NORTHEAST ASIA PEACE AND SECURITY NETWORK ***** SPECIAL REPORT ***** The following is a complete transcript of a press briefing held by Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and PRC Vice Premier and Foreign Minister Qian Qichen on September 23, 1997, regarding the impending summit meeting between Presidents Bill Clinton and Jiang Zemin in October. ***** 24 September 1997 TRANSCRIPT: ALBRIGHT/QIAN 9/23 PRESS AVAILABILITY (Sound U.S.-China relationship vital to America) (1980) New York -- A sound and constructive relationship between the United States and China is in the vital interest of the American people, according to Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. During a press availability prior to her meeting with Chinese Vice Premier and Foreign Minister Qian Qichen September 23, Albright said: "The key is not to treat the relationship as an end in itself, but as a means to an end -- to advance our cooperation and to address our differences in a way that brings concrete benefits to our people." Her meeting with Qian, Albright said, would concentrate on preparations for the upcoming summit meeting between Presidents Clinton and Jiang in October. "I think it's important to put this summit in the right context," she said, "which is that President Clinton has wanted to engage China across the board in what we have called a multifaceted relationship that includes issues such as human rights, issues of non- proliferation, trade, energy, environment. And we believe that it is very important to make progress on all of those, across the board." Albright said she and Qian would also discuss the situations in Korea and Cambodia, and the United Nations' financial crisis. Following is a transcript of the press availability: (begin transcript) September 23, 1997 For Immediate Release REMARKS BY SECRETARY OF STATE MADELEINE K. ALBRIGHT AT PRESS AVAILABILITY BEFORE MEETING WITH CHINESE VICE PREMIER AND FOREIGN MINISTER QIAN QICHEN SECRETARY ALBRIGHT: Good evening. I very much look forward to my discussions with Vice Premier Qian this evening. We have a very wide range of issues to cover in our formal meeting and in our subsequent dinner. Our most important objective will be to discuss preparations for the coming summit between Presidents Clinton and Jiang. More broadly, it will be to continue laying the basis for a sound and constructive relationship between the United States and China. I believe that such a relationship is in the vital interest of the American people, and that a consensus behind it can and will grow in the United States. The key is not to treat the relationship as an end in itself, but as a means to an end -- to advance our cooperation and to address our differences in a way that brings concrete benefits to our people. We will cover most of the subjects on the summit agenda today from our cooperation on global issues -- including energy, the environment and law enforcement -- to non-proliferation trade and human rights. I think we agree that a key test of our relationship will be our ability to make tangible progress on the toughest issues on that list. We will also continue our strategic dialogue on issues affecting the Asia-Pacific region and the world. We will discuss Korea, sharing both disappointment that last week's Four-Party preparatory talks did not reach agreement and certainty that the issue is a long term challenge which requires long term engagement. We will also discuss the situation in Cambodia. To restore a legitimate stable government, both our nations must do everything possible to encourage a political environment that will permit free, fair and credible elections to take place. We will also discuss our effort to resolve the U.N.'s financial crisis, as the organization undertakes much needed reforms. We believe that part of the solution must involve an adjustment in America's rate of assessment so that the U.N. is no longer too dependent on any one country. To help offset this change, we have urged China to increase its rate to a level more commensurate with its position as a political and economic power of global standing. Mr. Vice Premier, I welcome you to the traffic jam capital of the world and I am eager to resume our dialogue. And I am now delighted to yield the floor to you. VICE PREMIER QIAN: It is a great pleasure for me to meet with Secretary Albright once again during my stay here for the 52nd session of the U.N. General Assembly. And this is my sixth meeting with the Secretary this year. In the fall of this year, President Jiang Zemin will make a state visit to the United States. Now the two sides are working actively to ensure that President Jiang's visit to the U.S. achieves a complete success which will promote Sino-U.S. relations to a new stage of development. My meeting with the Secretary today is part and parcel of the preparations made for President Jiang's visit to the United States. In our meeting, I will reveal, together with the Secretary, achievements that the two sides have made recently, and also continue our exchange of views on relevant matters concerning the visit. We will also discuss issues concerning the global situation and concerning regional security that are of shared interest. The Chinese side is ready to work together with the U.S. side with a positive and pragmatic attitude in order to make more and greater progress in the areas of shared interests to the two sides. I would also like to point out that the question of Taiwan has always been the core issue in Sino-U.S. relations. And this is also the issue that is of the utmost concern to the Chinese side. We hope that the U.S. side will take real actions to honor the principle enshrined in the three Sino-U.S. joint communiques; handle the question of Taiwan with prudence; and no longer allow this question to interfere with the improvement and growth of Sino-U.S. relations. I believe that my meeting with the Secretary today will be positive and fruitful. It will contribute to further improvement and growth of Sino- U.S. relations, and help to create favorable conditions for President Jiang's visit to the United States this Fall. And I would also like to thank Secretary Albright for your warm reception to me and for your invitation to me to a dinner together. Thank you. SECRETARY ALBRIGHT: Thank you. Q: Two hours ago, the United States and Japan concluded a new military arrangement. And I wondered if you had any views on that arrangement. Do you feel any concern? And Secretary Albright, you spoke almost as if it's a natural event that the Americans will have a better feeling about the U.S.