China offers to step up cooperation with US against terrorism
( 2001-09-14 18:18 ) (7 )

China's ambassador to the United States visited the daughter of two Chinese killed aboard the hijacked plane that plunged into the Pentagon, and Beijing offered to work with Washington against terrorism.

``The fight against terrorism calls for cooperation of the international community,'' China's top foreign policy official, Vice Premier Qian Qichen, said in a phone call Thursday night with US Secretary of State Colin Powell.

``We are ready to enhance cooperation with the US side in this field,'' the Foreign Ministry quoted Qian as saying.

Powell asked for the call and told Qian that Washington is ``looking forward'' to working with China against terrorism, the ministry said. It gave no details on how they might cooperate.

China's ambassador to Washington, Yang Jiechi, traveled on Thursday to Virginia to express condolences to the daughter and son-in-law of Zheng Yuguang, 65, and his wife Yang Shuyin, 61, who died aboard American Airlines Flight 77. Their daughter is studying in the United States.

``President Jiang Zemin and the Chinese government are extremely concerned about the safety of Chinese citizens in America and condemn and oppose all violent terrorist activities,'' said Yang.

China expressed shock and offered help with rescue efforts following Tuesday's attacks. Terrorists flew two hijacked passenger jets into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York, collapsing them, and crashed Flight 77 into the Pentagon. Another hijacked plane crashed in Pennsylvania.

Besides the couple killed aboard Flight 77, the ministry said the family of 32-year-old Chen Xiaobing reported that he too was killed. But the ministry said it did not know where or how.

Another person, 41-year-old Wang Weibin, was missing, but again the ministry said it was not sure where.

But there was some good news Friday: A Chinese woman reported missing after the attacks returned home safely, the ministry said. It said her husband worked for one of 18 Chinese firms and institutions with offices in the Trade Center.

The ministry said that by Friday, all but one of the companies had been contacted. It said an employee of one firm was injured, but all others said their employees were safe.