At a Monday press conference in Beijing, US Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice said that the United States remains absolutely
committed to the one-China policy.
Referring to her meetings with President Hu Jintao
and other leaders, Rice said, "I reiterated that the United States
does in fact have the one-China policy that has been clearly
consistent, a policy that is based on the three joint
communiqués."
She expressed hope that the status quo of the Taiwan Straits
would be maintained, saying "the most useful path ahead is to
reduce tension between the two sides."
Rice said the remarkable development in US-China relations would
have been unthinkable a few years ago. Today the two nations
cooperate on issues ranging from Asia to Afghanistan and Iraq, and
from the global war on terrorism to fighting HIV/AIDS, she
said.
Rice said during her meetings here, the Chinese side agreed that
expanding cooperation between the two nations is essential to the
interests of both, particularly as China is in a state of
transformation.
She indicated that the US wants to develop and strengthen
relations with China based on mutual interests and global standards
in such important areas as human rights, non-proliferation of
weapons of mass destruction, trade and economic affairs.
After stating that China's economic growth is a positive factor,
she noted, "China's very rapid economic growth and its obvious
impact on the international economy is something that everybody is
watching and that everybody is concerned about."
China's economy "is growing so rapidly and having such impact
that people want to be assured that it is going to be encapsulated
in a role-based approach to the international economy," she
said.
"It is why the US supported Chinese accession to the WTO (World
Trade Organization), and it is why we had extensive discussions
about the need to protect intellectual property rights," she said,
adding that it is also why it has been important to look at the
trade imbalances.
"I just think that as we go forward, and as the Chinese economy
is becoming such a big factor, it is really critical that people
know that there is an understanding in China of the responsibility
that comes with that kind of rapid economic growth, because it is
going to have a big impact on everybody and on everybody's
economy," she added.
Rice reiterated the US commitment to the six-party talks on the
Korean Peninsula nuclear issue, saying that the US position is that
this is the best way to resolve it. She characterized the talks as
"potentially effective."
Rice left Beijing for home shortly after the press conference,
concluding a 24-hour visit to China that started Sunday afternoon.
China was the last leg of Rice's six-nation Asian trip that also
took her to India, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Japan and the Republic of
Korea.
During her stay in Beijing, Rice met with President Hu Jintao,
Premier Wen
Jiabao, Vice Premier Wu Yi,
State Councilor Tang
Jiaxuan and Foreign Minister Li
Zhaoxing, also discussing such areas as Sino-US trade
cooperation, China's foreign exchange policy, protection of
intellectual property rights, and the Doha Development Agenda of
the WTO.
This is Rice's first trip to China since she took office as the
United States' top diplomat in January. She visited China in
February 2002 and July 2004 when serving as the US national
security adviser.
(Xinhua News Agency March 22, 2005)