TRANSCRIPT: CHRISTOPHER 11/20 PRESS CONFERENCE IN BEIJING
(U.S.-China cooperation can advance common interests)

Beijing, China -- The United States and China share many important interests which can best be advanced by working together, according to Secretary of State Warren Christopher.

Speaking at the China World Hotel in Beijing November 20, Christopher said his recent meetings with Chinese President Jiang Zemin, Premier Li Peng and Vice Premier Qian Qichen covered a wide range of issues, including the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction; respect for intellectual property rights; China's accession to the World Trade Organization; Hong Kong's transition to Chinese sovereignty; relations between China and Taiwan; cooperation in combating illegal drugs and alien smuggling; and human rights.

"These meetings reflect the importance that both the United States and China attach to strengthening our relationship," Christopher said.

Christopher said the United States and China will work toward an early implementation of the 1985 U.S.-China Agreement for Peaceful Nuclear Cooperation, and added that he was "encouraged that China has agreed to formulate and adopt comprehensive nationwide regulations on nuclear export control."

On other proliferation issues, the United States and China also reiterated their commitment to the October 1994 Joint Statement on Missile Proliferation and agreed to seek ratification of the Chemical Weapons Convention by the end of April 1997, according to Christopher.

On human rights, Christopher said that he raised "the full range of our concern including the treatment of those who express their views peacefully, along with raising also the situation in Tibet."

"The United States will continue to speak out in the area of human rights in China and around the rest of the world," he said. "The ideals that guide our actions reflect not just American ideals, but universal aspirations."

Christopher stressed that the United States and China intend to expand high-level contacts between the two countries and added that he has invited Vice Premier Qian Qichen to visit Washington sometime in the future.

Following is a transcript of Christopher's remarks:

(begin transcript)

REMARKS BY SECRETARY OF STATE WARREN CHRISTOPHER

CHINA WORLD HOTEL
BEIJING, CHINA
NOVEMBER 20, 1996

SECRETARY CHRISTOPHER: Good evening. Today I have held an intensive series of meetings with President Jiang Zemin, Premier Li Peng and Vice Premier Qian Qichen. These meetings reflect the importance that both the United States and China attach to strengthening our relationship. I was particularly pleased that we had time to discuss at some length the strategic basis for the ties bet~~ween the United States and China. Indeed our two nations do share many important interests, which we can best advance by working together. I intend to elaborate on these common goals in my speech tomorrow in Shanghai.

Our talks today also helped prepare for the meeting between our two Presidents this Sunday at the APEC meeting in the Philippines. President Clinton looks forward to building on the positive momentum we have established in recent months and to setting the stage for further progress during his second term in office.

In today's meetings, the United States and China reached some specific understandings in several important areas. Let me go through them and highlight them for you tonight. First in the broadest terms, both sides agreed that a healthy relationship between the United States and China is in the interests of both countries. Also, in the interest of the Asia Pacific Region and to the world as a whole, we are both pleased with the recent progress we have made and we look to strengthen further our relationship.

Second, both sides agreed to expand high level contacts. We agreed that further discussions on this topic will be held by our two presidents in the Philippines~.

Third, on non~proliferation, we discussed several important areas and I want to take time to go through them one by one with you. On nuclear non-proliferation we agreed that both sides will work for an early implementation of the 1985 U.S.-China Agreement for Peaceful Nuclear Cooperation. This will require establishing the basis for putting the agreement into practice. I am encouraged that China has agreed to formulate and adopt comprehensive nationwide regulations on nuclear export control. Both sides reiterated that we will fulfill our previous obligations, including the May 11, 1996 Chinese commitment not to provide assistance to unsafeguarded nuclear facilities, a very important commitment on their part. The Chinese also indicated that they are studying the question of joining the Zangger NPT Suppliers Committee, and that they will take into account U.S. concerns regarding sensitive nuclear related transfers. I made clear our strong concerns about nuclear cooperation with Iran. As we move forward on nuclear nonproliferation, the United States is prepared to consider, as consistent with U.S. law, further steps in the area of peaceful nuclear cooperation, even in advance of our full implementation of the 1985 Agreement.

On missile non-proliferation, a very important but distinct area, the United States and China reiterated their commitment to the October 1994 Joint Statement on Missile Proliferation that I signed with Vice Premier Qian Qichen. In our meeting today the Chinese government reaffirmed its commitment to the guidelines and parameters of the MTCR, the Missile Technology Control Regime.

