratic, help improve the efficiency of the leadership and management structure, strengthen the position of enterprises as a main player in the market competition, and curb and eliminate corruption from the root," Jiang said.
"All in all, we still have a lot to do in reforming our political structure," Jiang said.
Jiang said that the world is a diversified and colorful one. There are different models of political systems in the world. "Any given political model of a country should not be taken as the only benchmark to judge other political models."
"If only one model is allowed and all other models are rejected, and all other countries are forbidden to develop a model in light of their national conditions, this itself is not democratic at all," Jiang said.
Jiang said, "Political restructuring and the development of the socialist democracy and political system must in no way impair our efforts to give play to the features and advantages of our political system,and maintain the unity of the country, ethnic harmony and social stability."
In addition, the historical conditions and the level of economic, cultural and educational development must be taken into full consideration, Jiang said.
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