The relations between China and the United States in the past 30 have proved that the three Sino-US Communiques are a guarantee for the sound development of bilateral relations, Chinese Vice-Premier Qian Qichen said Monday.
He was speaking at a high-profile ceremony in Beijing to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the publication of the Sino-US Shanghai Communique, which marked the beginning of the process of the normalization of Sino-US relations.
Qian said: "When handling bilateral relations, we stand for pursuing one's own interests and, at the same time, respecting the interests of the other side.'' He added that there is no need to expand and emphasize differences but that the two sides should seek common ground while reserving differences.
In February 1972, then US President Richard Nixon paid a visit to China. On February 28 that year, China and the US issued the Shanghai Communique, in which the US Government declared: "The United States acknowledges that all Chinese on either side of the Taiwan Straits maintain there is but one China and that Taiwan is a part of China. The US Government does not challenge that position.''
Qian said Monday: "The publication of the Sino-US Shanghai Communique was an epoch-making milestone.''
Compared with the situation 30 years ago, the common interests between China and the US have increased considerably, Qian said. He noted that China's accession to the World Trade Organization, its huge market, open policy and stable political environment will provide international entrepreneurs, including those from the US, with tremendous business opportunities.
Underscoring the United States' desire for better relations, current US President George W. Bush paid a 30-hour trip to China last Thursday and Friday, the 30th anniversary of Nixon's visit to China.
Chinese President Jiang Zemin and Bush agreed to strive to enrich the Sino-US constructive relationship of co-operation.
After the September 11 attacks on the United States last year, the Bush administration readjusted its stance on China from considering it a "strategic competitor'' to working to maintain "constructive co-operative relations.''
Looking back on the history of Sino-US relations, Qian said that bilateral trade was only US$2.4 billion when the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1979. Last year, the volume reached US$80.4 billion, with an average annual growth rate of 18 per cent.
"A healthy and stable Sino-US relationship is an important element of international relations in the 21st century,'' Qian concluded.
Echoing Qian's remarks, John Holden -- president of the New York-based National Committee on US-China Relations -- Monday said that the US would benefit from China's success rather than China's failure.
(China Daily February 26, 2002)
