During the past year, China has "steadily pushed forward its relationship with major powers" in the world, and "spared no efforts" to enhance the friendly ties with its neighbors, Tang said.

China has also strengthened its relationship with developing countries and made great strides to participate in the multilateral diplomacy and promote the regional cooperation, according to Tang, who reviewed China's diplomatic achievements in an exclusive interview with Xinhua Thursday.

RELATIONS WITH BIG POWERS HAVE SEEN STEADY GROWTH

The Chinese Foreign Minister said the steady growth of relations between China and other big countries has been a notable harvest in China's diplomacy this year.

He said that Sino-US relations have "further improved and developed" in a stable manner this year, noting that the two state leaders met twice and the two sides agreed to push forward the bilateral ties on the track of healthy and steady development.

At the turn of the century, Tang said, the China-US relationship is "at an important juncture."

Now Gorge W. Bush has won the US presidential election, Tang said, adding that "we believe the new US administration will continue the concurrent policy towards China of both the Democratic and Republican Parties."

"We expect to work with the Bush administration to continue to improve and develop the bilateral ties on the three joint communiques," the foreign minister said. He stressed that "the Taiwan issue remains to be the most important and most sensitive core issue in Sino-US relations," saying that "we hope the new US administration will strictly abide by relevant commitments made by successive US administrations."

Tang urged the soon-to-be-sworn-in Bush administration to "properly handle the Taiwan issue" and to support China's final reunification.

On Sino-Russian ties, Tang said that high-level contacts between the two countries have been frequent, as illustrated by the four meetings between Chinese President Jiang Zemin and Russian President Putin and the fifth regular meeting between Chinese and Russian premiers.

"On the whole, the Sino-Russian strategic partnership of cooperation has been developing smoothly and further deepened," Tang said.

Sino-Russian cooperation on missile defense, arms control, regional security, and multipolarization has been "fruitful," Tang noted, adding that "it will certainly play a positive role in opposing hegemonism and power politics and in facilitating the establishment of a new international political and economic order. "

The economic relations and trade between China and Russia have also made great strides, with this year's total trade volume reaching US$7.2 billion, the peak in the past 10 years, according to Tang.

Sino-Japanese ties have maintained a good development momentum, Tang said.

Chinese President Jiang Zemin, Premier Zhu Rongji and other leaders have done a lot to promote the friendship and mutual trust between China and Japan, Tang noted.

"Some people in Japan occasionally make irresponsible remarks on the history and the Taiwan issue, and we have to be on high alert," the Chinese foreign minister said. "China and Japan should work together to maintain their overall relationship and smash those plots aimed at destroying the friendship between the two countries," Tang emphasized.

On China's relations with the European Union, Tang said that the political dialogues between the two sides have increased and bilateral trade and economic cooperation have further developed.

The visit to the EU by Chinese Premier Zhu in June-July and the Third Sino-EU summit have "forcefully driven their long-term and stable constructive partnership," Tang said.

(Xinhua 12/28/2000)