China and the United States are busy preparing for US Vice President Dick Cheney's upcoming visit, an event which is expected to boost bilateral relationship, a senior Chinese official said in Beijing Wednesday.  

He Yafei, director of the Department of the North American and Oceanian Affairs of the Foreign Ministry, described the visit as a "significant" high-level contact, during which leaders of the two countries will exchange views on bilateral ties and issues of common concern.

Cheney will pay a working visit to China from April 13 to 15 at the invitation of Chinese Vice President Zeng Qinghong. But the Foreign Ministry official gave no specific schedule of the visit during a news briefing.

He said the past couple of years saw big progress in Sino-US relations, and the contacts and visits between their leaders were frequent.

Cooperation between the two nations has been fruitful in a wide range of areas such as anti-terrorism, non-traditional security and epidemic prevention, He said, noting that the cooperation is conducive to the stability in the Asia-Pacific region and the world at large.

He said the Sino-US cooperation has benefited both the Chinese and American peoples, hoping the US side will continue to follow the principle of substantive cooperation and develop bilateral ties.

He admitted there are differences between China and the United States, but pointed out that both as influential countries regionally and globally and permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, cooperation should stand out prominently in the two nations' ties.

And their differences mainly lie in the Taiwan issue, He said. The Taiwan question is very important to the Chinese people, for it concerns China's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The Taiwan issue forms the most important and most delicate topic of the Sino-US relations, and so long as principles of the three Sino-US joint communiqués are closely followed, the two countries' relations will go on a sound track, He said.

Cooperation is theme of Sino-US relations 

Cooperation accounts for the major part of Sino-US relations, and disputes between the two sides would be resolved so long as Chinese and US leaders adhere to the one-China policy and peoples' fundamental interests, He Yafei said.

The one-China policy and three Sino-US communiqués are the political basis of Sino-US relations, on which the bilateral cooperation has developed to cover various areas since the two countries forged diplomatic ties in the 1970s, He said.

China and the United States have found more in common along with the changes of the international situation and the development of bilateral relations, He said. The Sino-US ties have maintained progress despite fluctuations, which goes in line with the interests of the two peoples.

Cheney's visit itself showed that the United States, and China as well, attached great importance to the bilateral ties, He said. China hopes the bilateral ties would remain stable to contribute to regional and world peace.

In response to requests for comments on the US election, He said China would not interfere with the internal affairs of the United States. However, he stressed, Sino-US relations would continue to develop no matter how the US government changed, because history showed that both the Democratic Party and the Republican Party adhered to the one-China policy.

On the security situation in Iraq, He said China was concerned over the recent situation in Iraq and held that the Iraqi people should enjoy peace.

China has sent diplomats to Iraq to participate in the reconstruction and has had frequent consultations with the United States on the issue. Both sides are willing to further communicate in this field, He said.

China and the United States also cooperated in the anti-terrorism campaign, and China takes a firm stand in the fight against terrorism, He said.

China holds that terrorism is the common enemy of the people, and all countries should continue to make joint efforts in the campaign and should eradicate the roots of terrorism, He said.

US urged to lift fingerprinting requirement on Chinese citizens

He Yafei urged the United States again to lift a "discriminative" fingerprinting requirement on Chinese citizens who are applying for visa to the United States.

The US Embassy and consulates in China kicked off the procedure since March 22. US officials said that this practice was targeted at most visa applicants from the Middle East, Asia and Latin America, and excluded Canada and 27 countries in Europe.

"China regards that as an unfair practice," said He Yafei.

"We understand that practice was aimed at prevent terrorism, but no one terrorist was from nor entered the United States via China," the official said.

China has asked the US side to cancel the procedure but the US side did not make change. "That's why China adopted counter measures to the procedure," He said.

"We hope that the US side could lift the discriminative requirement for the general situation of Sino-US friendship," the director said.

The United States said on April 2 that it will begin to fingerprint and photograph all foreign visitors, including those from close US allies, as from the end of September.

Differences in human rights should be resolved through dialogue

Differences in human rights should be resolved through dialogue and consultation, and China opposes confrontation on the issue, He Yafei said.

He said that human rights are the concern of both sides, and they should make good use their dialogue mechanism to resolve the differences rather than reprimand each other on the issue.

