Chinese VP hopes presidential vote won’t hamper Sino-US ties

development of ties between the two countries,” Xi said during a meeting with several former senior US officials.
“Among these former US officials are former US secretaries of state Henry Kissinger and Madeleine Albright, former US treasury secretary Henry Paulson, former US national security advisers Zbigniew Brzezinski, Brent Scowcroft and Sandy Berger, and former US secretary of labor Elaine Chao.
Noting that this year also marks the 40th anniversary of the visit of then US President Richard Nixon to China and the issuance of the Shanghai Communique, Xi said that the tremendous development of bilateral ties over the past four decades has far exceeded the expectations of the people. During the meeting, Xi, who arrived in Washington earlier on Monday, made a four-point proposal on how to enhance the Sino-US relationship.
Firstly, he said, the two sides should regard history as a mirror. The four-decade-long development of China-US relations has proved four pieces of historic experience: the common interest of both sides is the impetus; the three joint communiques signed by the two sides are the institutional guarantee; the mutual understanding and strategic trust are important prerequisites; the innovative spirit keeping abreast of times is the driving force, he said.
“All the experience is well worth cherishing and should continue to be followed,” Xi said.
Secondly, he said both sides should adopt a long-term perspective. To build a co-operative partnership between China and the United States is a great trial in the establishment of ties between world powers, which concern the benefits of people of both countries and the goodness of the whole world at large, Xi said.
Thirdly, he said, the two sides should respect each other and build mutual trust.
China firmly adheres to the path of peaceful development, and “we hold frank, sincere and consistent views to the development of China-US relations,” Xi said.
“We hope the US side could view China in an objective and rational way, and adopt concrete measures to promote mutual trust, especially to properly and discreetly handle the issues concerning the core interests of China,” said the Chinese vice president.
Fourthly, the two sides should achieve mutual benefits and win-win results, he said. Bilateral trade volume reached more than US$440 billion last year, which reflects the essential feature of the economic complementarity of the two countries.
“We should deal with friction and differences in bilateral economic and trade co-operation in the spirit of seeking mutual benefits and win-win results through a positive and constructive way,” Xi said.
Monday’s meeting was Xi’s first major event after he arrived in Washington for an official visit to the United States.
Meanwhile, China’s vice president yesterday opened talks at the White House, where an AFP report said President Barack Obama plans to press him on key concerns yet also work for better future relations.
Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton received Xi at the White House’s Roosevelt Room at the start of a day of talks. Xi, who is China’s vice president, will later meet with Obama.
US officials have said they plan to raise a series of concerns with Xi including the level of China’s currency, which US lawmakers say is undervalued, and on its human rights record which activists say is deteriorating.
But the White House has also invested time in building a rapport with Xi, who is expected to take over as China’s president next year and may lead the rising Asian power for the next decade. Chinese presidents generally serve two five-year terms. – Xinhua/AFP.