In an exclusive interview with Xinhua, Yang said that international situation has underwent complex and tremendous changes and Sino-US relations have greatly improved and developed.Under such circumstance, the exchange of opinions between President Jiang and US president George W. Bush on bilateral ties and major international and regional issues will undoubtedly promote mutual understanding and trust. The in-depth talks between the two leaders will advance the constructive and cooperative relationship between the two countries, and have an important and positive impact on the development of the international situation.

Yang said he believed that Jiang's visit would achieve a complete success with the joint efforts of both sides. It will be the third meeting between Jiang and Bush within one year, with one meeting in October last year in Shanghai during the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) Economic Leaders' Meeting and another in Beijing when Bush visited China this February.

As for the Sino-US relations, Yang said that the world situation has seen important changes and the Sino-US relations have been characterized with something new in the past year, especially after the terror attacks in New York and Washington on Sept. 11 last year.

But the bilateral ties have witnessed obvious improvements and developments on the whole, which shows again that the two nations share extensive and important common interests despite differences,Yang said.

He said that China and the United States shoulder important responsibilities in various areas, such as promoting the preservation of peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region andeven of the world. They also have the responsibility to speed up the growth and prosperity of their own and the world economy, combat terrorism and prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and the deterioration of the world environment.

A constructive and cooperative Sino-US relationship is not only in the common interests of both peoples, but also the expectation of the whole world, Yang added.

On the Taiwan issue, the core and sensitive issue in bilateral relations, Yang said that properly handling the Taiwan issue is key to ensuring the steady and healthy development of bilateral relations.

He said that China has noticed US reiteration of sticking to the "one China" policy, its commitment to the principles of the three Sino-US joint communiques, and its pledge not to support andencourage the development of "Taiwan independence" force.

Yang stressed that the implementation of the above-mentioned promises by the United States is of vital importance for ensuring the stability and development of Sino-US relations.

Yang said both history and reality have proved time and again that the separatist activities initiated by the "Taiwan independence" force pose the biggest threat to peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and stand as the largest hurdle to the peaceful solution of the Taiwan issue. They also constitute a destructive element to peace and stability in the Asian-Pacific region. If let it be, they are doomed to bear catastrophic consequences, he added.

The Chinese government and Chinese people are committed to the peaceful reunification of the motherland, said Yang. The Chinese government will stick to the basic principle of "peaceful reunification, and one country, two systems" as well as President Jiang Zemin's Eight-Point proposal for the peaceful solution of the Taiwan issue.

Chinese government and the Chinese people will never accept "Taiwan independence" in whatever form, said Yang. It is hoped thatthe US side could play a constructive role in the realization of the peaceful reunification of China by being fully aware of the harm and danger posed by "Taiwan independence" elements and stopping sending any more wrong signals to them.

On Sino-US anti-terrorism cooperation, Ambassador Yang said cooperation has been conducted fruitfully by the two sides since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks against the US. China and the United States have maintained close consultations in various fields of terrorism-fighting under a mechanism set up for medium-and-long-term exchange and cooperation in terrorism-fighting. China appreciates the US' recent move of placing the East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM) on its list of terrorist organizations, and the Chinese government's fight against the organization has won broad understanding and support from the international community.

It is to the mutual interests of both China and the United States to conduct anti-terrorism cooperation that will not only push forward the global anti-terror drive but also promote the further development of Sino-US ties, said Yang. The Chinese government and people strongly oppose any form of terrorism, and are willing to join hands with the United States and the international community to strengthen anti-terror cooperation on the basis of mutual benefit, thus contributing to preserving worldpeace and security.

Yang said China and the United States have maintained a robust momentum in bilateral trade and economic ties in 2002 in spite of a global economic slowdown and ups and downs in US economy. He quoted statistics from the Chinese side as saying that the Sino-UStrade volume in the first eight months of this year has reached 60.2 billion US dollars, up 14.6 percent over that of last year. And the bilateral trade volume for the whole year is expected to exceed 92 billion dollars, scoring another high in history.

It is proved once again that China and the United States are highly complementary in trade and economy which also enjoy great potential for further development. It is also proved that China's entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO) played an active role in promoting Sino-US trade and economic cooperation, said Yang.

Yang expressed the hope that US enterprises could seize the opportunity and actively participate in China's economic development by expanding their investment in China, thus promotingthe bilateral cooperation to a new stage.

Besides trade and economy, Yang said, the two countries have also witnessed good momentum of exchanges and cooperation in the fields of science, education, culture and health. 　　

It is the common wish and appeal of the peoples of China and the United States to maintain friendly bilateral ties, said Yang. He also expressed his belief that exchanges and cooperation in various fields will further promote the development of Sino-US ties towards a more positive direction.

(Xinhua News Agency october 21, 2002)