Cheng Siwei, vice chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress, (NPC) met in Beijing Monday with Michael Eskew, president of the United States-China Business Council (USCBC).

The two sides exchanged views on various issues, including Sino-US relations, China's economic development and its 11th five-year plan, the RMB exchange rate, the Sino-US trade deficit, intellectual property protection, energy safety and the energy market.

Eskew, also chairman and chief executive officer of UPS Inc., the world's largest shipping carrier, and his party are visiting China at the invitation of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT).

(Xinhua News Agency October 18, 2005)