U.S. Department of State
96/09/25 Remarks with Chinese ForMin prior to Bilateral Meeting
Office of the Spokesman


                           U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE 
                            Office of the Spokesman 
                              (New York, New York) 
 
 
For Immediate Release                          September 25, 1996 
 
 
 
                                 REMARKS OF 
                 SECRETARY OF STATE WARREN CHRISTOPHER 
                                     AND 
                  CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTER QIAN QICHEN 
                     PRIOR TO THEIR BILATERAL MEETING 
 
                            Waldorf-Astoria 
                          New York, New York 
                          September 25, 1996 
 
 
SECRETARY CHRISTOPHER:  Good afternoon.  I'm very pleased to welcome 
Vice Premier Qian Qichen back to New York.  This is our third meeting in 
five months, and the 15th that we've had together during my tenure in 
office. 
 
I think these many meetings, the frequency of our consultation, reflects 
the very great importance that our two countries attach to our 
relations. 
 
I must say, Mr. Minister, our meetings seem to me to have paid off in 
marked improvement in our ties in recent months. 
 
As permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, the United States and 
China both have very important responsibilities for maintaining peace 
and security around the world.  There was a very good example of that 
just yesterday, when our cooperation played an important part in 
securing the approval of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.  It was 
really a very exciting moment when I watched, first, President Clinton 
sign the treaty and then just almost in order after him, Vice Premier 
Qian signing the treaty for China. 
 
On another subject, working together, we achieved a common goal of 
freezing the nuclear developments, and we're working hard to try to 
achieve a non-nuclear Korean Peninsula. 
 
We've also reached agreement between the two of our countries on several 
proliferation issues.  Those issues remain a high priority for us.  
We'll be discussing those here today. 
 
We're also working together bilaterally and through the U.N. on a number 
of the emerging global threats such as terrorism, environmental 
degradation, international crime, and drug trafficking. 
 
I was interested to note in your speech to the U.N., Mr. Minister, you 
identified all of those as being important issues for the future.  Of 
course, we'll want to renew our determination to end the practice of 
alien smuggling. 
 
Today, we'll also discuss issues where we have differences, such as 
human rights, as always making sure that our concerns are heard and 
understood.  At the same time, we'll be looking for ways to find common 
ground. 
 
The United States has an important interest, along with China, in 
maintaining a stable environment in the Pacific; in that connection, 
seeking a peaceful resolution of issues between the PRC and Taiwan.  For 
the United States, this means we will continue to be guided by our firm 
commitment to a one-China policy and the three joint communiques. 
 
We share a strong interest in ensuring that Hong Kong's transition to 
China's sovereignty in 1997 is a smooth one. 
 
Of course, we have a very important trade relationship.  The United 
States will continue to support China's efforts to open its economy and 
to enter the World Trade Organization on commercially acceptable terms. 
 
In recent months, we've reached important agreements in the trade area.  
One, to protect intellectual property rights and widen market access.  
It's critically important that China fully implement these new 
agreements. 
 
I have often stressed the importance of frequent consultations in 
building our relationship.  When the Vice Premier and I met last month 
in Jakarta, we agreed to advance our common interests through a series 
of high-level meetings this fall, and they're about to start. 
 
This week, the Joint Committee on Commerce and Trade meets in Washington 
led by Secretary Mickey Kantor of our Commerce Department and Mrs. Wu 
Yi.  I'm very pleased that our distinguished Ambassador, former Senator 
Jim Sasser, has returned to the United States to be involved in these 
talks. 
 
John Holum, the Director of our Arms Control and Disarmament Agency, 
will be going to Beijing next month for talks.  Under Secretary of State 
Lynn Davis will be meeting with her counterpart later this fall. 
 
For myself, I'm very much looking forward to visiting China for talks in 
November.  Of course, we expect that our Presidents will hold 
discussions during the APEC Leaders Meeting in Manila. 
 
The intensity of this dialogue -- all of these meetings this fall -- 
shows how seriously both sides take the managing of our relationship and 
moving it forward.  It's in that serious and constructive mode that I 
welcome the Vice Premier here today for another round of our talks. 
 
Nice to see you, Mr. Premier. 
 
MINISTER QIAN:  (Through Interpreter)  I am very happy to meet Secretary 
of State Warren Christopher again during the session of the United 
Nations General Assembly. 
 
I believe that our coming meeting will produce results, as we have done 
in our previous meetings on more than 10 occasions. 
 
Recently, thanks to the joint efforts of the Chinese and U.S. sides, 
some positive progress has been made in our bilateral relations -- the 
so-called ring magnet issue, the issue of the protection of intellectual 
property rights and the MFN issue once troubling Sino-U.S. relations 
have been resolved, one after another, properly. 
 
