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Relations With Foreign Countries

As the world entered a new millenium, the international situation remained comparatively stable but is by no means quiet. Unswervingly pursuing an independent foreign policy of peace, China has stood for a multi-polarized world structure, actively corresponded to economic globalization and vigorously participated in regional cooperation. It has devoted itself to promoting and establishing a just and rational new international political and economic order and pushing forward the just cause of peace and development of mankind. China's positions and actions have won increasing understanding and the support of the international community, and its role as a responsible big country has been applauded and acknowledged by an increasing number of countries. While continuing to create a sound international environment for the domestic socialist modernization drive, China's diplomatic undertakings have made great contributions to maintaining world peace, opposing hegemony, and promoting world cooperation and common development.

Developing Relations with Big Countries in a Sound Way

China-US relations have improved and developed. In 2000, China-US relations maintained the momentum of steady development despite some twists and turns, with bilateral relations further restored. Leaders of the two countries kept high-level contacts, and contacts between their government officials and scientific and technological, cultural and military exchanges have increased steadily.

President Jiang Zemin and former US President Bill Clinton had important meetings during the UN Millenium Summit and the Informal Meeting of Leaders of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC). Both sides agreed to push forward bilateral relations along a sound and steady track in the new century. The two countries restored dialogues on security and military exchanges.

Through concerted efforts on both sides, the US Congress approved granting China PNTR status on September 19, thus ensuring normal trade relations between the two countries. This indicated that the United States would withdraw the annual review of China's MFN status it had practiced for 20 years, which had hindered the development of Sino-US trade ties. This was of great significance to promoting Sino-US economic and trade cooperation and the sustained, sound and steady development of relations between the two countries. However, in regard to the content in the US motion interfering with China's internal affairs and harming China's interests, the Chinese side made solemn representations to the US side and openly stated its firm opposition to it.

On December 15, the US Congress passed an appropriation bill, making arrangements for the US$28 million compensation for the property loss suffered by the Chinese Embassy in Yugoslavia during the US bombing.

During his meeting with Chinese new Ambassador to the United States Yang Jiechi on March 12, 2001, new US President George W. Bush emphasized that both the new US Government and himself attached great importance to US-China relations and were ready to make efforts in promoting the bilateral relations.

Since the new US Administration took office, top leaders of the two countries have kept contacts. Both sides have adopted a positive attitude toward developing bilateral relations and furthering exchanges and cooperation in various fields.

Chinese Vice-Premier Qian Qichen paid a weeklong official visit to the United States March 18-24, 2001, the first visit by a Chinese leader since President Bush assumed power. During his stay, Qian met respectively with President Bush, Vice-President Dick Cheney, Secretary of State Colin Powell, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and National Security Affairs Assistant to President Condoleezza Rice. They conducted a frank and deep-going exchange of views on China-US relations and some important international and regional issues.

In his speech made at the end of his visit, Qian said that both sides agreed that his visit achieved positive and constructive results, which would be conducive to strengthening mutual understanding and promoting dialogue and cooperation. He said that since the new US Administration took office, President Jiang Zemin and President Bush had exchanged letters and got to a consensus on development of China-US relations. And his visit to the United States was aimed at carrying out their consensus and promoting the sound and steady development of China-US relations in the new century.

Qian noted that China and the United States were both big countries sharing much common ground, but it was not unusual for them to have differences on some issues. What was important was that both sides should stand high and be farsighted, enhance understanding, seek common ground while reserving differences, expand consensus and promote cooperation on the basis of mutual respect.

President Bush, Vice-President Cheney and Secretary of State Powell indicated that China was a great country, and the US Government attached great importance to relations with it, and wanted them to be further promoted. The development of both countries would have a far-reaching influence on the world and the relations between the two countries should be constructive. They also agreed that developing the bilateral relations was not only in the interests of the two peoples, but also of great significance to peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region and the world at large. And thus, both the Chinese and US sides should regard and handle their relationship from a long-term point of view.