China has recently adopted an amendment to its Constitution, providing that "The State shall respect and protect human rights." It demonstrates that the Chinese government attaches importance to the issue.

The United States also has its own problems in human rights, He said.

As to whether the leaders of the two countries will discuss human rights issue during Cheney's visit, He said China hopes they will exchange views in a calm atmosphere.

US urged to honor promise on Taiwan issue

He Yafei urges the United States to honor its words on the Taiwan issue, including those enshrined in the three Sino-US communiqués.

China appreciates that US presidents have reiterated time and again that the United States supports the one-China policy, He said.

"The Taiwan issue is the most vital and sensitive question amid Sino-US relationship because it concerns China's sovereignty, territory integrity and the feeling of the 1.3 billion Chinese people," He said.

"The one-China policy and the three Sino-US communiqués are the foundation of Sino-US ties and I believe the US side clearly understands that," the director said.

The recent declaration of the United States showed that the US side kept its promise, but some words and activities such as the decision to sell weapons to Taiwan violated the US commitment, He said.

US President George W. Bush also said last December that the US opposed any unilateral statements or acts aimed to change the existing situation across the Taiwan Straits, the director said.

But the US Defense Department decided to sell radar to Taiwan, which was against the US promise and sent "wrong signals" to "Taiwan independence" forces, He said, adding that China lodged solemn representation to the US side.

"To maintain peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits is in the common interests of China and the United States," the director noted.

The election in Taiwan was a local election in China, He said. No matter what the result is, the fact that Taiwan is part of China will never change, He said.

Coordination needed to establish working group for six-party talks

The establishment of a working group for the six-party talks needs the coordination of all the six nations, He Yafei said.

"The visit of US Vice President Dick Cheney to China doesn't mean that the working group can be established as he comes," He said. "It involves all the six parties."

He said all sides are very concerned about the nuclear issue of the Korean Peninsula, and China and the United States have also made good coordination and communication on this issue.

"The two sides have a common goal, that is, to form a working group as early as possible so that the process of the six-party talks can be continued," said He.

He said Ning Fukui, Chinese ambassador in charge of the Korean Peninsula issue, has been working hard for this and Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing also talked this issue with US Secretary of State Colin Powell in Berlin during the meeting on the reconstruction of Afghan.

The second round of six-party talks was held in February this year. During the meeting, all the parties agreed to set up a working group to prepare for the third round of talks, which is agreed to be held before the end of June.

US urged to lift export restrictions 

China is taking steps to resolve the problem of the trade deficit between China and the United States, and hopes the United States will lift the restrictions on its exports to China so as to expand bilateral trade, He Yafei said.

"We didn't deny there is the trade deficit between China and the United States, and we are making great efforts to resolve the problem by increasing import purchase orders from the United States," said He.

He said the Chinese side also hopes the US side will take measures to loose its restrictions on exports to China. "If those export restrictions are removed, the trade between China and the United States will be greatly increased."

He said with the rapid growth of the Chinese economy, China is facing increasing demands on electricity. As a result, the Chinese government is working on introducing nuclear techniques from foreign countries.

He said the Chinese side hopes China and the United States can make progress in import of nuclear techniques during Cheney's upcoming visit.

"Just as Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said during his US visit at the end of last year, the Sino-US trade deficit should be resolved in a win-win way," said He. "Thus the US side should increase exports to China rather then cut its exports."

According to the director, the Sino-US trade has increased nearly 50 times since 1972 when the two countries established diplomatic ties. During the first two months of this year, US exports to China increased by 52.3 percent over the same period of last year.

In addition, He said the US unemployment problem should not be blamed on China. Analysis by economists from the United States and other foreign countries has shown that the trade deficit with China is not the cause of US job losses, the director added.

The Sino-US trade volume accounts for less than one percent of the US GDP (gross domestic product), which is too low to influence the US economy, said He.

On the Renminbi exchange rate, He said both China and the United States have discussed this issue at all levels.

He said for a long-term view, China will form its currency mechanism based on the market, but at the current stage, any change of China's currency system will influence the Asian finance and economy.

(Xinhua News Agency April 8, 2004)