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US Secretary of State Colin Powell said in College Station, Texas Wednesday that China is playing a constructive role in regional and world affairs and the United States is seeking a more enduring relationship with China.
"The China-US relationship is growing not just in bilateral sense. Increasingly, our relationship is of global nature," Powell said at a conference on US-China relations sponsored by former President George Bush at Texas A&M University.
Powell praised China for hosting and fully participating in the six-party talks over the nuclear issue of the Korean Peninsula, saying China "continues to play an important role" on that issue.
"This is just illustrative of the leadership role China is taking regionally and on the world stage," he said.
Powell also said China and the United States are cooperating in the global campaign against terrorism, describing China as "a responsible permanent member of the United Nations Security Council."
He said the US-China relationship "weathered the storm" of the military plane collision in early 2001 and has been "on an upswing" since then.
The relationship has been characterized by frequent high-level meetings and exchanges, Powell said, noting that the presidents from the two countries have met several times over the past two years.
The US secretary of state said he himself had talked with his counterpart, Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing, over the phone for five times in the last two months.
Powell said the counter-terrorism dialogue between China and the United States is producing "positive results," adding that "China is helping us to defend our homeland security" by pre-screening thousands of shiploads of goods before they reach the ports of the United States.
The volume of China-US trade is expected to increase by 20 percent in 2003 than in 2002, Powell said.
On the Taiwan issue, Powell said the United States remains committed to its "One China" policy. "There is no other agenda but our single policy, our 'One China' policy, which is clear cut, it is principled, it has served us well for a number of decades," he said.
Powell said the United States and China have disputes over some issues, but they should not get in the way of their relationship.
"In a world where faithful friends and former foes confront a host of challenges, the United States sees an even greater need to shape a relationship with China that is defined by our mutual interest, not by those areas of disagreements," he said.
(Xinhua News Agency November 6, 2003)
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