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Bush heaps praise on China
CNN Senior China Analyst Willy Wo-Lap Lam
HONG KONG, China (CNN) -- President George W. Bush has praised Beijing's efforts in the North Korean and Iraqi crises as more high-level exchanges between the two countries are confirmed. While meeting Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing at the White House on Tuesday, Bush said China had played a "constructive role" in major global issues including the North Korean nuclear crisis. "U.S.-China relations are full of energy, and this is important for both sides," the official China News Service quoted Bush as telling Li. Bush said he looked forward to a meeting with Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao on the fringes of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum set for Bangkok next month. Bush also said he welcomed Premier Wen Jiabao's visit to the U.S. in December. On the Taiwan issue, deemed by Beijing as the No. 1 irritant in bilateral relations, Bush reiterated America's one-China policy and indicated that Washington did not support Taiwan independence. Li told the Chinese media that there had been "new progress" in various areas of Sino-U.S. dialogue and cooperation. War gamesHe said the new leadership in Beijing was most interested in pushing forward the "stable and healthy development of the constructive and cooperative relationship between the two countries." Diplomatic analysts in Beijing said both countries were set to resume high-level military exchanges, while further cooperation on the global anti-terrorist front was also on the cards. Meanwhile the Chinese Foreign Ministry has indicated that it is working on the second round of six-nation talks on the North Korean nuclear crisis. Ministry spokesman Kong Quan said China would do its utmost to facilitate the next meeting even though Beijing could not confirm whether the meeting would definitely take place. The official media on Wednesday quoted Kong as saying: "I hope each party can take a pragmatic and flexible attitude for the next round." "China will, as always, make continued efforts," Kong added. "But efforts from all are needed." After the largely fruitless first round of talks in Beijing late last month, Pyongyang has made threats about not returning to the negotiation table. On the controversial issue of China's bulging trade surplus, Li said Beijing expected Chinese imports of American products to increase significantly this year.
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