Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan said on October 18 that relationship between China and the United States has made much headway.

At a press conference attended by foreign and trade ministers from 21 Pacific Rim countries, Tang affirmed that though differences exist between the two countries, there are wide areas of common interest.

Tang was the host for the two-day Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Ministerial Meeting.

The Chinese Foreign Minister also added: "Anti-terrorism is the struggle of evil versus good, the civilized and the barbaric. It is not the struggle between different nations, civilizations and religions."

At the press conference, US Secretary of State Colin L. Powell noted that since the 11th of September, US-Chinese ties were strengthened by China's response on US' campaign against terrorism.

Powell also affired that even "before the 11th of September, the relationship the United States enjoyed with the People's Republic of China was very good.

His remarks were the latest in a series of upbeat pronouncements from the Bush administration about the health of Sino-American relations.

( China Daily 10/19/2001)