Qian said that, as was known to all, the Taiwan issue was the most important and sensitive issue in China-US relations. He emphasized to the US side that only by properly handling the Taiwan issue, could China-US relations develop steadily. The United States should abide by the three Sino-US joint communiques and especially carefully handle the issue of arms sales to Taiwan in accordance with the August 17 Communique, so as to prevent this from causing serious harms to China-US relations. The US side said that the Bush Administration would continue to follow the one China policy that had been pursued by previous US governments and abide by the three joint communiques between the two countries.

According to Qian, the two sides were inspired with the rapid development of Sino-US economic and trade ties in recent years, and were satisfied with their effective dialogue and cooperation in overcoming the Asian financial crisis. They agreed that this was not only beneficial to the people of the two countries and the steady development of bilateral relations, but also played an important role in maintaining and promoting the economic stability and prosperity of the Asia-Pacific region and the world at large. During Qian's visit, the two sides exchanged views concerning China's accession to the WTO, and President Bush confirmed the United States supported China's early entry into the WTO.

Qian said the two sides also exchanged views on the current international situation and some important international and regional issues; both agreed that China and the United States shouldered greater responsibilities for world peace and development as humanity entered the 21st century. They also agreed to strengthen dialogue and cooperation in maintaining regional peace and stability, preventing arms proliferation, protecting the environment, combating drugs and cracking down on international crime. Meanwhile, the Chinese side frankly expressed its grave concern over US development of the national missile defense (NMD) system.

The Taiwan issue has always been the most important and sensitive issue in China-US relations. On March 7, 2000, the US Defense Department formally informed the US Congress that it would sell 162 advanced Hawk air defense missiles to Taiwan and help upgrade Taiwan's existing TPS-43F air defense radar system with equipment necessary for the TPS-75V models, a deal worth about US$200 million. The Chinese side made solemn representations to the US side. It demanded that the US side abide by the three Sino-US joint communiques and related commitments it had made, have a full understanding of the potential serious harm the arms deal would bring, correct its mistakes immediately and stop any arms sales to Taiwan. On June 7, the US Defense Department announced two deals covering arms sales to Taiwan, worth US$234 million, aimed at enhancing the latter’s capability in electronic warfare and the low-altitude navigation of Taiwan's F-16 fighters. On June 8, Minister-Counselor He Yafei from the Chinese Embassy in the United States made representations to the US side. On September 28, the US Defense Department announced a plan to sell four kinds of arms, including advanced medium-range air to air missiles, to Taiwan, a deal valued at nearly US$1.31 billion, increasing the year's volume of US arms sales to Taiwan to about US$1.87 billion. The very next day, Chinese Vice-Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi summoned US Ambassador Joseph Prueher, making solemn representations and raising a strong protest. He demanded that the US side earnestly observe the three Sino-US joint communiques and its related commitments and immediately withdraw its plan to sell arms to Taiwan; otherwise, it must bear responsibility for any serious consequences arising therefrom.

On September 30, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Sun Yuxi expounded China's solemn position on the US arms sales: The Chinese side maintained that the US administration’s method of handling the Taiwan issue indicated that the United States was a major external factor obstructing the realization of peaceful reunification of China. If the United States continued to belie its written commitments and insist on selling arms to Taiwan, especially advanced weapons systems like the Aegis destroyer and Patriot-III anti-missile system, it would send an extremely wrong signal to the Taiwan authorities, encourage the handful of "Taiwan independence" elements in Taiwan to engage in activities aimed at splitting the country, and feed their arrogance. It would also undermine China-US relations and aggravate tension around the Taiwan Straits. As well, it would not do any good for the United States itself. And the US side should realize the potential serious harms and rein in on the brink of the precipice.

