President Hu to discuss Sino-US relations with Obama in London

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-03-07 10:07

BEIJING -- Chinese President Hu Jintao will meet his US counterpart Barack Obama during the London G-20 meeting this April, Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said here on Saturday.

Yang made the remarks while meeting domestic and overseas journalists on the sidelines of the annual parliament session at the Great Hall of the People in downtown Beijing.

Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi answers questions during a press conference held by the Second Session of the 11th National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, March 7, 2009. [Xinhua] more photos

China is ready to cooperate with the new US administration to improve China-US relations, said Yang, adding he hopes the two sides could accommodate the core interests of each other and further improve exchanges, coordination and cooperation.

"We believe that with joint efforts, the China-US relations will proceed in a healthy and stable way," Yang said.

"Under the invitation of US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, I will visit the United States soon to make preparations for the meeting between President Hu and President Obama in London," Yang said.

The meeting will be the first between the two leaders since Obama took office in January.

A Year of "Good Harvest"

Yang said that 2008 was a year of "good harvest" despite enormous challenges for China's diplomatic work.

Large events such as the devastating earthquake in southwestern Sichuan Province, "disruptive factors" during the run-up to the Beijing Olympics and the global financial crisis brought "great ever challenges" to China's diplomatic work last year, Yang told the press.

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NPC and CPPCC 2009

The country, however, met the challenges head on and saw good harvest in its diplomacy, Yang said, citing the Beijing Olympics, a big cultural event, as an example of cultural diplomacy.

As many as more than 180 state leaders, government heads and foreign officials came to China on official visits, attending opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympic Games and the 7th Asian-European Meeting in Beijing, among others.

The new year has also seen a good start of China's international exchanges, Yang noted.

The "journey of friendship and cooperation" by President Hu Jintao to African and Middle East countries and the "journey of confidence" by Premier Wen Jiabao to Europe at the beginning of this year greatly pushed relations with those countries, Yang said.

He said more attention this year should be given to diplomacy in specific fields such as economic, security, cultural and public diplomacy.

The G20 summit scheduled next month in London would be able to achieve "positive" results with the joint efforts of all parties, said Yang.

East China Sea issue

The Tianwaitian gas oil field is located in China's exclusive economic field and has nothing to do with the principles and understanding reached between China and Japan on the East China Sea issue, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said here Saturday.

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