|
President Hu to visit US in April, says report
By Le Tian (China Daily)
Updated: 2006-01-23 05:44
President Hu Jintao is set to visit the United States in April, Hong
Kong-based Wenweipo reported yesterday, citing diplomatic sources.
Both sides have reached a preliminary agreement on Hu's April visit to
Washington, while negotiations on the exact date and arrangements for the visit
are ongoing, the report said.
|
U.S. President George W. Bush (R) greets
China's President Hu Jintao (L) in New York September 13, 2005. Hu is in
New York for the United Nations General Assembly meeting.
[Reuters]
|
The Chinese president had planned to visit the US last September, but his
trip had to be postponed due to the impact of Hurricane Katrina.
Hu accepted the second invitation offered by US president George W. Bush in
November, when the latter paid an official visit to Beijing to promote bilateral
ties.
Analysts say Hu's visit will be one of the important topics discussed when US
Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick meets Chinese officials during his
three-day visit starting today.
Among other issues will be preparations for the third China-US strategic
dialogue, as both sides have agreed to hold the dialogue in the first half of
this year, Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan told reporters at a regular news
briefing last week.
Both China and the United States are important "stakeholders" in the
international community and it will benefit both sides to listen to each other's
views, Zoellick was quoted by China News Service as saying, adding that
maintaining contacts with China is very important.
Zoellick first used the word "stakeholder" when describing Sino-US relations
while delivering a speech at a dinner of the National Committee on US-China
Relations last September.
His speech was considered a sign of a shift in US diplomatic policy towards
China from "strategic competitor" to an equal and important member in the
current international system.
Zoellick's repeated emphasis of the word "stakeholder" and his visit to China
show that Washington attaches great importance to Sino-US ties as well as
Beijing's role in international affairs, said Shen Jiru, a researcher on
international politics and economics at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
The two countries witnessed a boom in high-ranking official exchanges last
year.
The two heads of state met five times during the year and US president Bush
paid his second trip to China.
Important US cabinet members including Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice,
Secretary of Defence Donald H. Rumsfeld, Secretary of Treasury John W. Snow,
Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez and Secretary of Agriculture Mike
Johanns, also made high-profile visits.
The two nations also held two successful strategic dialogues in August and
December on topics of concern, which were described by Zoellick as
"constructive."
(China Daily 01/23/2006 page2)
|
