The press conference of Chinese President Jiang Zemin and US President Bush broadcast live by the media attracted a sizeable audience.

At 8:30 am yesterday, when the national flags of China and the United States were hoisted in Tian'anmen Square, people jockeyed for a good position to take pictures under the two flags.

"I believe President Bush will like Beijing, and American friends will feel the warmth of the Chinese people and learn more about China," said Wei Wu, a student who recently returned from the US after completing his master's degree.

President Bush yesterday afternoon visited an exhibition of compressed natural gas (CNG) engines held by Cummins Corporation. The American firm is a partner of the Beijing Public Transportation Corporation (BPTC) in providing clean, reliable natural gas buses in the capital city.

While praising Beijing's efforts to utilize clear gas buses as a "wise policy," Bush said it was also a "wise policy" to trade with China.

"The US has strong relations with China," he said, adding that China has a vast potential. "It is in the US's interests to co-operate with China on key issues like economy, trade and fighting against terrorism," he stressed.

Bush said he was happy to see that Beijing now has more than 1,800 CNG-powered buses in its public transportation fleet, one of the biggest of its kind in the world. According to BPTC, 90 per cent of Beijing's buses and 70 per cent of taxies will use clean fuel by 2008.

US first lady Laura Bush, who is accompanying her husband in Beijing, arguably learned the most about Chinese culture yesterday.

During a visit to the Forbidden City, she was heard to exclaim "it's so beautiful" three times .

Laura Bush was also surprised by Chinese chefs' grand skills of food carving when she visited US ambassador's residence. She applauded Li Jixian, president of the Shanxi Culinary Training College, and her students, saying they did a very good job. Li and her students were there to demonstrate the Chinese culinary arts to the Americans.

Holding up some rice-dough figures, Laura said: "These are fabulous."

"We need them at the White House for the next state dinner," she joked.

Some members of Bush's visiting delegation and officers of the US Embassy in China put on tangzhuang or traditional Chinese costumes yesterday afternoon.

Chinese reporters also joked that tangzhuang will become popular in the US after Bush returns home.

(China Daily February 22, 2002)