Visiting Chinese Foreign
Minister Li
Zhaoxing exchanged views with US Defense Secretary Donald
Rumsfeld in Washington Tuesday on
Sino-US relations and on military exchanges between the two
countries.
Li said the two
countries have achieved new progress in cooperation in economy and
trade as well as in anti-terrorism, and have had fruitful
consultations on major international and regional
issues.
The Chinese side is
pleased with the increasing exchanges between the armies of the two
countries, and is willing, on an equal and mutually beneficial
footing, to tackle differences and enhance exchanges and
cooperation with the US side in various fields, the Chinese foreign
minister said.
Rumsfeld said he is
looking forward to the forthcoming visit by Chinese Defense
Minister Cao
Gangchuan to the United States next month.
He said the US Defense
Department is willing to make efforts to promote the stable and
healthy development of Sino-US relations.
The Chinese foreign
minister on Tuesday also met US congressional leaders and leaders
of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House
International Relations Committee on Sino-US trade and economic
relations, the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula and other
issues.
China and the United
States, which shoulder responsibilities in maintaining peace,
stability and development in the Asia-Pacific region as well as
across the world and share wide-ranging common interests, should
respect each other and enhance cooperation, the Chinese foreign
minister said.?
(Xinhua News Agency
September 24, 2003)