Sheng Huaren, vice chairman and secretary-general of the
Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress (NPC),
exchanged views with US Senate President pro tempore Ted Stevens on
relations and parliamentary exchanges between the two countries in
Hawaii on Wednesday and Thursday, and the two sides reached
wide-ranging consensus.
Sheng, also chairman the NPC Sino-US (Senate) parliamentary
group, was in Hawaii at the invitation of Stevens, chairman of the
US-China parliamentary group in the Senate, for a meeting of
leaders of the two parliamentary groups.
The two sides hailed the progress in Sino-US relations in recent
years, and emphasized that fully implementing the series of
important consensus reached by President Hu Jintao and US President
George W. Bush, is of vital importance in maintaining and
developing the constructive relationship of cooperation between the
two countries.
They agreed that the two sides should make concerted efforts to
create a friendly atmosphere to ensure Hu's scheduled visit to the
US this year a success.
Sheng and Stevens reviewed and affirmed the positive
achievements of the parliamentary conference mechanism since it was
set into motion two years ago, and held discussions on the
mechanism's direction and its agenda for 2006.
They agreed that parliamentary exchanges are an important part
of relations between the two countries, and a regular conference
mechanism provides an effective platform for the two sides to
enhance understanding, deepen trust, and expand consensus. Such a
mechanism should be maintained and developed in depth over a long
period of time, they said.
They also agreed that the third formal session of the
parliamentary conference mechanism would be held in Beijing in
August this year.
(Xinhua News Agency January 6, 2006)
