Foreign and Military Affairs

Quotable quotes from visiting Chinese president in US

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2011-01-21 15:10
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BEIJING - The following are some quotable quotes made by Chinese President Hu Jintao in the United States on Thursday, the third day of his state visit to the country.

-- Pursuing a healthy and steady development of China-US ties is China's established policy and strategic choice, Hu said in talks with Speaker John Boehner of the House and Majority leader Harry Reid of the Senate.

It has also been the consensus of the US administrations, whether Republican or Democratic, since the two countries established formal diplomatic relations 32 years ago, he added.

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Thanks to the two nations' concerted efforts, the China-US relationship has been moving forward steadily, Hu said, citing the two countries' increasing cooperation and coordination on trade, terrorism, climate change, Korean Peninsula denuclearization and other bilateral, regional and global issues.

A sound relationship between Beijing and Washington not only serves the fundamental interests of both peoples, but greatly contributes to the peace, stability and prosperity of the Asia-Pacific region and beyond, the Chinese president said.

-- "In the face of the complex and fluid international situation and various risks and challenges, the people of our two countries should step up cooperation and work with people across the world to share opportunities, meet challenges and build a better future for mankind," Hu said during his speech at a welcome luncheon hosted by friendly organizations in the United States.

"We should keep our relations on the path of equality, mutual respect, mutual trust, mutual benefit and common development. And to do that, we should increase high-level exchanges, deepen and expand communication at all levels, better appreciate each other's strategic intentions and development paths, and further increase mutual trust, dispel misgivings and build consensus," Hu said.

"We should enhance consultation and coordination on global issues such as the Doha Round negotiations, climate change, energy and resources security, food security and public health security through bilateral and multilateral channels, maintain dialogue and exchanges on regional security, regional cooperation and hotspot issues, and work together for a more equitable, just, inclusive and better-managed international system."

"We should stay committed to promoting peace, stability and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region, engage in open and inclusive regional cooperation, and turn the Asia Pacific into an important region where China and the United States work closely with each other on the basis of mutual respect," he added.

"We should draw up a good plan for our exchanges and cooperation in culture, education, science and technology and other fields, and encourage more dialogue and exchanges between the legislatures, local authorities, business communities, academic institutions, media organizations and other sectors so that more and more people will become supporters of stronger China-US relations and get actively involved in this worthy cause."

"We need to put in extra efforts to boost exchanges between our young people and carry out diverse forms of youth exchange to ensure that the younger generation will carry forward China-US friendship," he said.

"A review of the history of our relations tells us that China-US relations will enjoy smooth and steady growth when the two countries handle well issues involving each other's major interests. Otherwise, our relations will suffer constant trouble or even tension."

"Taiwan and Tibet-related issues concern China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and they represents China's core interests. They touch upon the national sentiments of the 1.3 billion Chinese. We hope that the US side will honor its commitments and work with us to preserve the hard-won progress of our relations," said Hu.

"China and the United States are different in history, culture, social system and development level. It is thus only normal that we have some disagreements and frictions," Hu noted.

"We should view and handle bilateral relations from a strategic and long-term perspective and with a sense of responsibility to history and to the future. We should prevent our relations from being affected or held back by any individual incident at any particular time. We should increase mutual trust, remove obstacles and work together to build a China-US cooperative partnership based on mutual respect and mutual benefit," said the Chinese president.