On chemical weapons, the United States and China agreed to seek ratification of the Chemical Weapons Convention by the end of April 1997 so that both of our nations can be original parties to the Convention. In addition, on the issue of advanced conventional arms, the United States stressed the risk that is posed for the stability of the Persian Golf by the sales of such arms to Iran.

Our discussion generally on non-proliferation has advanced our cooperation in this area of vital interest. But we agreed we must do more to achieve our goals. I am very pleased that China has agreed to establish regular dialogues on global security, non-proliferation and arms control. I have taken some time to go through these issues on non-proliferation because, although they are technical, they are of very high importance, and those of you who have a special interest in this area will receive some briefings and further information after I have finished.

Now fourth, and turning to trade, I indicated the United States continues to support Chinese accession to the World Trade Organization on commercially meaningful terms. We look forward to intensifying our discussions toward this goal that we share with the Chinese. In addition, we discussed several areas of bilateral cooperation, including effective implementation of our agreements on Intellectual Property Rights.

Fifth, we had useful talks about the future of Hong Kong. China confirmed its intention to honor its commitment under the 1984 United Kingdom-PRC Joint Declaration. I made clear our ~support for a successful transition that would preserve Hong Kong's high degree ~~~~~of autonomy, its distinct economic and legal systems, civil liberties and democratic development.

We also had good discussions today, reassuring discussions, concerning the basis of our Consulate General to continue operations in Hong Kong after July 1, 1997. China indicated its willingness to provide as much protection to our officials and citizens as currently exists in Hong Kong. I must say a considerable reassurance to me on that point.

Sixth, we agreed to bolster our cooperation in law enforcement, in combating illegal drugs and in deterring alien smuggling. I extended an invitation to the Vice Minister for Public Security to visit Washington, DC in the near future.

Seventh and lastly, on the environment, we reviewed the progress we had made in recent weeks on several areas of importance to both countries, including climate change, fisheries and toxic chemicals. I made clear that Vice President Gore looks forward to strengthening our forum on sustainable development which he will chair jointly with Premier Li Peng. Of course, the United States and China continue to have areas of difference which we discussed today openly and candidly.

On human rights I raised the full range of our concern including the treatment of those who express their views peacefully, along with raising also the situation in Tibet. The United States will continue to speak out in the area of human rights in China and around the rest of the world. The ideals that guide our actions reflect not just American ideals, but universal aspirations.

As always we discussed the situation with respect to Taiwan. We noted a welcome reduction in the tensions in the Taiwan Strait in the last several months. We will continue to urge both Beijing and Taipei to pursue the resolution of their differences on a peaceful basis, and to resume at an early time the cross Strait dialogue.

We also had an opportunity today, because we had more time than usual, to discuss several regional and global issues of great interest and importance to both nations and to the region. These included most prominently the Korean Peninsula, where China has recently confirmed its willingness to participate in four party talks. Other topics that we discussed of that character today included South Asia, the Middle East and the forthcoming APEC meetings.

In sum, we made useful progress today. We are committed, both of our nations, to developing our long term cooperation and intensifying our exchanges. To that end I have invited Vice Premier Qian Qichen to visit Washington at a time to be determined along with my successor. In order to deepen our strategic dialogue we have also agreed to establish regular exchanges between officials responsible for regional affairs and for policy planning. My sixteen meetings over the last four years with Vice Premier Qian Qichen, four a year approximately, have helped to advance, I believe, the common interests of peoples of both countries. I thank him for his ~unfailingcourtesy and for his ~~~professionalism. He has shown me a good deal of courtesy and he has always been able and professional in all of the 16 meetings we have had over a four-year period. I also want to thank President Jiang Zemin and Premier Li Peng for their hospitality and their courtesy for meeting with me at considerable length today and for their ex~pressions of appreciation for me. Thank you.

QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, your comment about the United States being prepared to consider some steps for furthering peaceful nuclear cooperation with China in advance of their full adherence to the agreement. Could you explain exactly what you mean by that? Does this mean that the United States is now prepared to go forward with some of the billions of dollars of nuclear reactor deals that American industry wants?

SECRETARY CHRISTOPHER: Carol, I really meant just what I said, that if they are making progress toward putting the 1985 Agreement into effect, we are prepared to consider other things so long as we feel that they are making a faithful and conscientious effort and it might well include cooperation of the kind that you mentioned.

