"China and the United States have a rich history together, and I
greatly enjoyed my visit to Beijing." said the US Secretary of
Defense Donald Rumsfeld, in his Open Letter to the People of
Beijing.
According to a copy of the letter obtained from the US embassy
in Beijing on Friday, Rumsfeld expressed his thanks to the people
of Beijing for their kind hospitality during his recent visit to
China.
At the invitation of Chinese Minister of National Defense Cao
Gangchuan, Rumsfeld paid a three-day visit to China from Oct.
18 to Oct. 20, during which, he conferred with Chinese President Hu Jintao
and senior leaders of the Chinese government.
"We discussed the impressive economic progress China has made in
recent years and the emergence of China on the world scene. We also
talked about the upcoming 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing and the
success of China's second manned space flight for which I offer my
congratulations," said Rumsfeld in his open letter.
He also expressed his commendation to Beijing and the people
here. In the open letter Rumsfeld said Beijing, the "vibrant and
historic city", provided an impressive venue to the
discussions.
"I also had an opportunity to tour the beautiful Summer Palace
which provided a glimpse of the extraordinary history of your
country. I was most impressed to see literally hundreds of visitors
from your country, but also from nations all across the globe,
including the United States." Rumsfeld said.
It was the first time Rumsfeld visited China as US Defense
Secretary since his taking up the post in January 2001. This visit
could be interpreted as a sign of the gradual normalization of
Sino-US military relations, which is conducive to the further
improvement of the ties between the two countries and two
armies.
(Xinhua News Agency November 5, 2005)