President Hu Jintao's visit to the United States is
fruitful and of milestone importance to the bilateral relations,
Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing said on Saturday.
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Speaking to reporters aboard the special plane which takes
President Hu Jintao from the United States to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia,
Li, who is accompanying Hu's visit to the US, Saudi Arabia,
Morocco, Nigeria and Kenya, said Hu's US tour was concluded with
important fruits as the two sides had made concerted efforts.
The visit promoted the comprehensive and constructive
cooperation between China and the US after President Hu repeatedly
said that China-US relations have progressed beyond bilateral
relationship and have had more and more global influence and
strategic significance.
Hu told his hosts on different occasions that China and the U.S
shared extensive and important strategic interests in safe-guarding
world peace and promoting mutual development as both were facing
threats in the field of traditional and non-traditional security,
Li said.
Hu said that developing Sino-US relations has not only met the
needs of safeguarding the common interests of the two nations and
two peoples, but also promoting peace, stability and prosperity in
the Asia-Pacific region and the whole world.
The US side appreciated President Hu's remarks, Li said.
US President George W. Bush said the United States welcomed a
peaceful and prosperous China and the two nations shared many
strategic interests.
Bush said China was a key partner of the US in safeguarding
world peace and that the cooperation between China and the US was
expanding and had more global importance.
During Hu's tour, China and the US also agreed to take joint
steps to safeguard peace and stability across the Taiwan
Straits.
President Hu appreciated President Bush and his government for
reaffirming their one-China policy and the US commitment to the
three Sino-US communiques. Hu said China and the US shared mutual
strategic interests in combating and containing "Taiwan
independence."
President Bush told Hu that he understood China's concern about
the Taiwan issue and that there was no change in the US policy on
Taiwan.
Talking about bilateral economic and trade relations, Li said
Hu's visit would strengthen the Sino-US cooperation in this
field.
Hu said a mutually beneficial and win-win economic and trade
cooperation between China and the US would benefit the two
peoples.
Explaining China's concept and road of development, President Hu
said China would hold high the banner of peace, development and
cooperation, pursue an independent foreign policy of peace, and
commit itself to peaceful development.
Hu made it clear that a peaceful and developing China was an
important force to promote peace, stability and prosperity in the
Asia-Pacific region as well as the world at large, which would also
present a historic opportunity to the Sino-US cooperation, Li
said.
President Hu's US tour has achieved the goal of promoting
dialogue, improving mutual-trust, deepening cooperation and
carrying the constructive and cooperative relations between the two
countries to a new stage, said the Chinese foreign minister.
The visit will also be of essential and far-reaching importance
to the sound and stable development of the Sino-US relations, he
added.
(Xinhua News Agency April 23, 2006)