Chinese Minister of Information Industry, Wang Xudong, called for wider and high-level Sino-US cooperation in telecom sector while urging the United States to ease its export control.

Addressing the two-day 2004 China-US Telecom Summit, which opened in Chicago Thursday, Wang said that China and the United States should have a strategic vision, which goes beyond the information industry to the economic and trade relations between the two countries.

Wang said the information and communication industry is a high-tech industry. In the migration to the next generation network, the two countries shall cooperate in wider areas and at higher levels.

"In particular, we wish to see the ease of export control at the US side to support the wider scope of cooperation," the minister said.

The 15th US-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT) held two months ago yielded good results, Wang said, adding that he believes this summit will play a positive role in furthering mutual understanding, increasing consensus, deepening cooperation in the field of information and communication, and driving forward Sino-US economic and trade ties.

US Secretary of Commerce, Donald Evans, said the summit provided an important chance for the US government and companies to understand China's telecommunication market and he hoped the summit will also produce tangible results following the JCCT meeting held during Chinese Vice Premier Wu Yi's visit to the United States in April.

The summit, the fourth of its kind, is co-hosted by the US Commerce Department and Chinese Ministry of Information Industry. Several workshops and talks are to be held to exchange views and experience of the two sides in a bid to enhance cooperation in the telecom sector.

China held the first three summits in 1995, 1997 and 1999.

(Xinhua News Agency June 18, 2004)