-Chinese relationship. But aren't there areas that need improvement, like trade? Would you mention a couple of them? I didn't hear you say anything about human rights, by the way. Thank you. VICE PREMIER QIAN: First of all, an the U.S.-Japan security alliance, the position of the Chinese side has been made clear one time -- once and again -- that we hope that this security arrangement, this security alliance with be a bilateral arrangement between the United States and Japan. SECRETARY ALBRIGHT: Let me say that, Barry, I did mention human rights. Perhaps you didn't understand the translation. (Laughter) I do think that it's very important for us to work across the board on a set of issues that are of major importance to us, as we get ready for this very important summit. I think it's important to put this summit in the right context, which is that President Clinton has wanted to engage China across the board in what we have called a multifaceted relationship that includes issues such as human rights, issues of non-proliferation, trade, energy, environment. And we believe that it is very important to make progress on all of those, across the board. And as I said in my opening remarks, and as the Vice Premier said, we look forward to having further discussions this evening and moving the process forward so that there can be a successful summit. Q: Madame Secretary, in the past few months, you and Chinese Vice Premier and Foreign Minister Qian Qichen met for several times to make preparations for the state visit by Chinese President Jiang Zemin. Can you tell us what progresses have been made in your preparations? SECRETARY ALBRIGHT: As I have said, we have a whole host of issues that we have to address, and at each of these meetings we have laid out our respective positions and have made progress, also supplemented by the meetings that my colleague, Mr. Berger, has with Mr. Liu. So we are consistently moving, step by step, through the various issues that I have described. And I do believe that we have made progress in almost all of them. Let me say, I would hope we could make additional progress this evening; although just having a good meeting and dinner with my good friend is useful in itself, and we are enjoying it more and more in each of our meetings together. Q: Prime Minister Qian, you said in your statement about Taiwan just now that you hope that the United States will handle the issue with prudence. Do you feel that the United States has been less than prudent on the issue in the past? What are you referring to? VICE PREMIER QIAN: That is exactly what I meant. (Laughter) Q: That the United States -- (inaudible), In what way, sir? VICE PREMIER QIAN: This is known to all. Q: Obviously, it's -- (inaudible) -- VICE PREMIER QIAN: Maybe not to you. (Laughter) SECRETARY ALBRIGHT: Our position is well-known. (Laughter) Q: I'm with the People's Daily from China. An important issue in Sino- U.S. relations is China's accession into the World Trade Organization. Recently, important progress has been made in the negotiations between China and Japan and between China and Australia on China's WTO membership. I would like to know from you, Madame Secretary, what measures does the U.S. side intend to take in order to honor its commitment concerning China's WTO membership? SECRETARY ALBRIGHT: Let me say that we remain committed to a Chinese WTO accession. But we have no illusions about the difficulty in reaching that, because we believe it needs to be on commercially viable terms. We are hopeful that additional progress will be made. There is a USTR team in China now. And we look forward, as I said, to more progress on the whole issue, because we remain committed to having China join the WTO. Q: First, a question for Vice Premier Qian. Recently, there was a party congress in Beijing, and President Jiang came out of it strengthened and his authority renewed. Will this have an impact in his ability to make an initiatives or bold gestures in foreign policy, perhaps in preparation for the summit or the summit, itself? VICE PREMIER QIAN: I believe this will facilitate the preparations for the visit and also will facilitate the implementation of China's foreign policy. Q: Madame Secretary, we have heard a lot of talk about the Chinese leaders reiterated that they would like to ease the trade deficit by buying more high-tech, high-value U.S. exports. What would the U.S. Government's do in its view to lifting some of the restrictions and get more exports to China? SECRETARY ALBRIGHT: We would obviously like to have increased exports to China, and should try to develop better trade relations. I think the issues here have to do with various barriers that still exist to this kind of trade and the ability, I think, for us to exchange in a freer trade mechanism. These are the kinds of subjects that are going to be talked about generally on our bilateral relationship and also, obviously, in the WTO whole set of talks involved in that. We mainly need to make sure that we can get the market opened up. Thank you. VICE PREMIER QIAN: Thank you. (end transcript) Return to Washington File home page