As short as it was, Jiang's US visit was successful and his meeting with Bush was highly constructive and forward-looking.

The two presidents' good working and personal relationship, as demonstrated in their three meetings in one year, has aided the development of the Sino-US relations.

The consensus the two leaders reached on bilateral relations and international affairs will usher in a better relationship between the two countries.

On the Taiwan question, a key issue for bilateral relations, President Bush clearly expressed US opposition to Taiwan independence and his adherence to the one-China policy.

We believe that the three Sino-US communiques should remain as the guidelines in handling the Taiwan question.

We hope the Bush administration will stick to this principle.

Jiang's visit follows a series of visits between the top leaders of the two countries. Early next year China will host a formal visit by US Vice-President Dick Cheney.

The two presidents' resolve to increase contact will help the two countries understand each other better. More substantial contacts will include the resumption of bilateral military exchanges and the introduction of consultations at the vice defence ministerial level on defence issues.

With pledges by the two presidents to set up a consultation mechanism at the vice foreign ministerial level on issues of strategic security, multilateral arms control and anti-proliferation, we can be optimistic that Sino-US relations will continue to make strides.

Different cultures and social systems should be no barrier to our co-operation, as President Jiang has pointed out that we should seek harmony, not uniformity. A peaceful and stable world is the common goal we should pursue.

The two countries' counter-terrorism co-operation was also discussed by the two leaders. Deciding on a third round of China-US anti-terror consultations within the year, China and the United States will continue to share their information and the responsibility of removing such violence, which has wreaked havoc and has already killed too many people in the world.

On the nuclear weapon issue on the Korean Peninsula, the two presidents agreed to make joint efforts to ensure a peaceful settlement.

Such a stance of co-operation is beneficial to helping maintain the peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula.

As for bilateral relations, concerted efforts from both sides have pushed forward relations to a more constructive stage in the past year. At the two summit meetings between Jiang and Bush in Shanghai and Beijing late last year and early this year, they reached an important consensus on developing constructive and co-operative relations between China and the United States. In fact, there is much more that binds us than divides us.

Our economies are highly complementary. China is the fourth largest trading partner of the United States, and the United States the second largest trading partner to China and the largest source country of foreign direct investment.

Greater potential for mutually beneficial co-operation between the two countries in commerce, energy, the environment, science, technology and other endeavors is now more achievable with China's entry into World Trade Organization.

People in the United States should understand that China's development will pose no threat to any country in the world. As a developing country with a per capita GDP of about US$800, it will take decades before China can enter the ranks of moderately developed countries.

More importantly, as President Jiang has pointed out, the more developed and open China becomes, the more closely China is integrated with the world and the more anxious and determined China will be to have a long-term peaceful and stable international environment. That China is playing a positive role in regional and world peace, and stability and development should be clear to all.

With Jiang's US visit a great success, the mission ahead is to implement the important consensus reached by the two presidents and take more concerted actions to nurture the constructive and co-operative relationship between China and the United States.

(China Daily October 28, 2002)