|
||||||||
  |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Beijing seeks joint statement at U.S. summit
By CNN Senior China Analyst Willy Wo-Lap Lam
(CNN) -- Beijing is pushing for a joint statement on close, strategic cooperation to be issued at next week's summit between Presidents Jiang Zemin and George W. Bush. In a briefing for reporters on Wednesday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry's Head of North American Affairs He Yafei also expressed optimism for the resumption of military-to-military ties. Jiang is scheduled to hold a 90-minute summit with Bush in the latter's ranch in Crawford, Texas next Friday. On his last official trip to the U.S., the out-going Chinese president will be arriving Chicago on Tuesday and spending time in Houston before meeting Bush. After the half-day stay at the ranch, Jiang will leave for Mexico City to attend the heads of state meeting at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum. While details of the summit have yet to be worked out, Beijing and Washington have indicated topics to be covered include Iraq and the war on terrorism, non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, Taiwan and economic cooperation. Chinese officials have revealed that a joint statement would be issued stressing close cooperation in areas ranging from trade to fighting terrorism. However, Washington has not confirmed that a statement will be issued, and diplomatic analysts in Beijing and Washington said it was unlikely that on the key issue of Taiwan, Bush would go beyond Washington's long-standing commitment to a one-China policy. This is despite the fact that in return for Beijing's cooperation on the anti-terrorism front, Jiang will be pressing Bush to do more to rein in Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian's pro-independence activities. In previous meetings with Bush in the past year, Jiang has also called on the White House to scale down weapons to be sold to the self-ruled island. In his press briefing, He reiterated the Chinese position that the question of Iraq should be settled by diplomatic means and under the auspices of the United Nations. However, it is understood Beijing will likely abstain if a vote involving military action against Iraq were to come up at the UN. Military tiesJiang and other Foreign Ministry officials have expressed enthusiasm for resuming military ties with the U.S., which they have characterized as "a very important component of the overall bilateral relationship." Chinese sources in Beijing said Jiang, China's top foreign policymaker, hoped the summit would confirm his achievement in diplomacy, seen as a major part of his legacy. And both Jiang and senior generals hoped that short of a breakthrough on Taiwan, the U.S. would agree to lifting a 13-year-old embargo on the transfer of military-related high technology to China.
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
