Chinese President Hu Jintao exchanged views on Sunday with US
President George W. Bush on bilateral relations as well as regional
and international issues of common concern on the eve of the 11th
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders'
Meeting.
Hu said since his last meeting with Bush in Evian, France, in
June, the two countries have maintained a good momentum in the
development of their relations. They have scored new achievements
in economic cooperation and trade as well as in the fight against
terrorism.
China hopes that both sides would view and handle bilateral
relations from a strategic point of view so that the China-US
constructive and cooperative relations will constantly move
forward, Hu said.
Bush said a good US-China relationship is important to the
United States, and he will continue with his efforts for the
development of the bilateral relations.
The US president said he was looking forward to the upcoming
visit of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao to the United States.
He also extended congratulations on the success of China's first
manned space flight on behalf of the US government and people.
On the issue of Taiwan, Hu said China insists on the policy of
"peaceful reunification and one country, two systems," and has
worked with utmost efforts to resolve the issue through peaceful
means.
Hu stressed China will never tolerate "Taiwan independence."
The Chinese president also said China appreciates what the US
side has reiterated about its one-China policy, its adherence to
the three Sino-US joint communiques and its opposition to "Taiwan
independence." China hopes the US side would honor its
commitments.
Bush told Hu that the US government upholds the one-China
policy, observing the three US-China joint communiques, opposing
Taiwan's independence. He said the United States will not change
that policy.
On the issue of economic cooperation and trade, Hu said the US
economy has shown signs of recovery and Chinese economy is growing
fast. This will be good to the expansion of two-way trade and
economic cooperation, he added.
He said China is always responsible on the issue of the exchange
rate of the Chinese currency, Renminbi (RMB) yuan. China follows a
market-based, single and managed floating exchange rate system,
which is consistent with the current situation of China's economy,
its level of financial regulation and the sustainability of its
enterprises.
Practice has proved that keeping the exchange rate of RMB stable
serves China's economic performance and conforms to the
requirements of the economic development in the Asia-Pacific region
and the whole world, Hu said.
China will further improve its rate-forming mechanism in the
process of its financial reforms, he added.
The Chinese president said China-US trade has grown vigorously
and benefited people of both countries. China has taken, and will
continue to take, measures to balance bilateral trade with the
United States.
The two sides should strengthen dialogue and resolve disputes
through negotiations, Hu said, adding that China is willing to
increase imports from the United States, and hopes the US side will
loosen its control of exports to China.
Bush said US-China economic relations and trade are important to
the United States. US-China dialogue on economic issues will be
helpful to resolving existing problems in the areas.
He said the United States will continue to work for a peaceful
solution to the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula. He said the
United States highly appreciates the active role China has played
in the peaceful settlement of the issue, and supports the process
of the six-party Beijing talks.
Hu said the international community generally acknowledged that
the six-party talks in Beijing are conducive to the settlement of
the nuclear issue and should go on.
China firmly maintains peace and stability on the Korean
Peninsula and supports a nuclear-free peninsula, he said, stressing
that the reasonable safety concerns of the Democratic People's
Republic of Korea should also be addressed.
The Chinese president said China will continue to work for a
peaceful settlement of the issue through dialogue, and relevant
sides should do their part in creating favorable conditions for the
process.
China is ready to strengthen consultations and cooperation with
all parties concerned on the issue, Hu said.
The two presidents also exchanged views on the issues of
anti-terrorism and Iraq.
(Xinhua News Agency October 20, 2003)