China-US relations are now in a crucial period. Only through concerted efforts of both sides, especially the US side's observing the one China policy, acting in strict accordance with the three Sino-US joint communiques and handling the Taiwan issue properly, can China-US relations develop steadily and continuously.

Midair Collision Incident On the morning of April 1, 2001, an EP-3 electronic reconnaissance plane of the US Navy flew southeast of China's Hainan Island. A unit of the Chinese Navy sent two fighters aloft to shadow the US plane. At 9:07, the Chinese planes were flying normally over the area 104 km southeast of Hainan. The US plane suddenly veered sharply toward one of the Chinese planes and its nose and left wing rammed the tail of the Chinese plane, causing it to crash. The pilot, Wang Wei, was not found. After ramming the collision, the US aircraft entered Chinese airspace without permission, and landed at Lingshui Airfield on Hainan at 9:33.

After the incident, the Chinese side exercised restraint and displayed calmness. While organizing an all-out rescue mission for the Chinese pilot, the Chinese side made proper arrangement for the 24 crew of the US plane. However, the US Government not only made no apology for the serious consequence of the illegal acts of its plane, but made up various excuses to justify the actions of its plane and avoid its responsibility, and even rudely made various unreasonable demands on and accusations against the Chinese side in a threatening tone. The Chinese Government insisted the United States should apologize. After the US Government handed a letter to the Chinese side declaring it was "very sorry" for the incident, the Chinese Government decided, out of humanitarian considerations, to allow the US crew to leave China. After that, however, the US side continued to confuse right and wrong and even made unfounded countercharges. It openly alleged that the US military air reconnaissance against China was to secure the security of itself and its allies and to maintain world peace. This is sheer act of hegemony.

China threatened neither the United States nor its allies. On the contrary, it is the act of the United States that has seriously threatened the security of China. Irrefutable evidence shows that during this midair collision incident, the US plane was a military reconnaissance plane containing sophisticated electronic reconnaissance equipment. Its mission in the airspace over China's exclusive economic zone was in no way a normal over flight, but a military reconnaissance activity against China. Such military activities of the United States in peacetime violate the basic norms of international law for mutual respect of each country's sovereignty and territorial integrity. They are acts of obvious hostility toward China and threaten China's national security and peaceful order, constituting a serious violation of China's sovereignty and territorial airspace. They also create tension endangering regional security.

The violation of China's sovereignty and territorial airspace by the US military reconnaissance planes did not start only recently. For many years, the US military planes have never ceased undertaking such dangerous and provocative activities off China's coast. The United States must stop flights of such types off China's coast. Only by doing so, can the recurrence of such incidents be prevented, and can it create a climate conducive to the development of China-US relations, and the security and stability of the Asia-Pacific region and the world at large.

After the US plane rammed and destroyed the Chinese plane, the Chinese Government showed great concern for the missing pilot, Wang Wei. However, out of humanitarian considerations, the Chinese side made proper arrangements for the crew of the US plane that intruded into the Chinese airspace and landed at a Chinese airfield without permission, and approved their meetings with US embassy officials in China. However, the US Government has so far only said “very sorry” for the missing of the Chinese pilot, while showing great concern for the US crew. It published their names on the Internet immediately after the incident and repeatedly demanded the Chinese side to let them return. This fully demonstrates that the US Government has always had a double standard for human rights, which are merely excuses for it to pursue power politics and hegemony.

China has always maintained that China's sovereign independence, territorial integrity and national dignity brook no violation. State-to-state relations, including the Sino-US relationship, must be based on the basic norms governing international relations of mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, mutual non-aggression and non-interference in each other's internal affairs. China attaches importance to China-US relations. To develop the Sino-US friendly and cooperative relations is in the interests of the two countries and the world as well. The US side should strictly abide by the three Sino-US joint communiques and the basic norms governing international relations, refrain from doing any harm to the development of China-US relations, and adopt a constructive attitude. Only in this way, can China-US relations develop steadily and soundly.

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