U.S.-China commitment without agreement

Analysts said both sides had shown the most restraint on the issue of Taiwan

(CNN) -- Chinese Vice-President Hu Jintao will visit the United States soon as a sign that Beijing's next generation of leaders will be committed to improving Sino-U.S. relations.

After more than an hour of talks, Presidents George W. Bush and Jiang Zemin agreed to pursue a "constructive cooperative relationship" and to cooperate in fighting terrorism and promoting peace in the region.

However, no specific steps regarding the anti-terrorist campaign or containing weapons proliferation were announced.

There was no progress on the issue of Taiwan, with both presidents merely re-stating their long-standing positions in their 30-minute joint session with the media.

Jiang, 75, surprised reporters by announcing at the start of the packed press conference that Hu, 59, had accepted an invitation by Vice-President Dick Cheney to tour the U.S.

Jiang himself would visit America before attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum in Mexico in October.

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A Chinese source close to Jiang's personal think tanks said the president had initially opposed the U.S. visit by Hu, who will take over Jiang's position of party chief this autumn -- and the position of state president in March 2003.

"Jiang knows most Americans are very interested in Hu and he does not want the Hu visit to upstage that of his own later in the year," said the source.

"However, Jiang is aware of internal opposition to his American policy -- and sending Hu off to the U.S. is a sign of the president's determination that his largely conciliatory U.S. policy will continue on to the next generation."

On Thursday, both presidents also agreed that three newly formed bilateral commissions -- on economic matters; commerce and trade; and science and technology -- would hold meetings this year.

Diplomatic analysts said both teams were anxious not to let their differences mar areas of cooperation on a broad range of issues.

Bush praised China's cooperation in the anti-terrorist campaign but did not mention Beijing's unwillingness to make specific commitments to cutting the transfer of military know-how to Iran and Pakistan.

Jiang, who had told American officials of Beijing's vehement opposition to possible U.S. military actions against Iraq and North Korea, toned down his remarks in the press conference.

The Chinese president merely said that "peace is best" when it comes to dealing with Iraq.

Jiang also stated Beijing's overall satisfaction with the work of reconstruction undertaken by the new Afghan government.

There was no hint of the worries, shared by most Chinese cadres, that the Kabul government may be too pro-West and pro-U.S.

Jiang also refrained from direct attacks on Bush's plan to deploy the national missile defense (NMD) system.

This was despite the fact that commentaries in official papers had called the NMD a weapon associated with a Washington-led anti-China containment policy.

When an American reporter asked Bush whether NMD was intended to protect Taiwan, Bush skirted the question, stating merely that the defense system would be used to protect American allies against "a launch by a threatening nation."

Diplomats close to the Bush-Jiang tete-a-tete said religion, specifically, Beijing's alleged persecution of underground churches, was discussed during the presidential summit.

However, in the joint press conference, Bush merely underscored the importance of nations letting their citizens enjoy the freedom of worship.

And Jiang did not repeat the usual Chinese position that Western countries were using issues of human rights to interfere in the internal affairs of China.

Analysts said both sides had shown the most restraint on the issue of Taiwan.

Bush said Washington was opposed to "provocations" in the area, a veiled reference to Taiwan-related saber rattling by the People's Liberation Army.

However, apart from stating America's commitment to the Taiwan Relations Act, the U.S. President refrained from mentioning any steps in the defense of Taiwan.

On Taiwan, Jiang and his colleagues did not press their American guests beyond demanding one more reiteration of the standard one-China policy.