The exchanges and cooperation between the two countries in the economic, 
trade and other fields continue to develop and expand.  The plan of 
having exchange of high-level visits, as agreed between the two sides, 
is being gradually implemented.  Tomorrow, the Joint Commission on 
Commerce and Trade will have its meeting in Washington.  Later, there 
will be a meeting of the Economic Committee and there will also be the 
Commission on Economic and Finance Cooperation in which it will have its 
discussion, and the Joint Commission on Science and Technology will also 
have its session. 
 
Of course, there are still some problems and differences in our 
relations such as the question of Taiwan.  However, the atmosphere for 
Sino-U.S. relations, as a whole, has improved significantly.  There are 
also favorable conditions for further improvement. 
 
The Chinese side is ready to work with the U.S. side to increase 
dialogue, expand common ground, develop cooperation, and remove various 
interferences and properly settle the existing problems and differences 
with a view to pushing our bilateral relations toward a healthy and 
steady development. 
 
Thank you. 
 
QUESTION:  Mr. Secretary, I'm sure with all these senior arms control 
and human rights people, I'm missing a major question.  But there's a 
lot of turmoil in the Middle East.  If I may, I'd like to ask you if you 
think anyone, or any side, is particularly at fault for the rioting and 
feuding in Jerusalem and the rioting on the West Bank.  Can you please 
kindly address that subject? 
 
SECRETARY CHRISTOPHER:  We've been following the situation last night 
and today with deep concern.  We have urged the parties to defuse the 
situation, to restore calm in the area.  That's what needs to be done 
now.  They should return to the negotiating table and make progress on 
the significant issues that are before them under the Oslo agreements. 
 
We've been in touch with the parties on a regular basis in the last 24 
hours.  About two hours ago I talked with Prime Minister Netanyahu who 
is in Paris tonight and urged him, as we've been urging Chairman Arafat, 
to take steps to calm the situation, to defuse it and to get back to 
productive negotiations. 
 
QUESTION:  Should those negotiations be at a high level?  There's some 
urgency now.  And, really, the initial question was, do you see any 
fault on either side?  
 
SECRETARY CHRISTOPHER:  I think that the negotiations should continue at 
the level that they are involved, but the fact that my contacts have 
been, today, with both the Prime Minister and Chairman Arafat reflect 
the fact that our concern about this situation is deep enough so that we 
think it's important that the leaders address the situation themselves; 
not necessarily in the negotiations but because it's important to 
diffuse the tensions. 
 
QUESTION:  Mr. Secretary, do you and your colleagues in the Cabinet plan 
to make any recommendations to the President to erase or lessen the 
restrictions on the technology transfer to China in order to balance the 
bilateral trade? 
 
SECRETARY CHRISTOPHER:  We're going to continue following the same 
policies that we have in that field.  We don't have any new 
recommendations to make at the present time, but we continue to study 
that situation.  It's an evolving matter in which we want to cooperate 
but nevertheless we have standards that such transfers must meet. 
 
QUESTION:  Mr. Secretary of State, China and Japan have a territorial 
dispute over the Diaoyu island in the East China Sea.  What is the 
United States position? 
 
SECRETARY CHRISTOPHER:  The United States urges the parties to resolve 
those issues through dialogue.  It's a subject on which we have no 
specific position except that it seems to us to be a classic issue in 
which the parties should resolve the issues that might lie between them 
through consultation and dialogue. 
 
QUESTION:  Mr. Vice Premier, China has indicated that it supports U.N. 
Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali for a new term.  Is China's 
support so firm that it would consider using its veto to block any other 
candidate for Secretary General? 
 
MINISTER QIAN:  (Through Interpreter)  China is satisfied with the work 
Mr. Ghali has done during his term of office.  At the same time, we also 
understand that Mr. Ghali is the first African Secretary General for the 
United Nations and therefore has the right to seek re-election.  Of 
course, at the same time, we also respect the decision made by the OAU 
supporting Mr. Ghali or some other African candidate.  However, up to 
now there has not emerged any new candidate in this regard. 
 
QUESTION:  (Through Interpreter)  Mr. Vice Premier, how do you view the 
current status of Sino-U.S. relations?  And what is your view about the 
future prospect of their development? 
 
MINISTER QIAN:  (Through Interpreter)  As I said in my opening remarks, 
I believe that major improvement has been made, vis-a-vis the current 
status of Sino-U.S. relations.  I am optimistic about each future 
development.  I believe that so long as the two sides act in strict 
observance of the principles enshrined in the three Sino-U.S. joint 
communiques, there will be even greater development in Sino-U.S. 
relations. 
 
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