CHINA> National
|
CHINA> National
|
|
Related
Top official tours US to broaden relations
By Zhang Haizhou (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-09-08 07:10 In the first visit to the United States by a chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress in 20 years, Wu Bangguo will meet US President Barack Obama in Washington on Tuesday local time. Climate change is likely to top Wu's agenda, said experts, who noted that frequent congressional exchanges this year will help make the development of the bilateral ties more balanced.
Arriving in Phoenix, Ariz., on Sunday, Wu started his weeklong US tour after visiting Cuba and the Bahamas. He was invited by US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, according to Xinhua New Agency. In a written statement, Wu highlighted the "historical" growth of the China-US relations since diplomatic relations was established in 1979. He said in the letter that the bilateral ties have already become "the most important and the most dynamic relationship in the world."
The visit is "as important" as a meeting between the top leaders of the two countries, said Yuan Peng, head of the Institute of US Studies affiliated to the Chinese Institute of Contemporary International Relations. He said the visit should help improve the attitude of the US Congress toward China. Inter-congressional visits have become more frequent than before since Obama took office on Jan 20. Pelosi, a longtime and outspoken critic of China, visited Beijing in May, calling for both countries to do more together on combating global warming. US Sens John Kerry and John McCain, both former US presidential candidates, have also visited China. Pang Zhongying, an expert on international relations at Renmin University of China, called Wu's visit as "a part of" improving China-US ties. |
||||||||
