CNN logo
Navigation


Infoseek/Big Yellow


Pathfinder/Warner Bros


Barnes and Noble






World banner
rule

Before U.S. visit, China's Jiang calls for understanding

Jiang October 19, 1997
Web posted at: 12:46 p.m. EDT (1646 GMT)

BEIJING (CNN) -- Chinese President Jiang Zemin said he hopes to raise Chinese-American relations "to a new level" during his upcoming visit to the United States.

In a rare interview, Jiang told the Washington Post that China and the United States "share the responsibility for preserving world peace and stability." He urged Americans and Chinese to seek "common ground despite differences."

Jiang, 71, read from a prepared text at times during the interview, interspersing his comments with Russian and English, and quoted Chinese proverbs and a line from U.S. President Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, the Post said.

The interview was conducted Friday in Shanghai and published Sunday. The Post said it was asked to submit questions in advance and that Jiang was ready with written replies, which he read word-for-word as the questions were asked.

"The China-U.S. relationship over the past few years can be characterized like the weather; it has its ups and downs. I think that, on the whole, relations are moving forward."

— Chinese President Jiang Zemin, from a Time magazine interview

Nuclear pact reportedly on agenda

In the interview, Jiang indicated an interest in how international affairs -- including the current U.S.-Japan shipping dispute -- would affect his country's business dealings and talked about future trade with China, saying that the Communist Party would play a role in helping international investors manage labor problems.

The Post quoted sources as saying China will pledge to end sales of anti-ship cruise missiles to Iran, which the U.S. sees as a threat to shipping in the Persian Gulf. The newspaper also reported that the two countries will sign an agreement on nuclear cooperation that would allow American companies to sell nuclear power plants and equipment to China.

But in the interview, Jiang strayed little from China's ideological construct of the past, reasserting China's sovereignty over Tibet and Taiwan and declaring that China must limit the scope of direct democratic participation in order to ensure stability and economic progress.

He used scientist Albert Einstein's theory of relativity to argue his position. "I believe (the theory) can also be applied to the political field," he said. "Both democracy and human rights are relative concepts, and not absolute and general."

China's trade surplus at issue

Senior Chinese trade officials headed to the United States on Sunday to buy American goods and try to blunt criticism about China's swelling trade surplus ahead of Zemin's visit.

Jiang's U.S. itinerary:
Chinese President Jiang Zemin leaves next Sunday for the United States. Among his planned stops:

  • Hawaii, where he will lay a wreath at the memorial for American servicemen killed in the 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

  • Other U.S. historic sites, including Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Harvard University in Massachusetts and Williamsburg in Virginia.

  • Los Angeles, New York and Washington, all stops for the delegation that precedes him this week.

  • Delegation leader Zeng Peiyan, vice minister of the State Planning Commission, and officials arriving with him were expected to sign deals worth $4 billion, the state-run Xinhua News Agency said. Orders for Boeing aircraft may cover half that amount.

    Chinese officials and U.S. executives also will discuss auto and aerospace ventures, development of offshore natural gas and trade in financial services, Xinhua said.

    By U.S. accounts, China ran a trade surplus with the United States of $39.5 billion in 1996. The gap is expected to grow to $44 billion this year.

    Chinese figures show a smaller surplus, but officials there acknowledge that the gap is widening.

    The surge in Chinese exports has provoked a political backlash in Washington, which is stalling Beijing's efforts to join the World Trade Organization (WTO), the global free trade body.

    China wants permanent MFN status

    China also seeks permanent Most Favored Nation trading status with the United States. U.S. Commerce Secretary William Daley said earlier this week that China would not win permanent MFN status until it addressed the trade imbalance.

    But Xinhua quoted Zeng as saying that the current trade mission proves that the Chinese government has taken active steps toward promoting trade. Zeng said that the deals signed would create more jobs in the United States.

    Daley's counterpart in the Chinese government, Wu Yi, called for Daley to grant permanent MFN status regardless of the trade imbalance. "Permanent MFN status is not only beneficial for Sino-U.S. commercial ties, but also for long-term U.S. interests in China," Xinhua quoted Wu as saying.

    Reuters contributed to this report.

     
    rule

    Related sites:

    Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

    External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.


    Infoseek search  


    rule
    Message Boards

    Sound off on our message boards



    You said it...
    rule
    To the top

    © 1997 Cable News Network, Inc.
    All Rights Reserved.

    Terms under which this service is provided to you.