U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the SpokesmanFor Immediate Release
September 29, 1998
98/709REMARKS BY
SECRETARY OF STATE MADELEINE K. ALBRIGHT
AND
FOREIGN MINISTER TANG OF CHINAWashington, D.C.
SECRETARY ALBRIGHT: Good afternoon. I am very pleased to welcome Foreign Minister Tang to the Department on his first visit to this country. Under President Clinton, the United States has sought to build on the interests we share with China, while making clear our values and pressing our views with vigor and respect. This approach has produced real progress. Today the Foreign Minister and I will discuss ways to move ahead on commitments made at the Beijing Summit.
One key area of our discussion will be non-proliferation, including China's position on missile technology transfers and the global regime that controls them. As part of our broader strategic dialogue, the Foreign Minister and I will also review developments in North Korea, South Asia and Cambodia. We will also, of course, review economic matters. China has helped itself, as well as the region, by maintaining currency stability, but we must tackle the growing trade imbalance between our two countries so that trade does not become a source of estrangement instead of engagement. The way forward is to revitalize our discussions on China's accession to the World Trade Organization. By revolving market access issues and resisting the lower protectionism, we can solve today's trade problems and avoid tomorrow's.
Finally, among other issues, the Foreign Minister and I will discuss a wide range of concerns on human rights. And I am very happy to say that in the meeting that the Foreign Minister just had with President Clinton, he announced that China was going to sign and implement the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and that this will be done in New York on October 5. Mr. Foreign Minister, I congratulate our countries on this very important development.
So that is a full and even daunting agenda, but the United States and China have proven that even in areas where we have differences we're capable of making progress that benefits both of our countries. Mr. Foreign Minister, we've met at a lot of different places and had many phone calls and now I'm very glad to welcome you here to the State Department.
FOREIGN MINISTER TANG: Thank you very much. I'm very delighted to meet you here. Although this is the first time for me to have talks with Secretary Albright in Washington since I became China's new Foreign Minister. Actually, this is already our fifth meeting since I took up the post. And I also wish to thank Secretary Albright for your gracious invitation which enables me to have this opportunity of visiting Washington at this golden season of Autumn. Autumn is a time of harvest. The past year actually has witnessed very positive progress and also has grown very rich fruits in China-US relations. Autumn is also a season of sowing. Now China and the United States are working together to build a constructive strategic partnership between the two countries. This goes with the trend of the history and it is also the right option - right choice -- favorable to the stable growth of China-US relations and this also represents a very important contribution to world peace and stability.
While the main purpose of my current visit to the United States is to work together with our American friends to implement all the important agreements and consensus reached by our two Presidents during their very successful exchange of visits, so as to promote a stable and a sound growth of our bilateral relations on the basis of the three China-US joint communiqu��. Just now, I had a very productive and a successful meeting with President Clinton and later I am going to hold official talks with Secretary Albright. I believe our talks will also be fruitful.
Thank you very much.
Q: (Inaudible) the United States became - (inaudible) - missile activities - (inaudible) - supposed threat to American interests in the area? And how's China - (inaudible) -- ?
FOREIGN MINISTER TANG: While the Korean Peninsula has always been one of the most sensitive areas - regions -- in the world, actually now it has already become quite clear that the recent launching activity of North Korea was kind of the launch of a manmade satellite boosted by three-stage rockets, and actually the launch did not achieve the expected results. On this matter, we believe that it should be dealt with in a very calm and very prudent manner.
With regard to China's policy on the Korean Peninsula, we have two basic points in mind. That is, first, whatever we do, we would work for the maintenance of peace and stability on the peninsula; and secondly, whatever we - all the measures we take are aimed at helping the relaxation of tension in the relations between the North and the South of Korea. So based on that, we, of course, can understand the strong concerns of the parties concerned. However, we hope that all the comments, all the remarks made in this regard and the approach adopted towards this matter will not be detrimental to peace and stability on the peninsula, because the maintenance of peace and stability is in the best interests of all parties concerned.
So on the nuclear issue, it is our consistent view that the Korean Peninsula should become a nuclear-free zone, true to its name. And so in this regard, we express our appreciation of the position and the attitude of the US Government for continuing to maintain the Framework Agreement signed with North Korea and also for further advancing the Four-Party Talks.
SECRETARY ALBRIGHT:Let me just add, first of all, I - Barry, this is going to be a subject that we are going to be talking about, but I would like to say that the missile talks with the North Koreans will be beginning this week; the talks in order to be able to cooperate on terrorism were yesterday; there has been progress, and the Four-Party Talks will also be held as well as talks about a visit to the suspect nuclear site.
Q: (Inaudible.)
FOREIGN MINISTER TANG: I think what you are referring to is entirely an internal matter of the United States. I don't think it will affect in any way the development of China-US relations because the development - the improvement in the growth of China-US relations accord with the strong common wish and the strong desire of the two peoples and also serve the fundamental interests of the two countries. Now our two Presidents have already exchanged visits very successfully, so both China and the United States are faced with good opportunities for further advancing this relationship.
President Clinton himself has made very important and valuable contributions to the development of China-US relations which we will never forget. I, as the new Foreign Minister of China, am very looking forward - actually, I really am looking forward to the further sustained and stable growth of China-US relations on the basis of the three Sino-US joint communiqu�� and the joint China-US statement.
Q: (Inaudible) - on another area. Have you had a chance to - (inaudible) -- ?
SECRETARY ALBRIGHT: I have not had a chance to read the whole speech, but in terms of reading about it and getting a report on it, I can say that it was of interest and I agree with some things that were said in terms of narcotics and Afghanistan, but I disagree with others; for instance, the criticism of our policy. And I've proposed a process of parallel steps to build a new relationship and we know that this will take time and require patience, and I said that shortly after my own speech when people expected some kind of a turnaround immediately after it. We know that this will require patience.
Our concerns are well known in terms of their support for terrorism; desire to acquire weapons of mass destruction and what could be termed violent opposition to the Middle East peace process. But they have indicated - and this was clear in my discussions in the last few days with Chairman Arafat - that they have allowed him or provided space for the possibility of some peace talks to go - this peace process part to go forward. We are ready to engage in a process in which each side addresses the other's concerns and we would like to go beyond the exchange of rhetoric to address the substance of our relationship.
Q: (Inaudible) - the two Presidents of China and America - (inaudible) -- ?
FOREIGN MINISTER TANG: As we have repeatedly emphasized, that the Taiwan question must be handled very appropriately because it is the most sensitive and important issue at the core of China-US relations and whether this issue can - whether or not this issue can be handled well will have an effect on the future of process of the development of China-US relations.
President Clinton reiterated the US policy on the question of Taiwan and actually he iterated the "three no" policy in Shanghai. We sincerely wish that both sides will work together according to the three Sino-US joint communiqu�� and the joint China-US statement and we also hope that this "three no" policy would be adhered to, and I believe that as long as we can do that, we will be able to maintain a stable and a sustained growth of China-US relations.
(end trancript)
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