QUESTION: This morning the Chinese Foreign Minister discussing Taiwan said that what mattered was U.S. actions not words. I'm wondering if you would apply the same standard to China and its behavior towards Hong Kong? Specifically its actions concerning the legislation there, whether you feel that their actions match the words that they agreed to in the Joint Declaration.

SECRETARY CHRISTOPHER: We will be watching both their actions and their words in the Hong Kong situation. We discussed today how much it is in their self interest to live up to their commitments made to the United Kingdom to insure that Hong Kong remains a region where they have the rule of law, where there is respect for property rights and where the rights of the individual are respected as they have been in the past, and I think the entire world will be watching that. I made the point to Vice Premier Qian Qichen that the United States and its citizens were very interested in this. The matter will have high visibility as we roll up to the date of July 1, 1997. So, yes, we will be watching both their words, but also the actions they take to carry out the commitments they made under their agreement with the United Kingdom.

QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, when you met with the Chinese leadership, did you raise the case of Mr. Wang Dan, and also last month another Chinese dissident, Mr. Wang Xizhe, sent you a letter and requested you to hand over the letter to Mr. Qian Qichen. This letter was about his willingness to go back to China. Did you do so? If yes, what was the response of Mr. Qian Qichen?

SECRETARY CHRISTOPHER: On your first question, I did raise the question, the answer is yes. On the second question, I have not seen the letter so I cannot answer your question.

QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, you obviously talked to the Chinese officials about human rights. I have two questions: One, did Mr. Shattuck participate in the discussion or did he merely sit at the table and, two, did the Chinese actually engage with you on a discussion of human rights and individual cases or did they simply say these were a question of Chinese internal law, and none of United States' business as their spokesman had said yesterday?

SECRETARY CHRISTOPHER: Human rights was discussed in each of the three meetings that I had today. I suppose that probably more time was spent on that subject than any other with the possible exception of non-proliferation. You can see from my catalogue of matters, on non~-proliferation a good deal of time was spent on that. The format of the meeting was that it was conducted by Qian Qichen on the Chinese side and by me on the American side. That's the tradition. That's the way that those meetings generally work and that's the way this one worked.

If I could go back to the lady that I just spoke to. I didn't mean to be impolite about that at all, I simply have not received a letter. If the letter is brought to our attention, we will have some comment on it, but the pace of today is such that I did not receive the letter about which you spoke.

QUESTION: Recently, there has been quite a tax on textiles. Was this issue brought up in the recent discussions and what was the Chinese reaction?

SECRETARY CHRISTOPHER: We discussed the textile issue briefly. I pointed to the importance of the resumption of the negotiation in early December and urged that there be a prompt resolution of that issue before it becomes more intensified.

QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, the Foreign Minister this morning also linked the issues of cooperation on U.S. non-proliferation with the curtailment of arms sales to Taiwan. Is that something the United States is prepared to consider now?

SECRETARY CHRISTOPHER: We are faithfully carrying out the commitments under the three communiques. We are assessing, very carefully, any arms sales to Taiwan and even though it is not called for in the communiques, there has been in the past and we continue to limit those sales to defensive weapons. So we are proceeding with that, as I say, with a faithful commitment carrying out the provisions of the three communiques.

QUESTION: Two questions: One that was put to you earlier and that was, did the Chinese in fact engage with you during your discussion of human rights or simply listen to your presentation. Mid my second question is were you surprised at all with the nature of Mr. Qian Qichen's presentation this morning in which he began with the Taiwan issue and called it the core issue between the United States and China?

SECRETARY CHRISTOPHER: Steve, they very definitely engaged with us on the human rights issues. There was a detailed discussion of several of the most important and~~~ urgent issues. Our stating our position and they stati~ng their position. It was, I think, probably the most coming-to~-grips discussion that we have had of human rights issues for some time and maybe the most of all. I'm never surprised when the Chinese raise the Taiwan issue first. They do regard it as the core issue; it is of high importance to them. So that comes as something that I've learned through the course of these discussions, the importance of that issue to the Chinese, and once again we had a good discussion of that today and its various parameters.

QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, bearing in mind the points that you raised on progress, do you think that there was enough progress for you to recommend a summit to the President? And do you expect a summit conference be~tween President Clinton and President Jiang?

SECRETARY CHRISTOPHER: Tyler, we had a good discussion of the issue of the highest~-level meetings. I think I will save my recommendations for the President himself. I do expect that this matter will be discussed between the two Presidents when they meet in Manila in four days.

Thank you very much, and thank you for your patience and courtesy.

(end transcript)