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Powell: Meetings with Chinese Leaders Productive
US Secretary of State Colin Powell, in China on a one-day official visit, said at a press conference held here Saturday that he has had productive meetings in Beijing with President Jiang Zemin, Premier Zhu, Vice-Premier Qian and Foreign Minister Tang.
He said that he is here as "a sort of advance party for President Bush, for he is going to be here later this year."
He also said that US President George W. Bush wants to build productive and forward-looking relations with the People's Republic of China, and is very much looking forward to his visit in fall both for the APEC meeting in Shanghai and then to be received by President Jiang here in Beijing.
"I am deeply impressed with the transformations that have taken place in China over the last 20 years since my last visit 17-plus years ago," he said.
Powell said that the United States supports China's accession to the World Trade Organization, and the United States is preparing to work with China as it continues to move forward and adopt world standards in trade and other areas.
"I congratulate President Jiang and Beijing's successful bid to host the 2008 Olympics. The US looks forward to seeing the changes in the next seven years that this historical event will advance and stimulate," he said.
He expected a series of talks to be carried out between the United States and China in the coming months on different issues.
The secretary said the constructive relationship between the US and China is in the interest of the American and Chinese peoples as well as of the world.
"I look forward to working with my Chinese colleagues to broaden and deepen the areas of our cooperation," he said.
Powell said that the United States and China are not enemies, and he is not here to look for enemies, but to look for ways to broaden cooperation and move forward.
He admitted that there are differences between the two countries, but their broad common interests should not be ignored just because of these differences, and dialogue and cooperation will help to settle disputes.
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