China, US hope for strengthening of ties

(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-01-08 14:16

China yesterday said it hoped to further strengthen its diplomatic ties with the US in the next 30 years.

Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi (R) meets with visiting US Deputy Secretary of State John D. Negroponte in Beijing, China, Jan. 7, 2009. [Xinhua]

Welcoming US Deputy Secretary of State John D. Negroponte, who arrived in Beijing to mark the 30th anniversary of Sino-US diplomatic relations, Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said: "Sino-US relations, although with their share of twists and turns in the past, have moved forward on the whole."

It is an established fact that the development of Sino-US ties has not only benefited the people of the two sides but also helped regional and world peace and stability, he said.

Negroponte said the relationship with China has progressed "enormously", and reached a level that "could not have been imagined 30 years ago".

"There are various possibilities in the US-China relationship, and in the next 30 years, I am sure it will only get better," Negroponte told reporters after a friendly table tennis match between Chinese and US teams yesterday.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was due to attend the commemorative events in Beijing, but was forced to cancel the trip at the last minute to "focus on the Israel-Palestine conflict".

Deputy Foreign Minister Wang Guangya thanked Negroponte for his contribution in promoting the development of Sino-US ties during a meeting earlier yesterday.

"Since you have participated and experienced the normalization of Sino-US ties, your attendance at the celebrations is of special importance," Wang said.

In 1972, Negroponte had accompanied Henry Kissinger, the then national security advisor to the president of the US, on a visit to China, paving the way for the normalization of Sino-US relations.

The two sides established formal ties on Jan 1, 1979, coinciding with the launch of the market-oriented economic reform in China.

Yang Hongxi, a researcher at the China Center for Contemporary World Studies, said though the relations between the two countries had progressed significantly, certain problems remained.

"Both sides have a different set of values, but there are also a lot of common interests," Yang said in an article on the latest version of Outlook Weekly published by the Xinhua News Agency.

"The two sides should minimize the negative impact and evolve on the positive ones," he said.

The most lasting problem between the two sides has been continued US military sales to Taiwan, which China firmly opposes.

Tensions in recent years have also revolved around trade, with the US accusing China of unfairly keeping its currency cheap for the benefit of its exporters.

Differences over human rights have also caused some flare-ups.

Agencies contributed to the story