John Negroponte, who has been nominated by US President George
W. Bush to serve as deputy state secretary, told US lawmakers on
Tuesday that it was in the interests of the United States to
continue the policy of engagement with China.
Speaking at his Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation
hearing, Negroponte, currently director of National Intelligence,
said "China is a very important country. And it's going to be for
the century ahead of us. I think it's in our interest to engage
China."
"I think we need to engage China. And I think that that ought to
be our approach to that country; not one of confrontation, but
engagement," he added.
Negroponte, poised to replace Robert Zoellick who resigned last
spring, said he looked forward to resuming dialogue with China on
political matters at the vice foreign ministerial level.
Negroponte also stressed the importance of upholding the
one-China policy.
When asked by Senator Lisa Murkowski about Taiwanese
authorities' recent call to revise the island's "constitution,"
Negroponte said, "The State Department view is that we support a
one-China policy and the foundation documents that -- the three
different communiques with regard to the unity of China."
China and the United States signed the three joint communiques to guide the
development of their bilateral relations in 1972, 1979 and 1982
respectively.
Negroponte reaffirmed his support for the one China policy,
saying it would be "unwise to do anything that might be at
cross-purposes" with the communiques.
(Xinhua News Agency January 31, 2007)
