Former Chinese Vice Premier Qian Qichen said in College Station Wednesday that China-US relations, now at a 30-year high as described by US Secretary of State Colin Powell, "may and can be even better."

Speaking at a conference on China-US relations at Texas A & M University, Qian said that 32 years earlier, no one, even the most optimistic, would have imagined the scope and depth of China-US cooperation as they are today.

"Facts have proven that today, 32 years later, the common interests of China and the US have increased rather than contracted," Qian said. "It is no surprise, but rather, it is understandable that China and the US may have differences of this or that kind. As long as the differences are properly handled, the China-US relationship should and can continue to grow healthily."

Likening the China-US ties in the past to "a giant ship riding the surging waves of the ocean," Qian said that the ship sometimes runs into storms, but it always manages to get over them and move forward.

Qian said after the Sept. 11 incident, "counter-terrorism cooperation between China and the US has become an important component of the bilateral relationship. The two sides have also enjoyed much enhanced coordination and cooperation in other bilateral fields and on major regional as well as international issues."

He said now the Chinese and American leaders keep in close contact and the fast expanding economic cooperation and trade between the two countries have brought tangible benefits to the two peoples.

The two-way trade volume last year reached US$97.1 billion. The inexpensive and quality products from China have saved nearly US$20 billion each year for American consumers, while US exports to China create more than 500,000 jobs for the United States each year, Qian noted.

Qian said China and the United States have held effective consultation and coordination on the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula, including the Beijing Three-Party Talks and Six-Party Talks, which launched the process toward a peaceful solution to the nuclear issue through dialogue. "All this has further consolidated the strategic foundation of the China-US relationship," Qian said.

Qian assured that China will continue to promote good neighborliness and regional peace and stability.

"We welcome a positive role of the US in the Asia-Pacific region for regional peace and development," Qian told more 2,500 audience in the university's packed auditorium, among whom are former US President George Bush, US Secretary of State Colin Powell, former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and other US officials and scholars.

Qian, who helped promote China-US relations in his capacity as China's foreign minister and vice premier, said that looking to the future, he is convinced that the relationship will have an even better tomorrow.

The 4-day conference, China-US Relations: Past, Present and Future, is co-hosted by Texas A&M University, the George Bush Presidential Library Fund and the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries.

(Xinhua News Agency November 6, 2003)