Zhu Rongji said that Chinese President Jiang Zemin and the US president had a fruitful meeting on Thursday and that the two heads of state reached many important common understandings. The meeting will exert far-reaching influence on the development of constructive cooperation relations between China and the United States, he said.

The Chinese premier noted that Bush's visit is of great significance at a time when China and the United States are commemorating the 30th anniversary of former US President Nixon's visit to China and the issuance of Sino-US Shanghai Communique. Over the past 30 years, Sino-US relations have traveled on an uneven path but have been making progress as a whole, he said.

"History shows that there do exist differences of this sort or that between China and the United States, but (the two countries) have more extensive and important common interests," Zhu said. "China and the United States can do a lot of things together. A good China-US relationship is favorable to the two countries and the world."

The premier said since the Shanghai meeting between the two heads of state, bilateral ties have shown a good momentum of development. China is ready to work together with the United States to bring about a sound and steady development of Sino-US relations, the Chinese premier said.

Bush said that his visit to China is very successful, and that he had constructive talks with President Jiang Zemin on Thursday. Bush noted that he had visited Beijing in 1975 and that on the current visit he felt like entering a brand new country. China is developing rapidly and the changes are admiring, he said. The United States attaches great importance to cooperation with China in various fields, he said.

Zhu Rongji pointed out that the Taiwan question is the most sensitive issue at the core of Sino-US relations and explained the principled position of the Chinese government of peaceful reunification and "one country, two systems." Bush reiterated that the United States observes the one-China policy and hopes for a peaceful solution to the Taiwan question. Such a stand is consistent and will not change, he said.

The Chinese premier and the US president exchanged views on economic and trade cooperation between the two countries as well as on the economy in Asia. Zhu Rongji briefed President Bush on the economic situation in China, noting that the world economy has shown some sign of recovery but that factors threatening world's economic growth are still on the rise. "We hope to see that the economic and financial situation in the Asia-Pacific region remains stable," Zhu said.

Bush said that the Asian economy is facing difficulty but China's economy is developing soundly and rapidly. That is extremely important to the American economy and favorable to economic recovery and growth in the Asia-Pacific region, he said.

High-ranking Chinese and US officials were also present at the meeting.

(Xinhua News Agency February 22, 2002)