With just a week to go before Jiang Zemin's visit to the United States, visiting analysts from the US Brookings Institution say improved US－China relations will benefit both sides. Heads of the Institution were warmly received by Chinese Vice－Premier Qian Qichen on Tuesday afternoon in Beijing.
Welcoming US scholars at the State Guest House, Vice Premier Qian Qichen thanked them for their efforts over the past years in putting US－China relations on a healthy track. He hoped the institutions would continue to have a positive influence on US policy makers.
The Brookings Institution is one of the important think－tanks of US policy, and the delegation is in Beijing for a forum on US policies in East Asia. The seminar is only a week before Chinese President Jiang Zemin's visit to the US. Many scholars have said the upcoming summit will reinforce and accelerate the existing cooperation between the two countries.
James B. Steinberg, former deputy national security adviser, said, “The visit is coming at a time when the world is facing a number of challenges, like terrorism. So it's a very timely and important meeting.”
President of the Brookings Institution and former Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott said that current US－China relations are on a solid footing, and that good development will benefit both sides.
He said, "The extraordinary opening of China's economy means there is a lot the US and China can do to benefit the economic field. Also China is a major player in a security role. The cooperation between the US and China in security will make Asia, as well as the world, safer."
Many have said the summit will be a successful one that will help to improve mutual understanding and iron out the differences.
(CCTV October 17, 2002)
