BEIJING, Nov. 18 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said here on Wednesday that the fruitful visit of United States President Barack Obama to China was of far-reaching significance.
"It is my sincere hope that your current visit will lift the comprehensive and cooperative China-U.S. relations to a new level," Wen told Obama at their meeting in the State Guesthouse in Beijing.
China and the United States pledged Tuesday to work together
President Hu Jintao and visiting US President Barack Obama also agreed to develop a "partnership" to deal with global challenges, including climate change, the economic recovery and nuclear non-proliferation during their talks in Beijing.
The leaders also agreed that "each country and its people have the right to choose their own path, and all countries should respect each other's choice of a development model," according to a joint statement released by the nations Tuesday.
Hu will visit the US next year at the invitation of Obama, the statement added.
"The two sides reiterated that the fundamental principle of respect for each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity is at the core of the three Sino-US joint communiqus which guide China-US relations," the statement said.
Obama reaffirmed Washington's commitment to the one-China policy and told journalists: "The US respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of China."
The leaders stressed they will also work together for a "positive outcome" at the Copenhagen Climate Summit.
China has a clear and consistent goal on the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula, Hu said, adding that Beijing hopes all parties will make the best of the opportunities and return to the negotiating table.
Echoing Hu, Obama said the US also wants to see the resumption of Six-Party Talks and will push for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
Hu said the many agreements resulted from "frank, constructive and fruitful" discussions that he and Obama had Tuesday in the Great Hall of the People.
Both leaders "agreed to continue to adopt strategic and long-term perspective, increase dialogue, exchanges and cooperation and work together to build a positive, cooperative and comprehensive China-US relationship for the 21st century," Hu said when he met the press alongside Obama after the talks.
The leaders' press conference and the official welcoming ceremony were broadcast live on China's national television network CCTV.
Both heads of state were committed "to take concrete action to steadily grow a partnership between the two countries to meet our common challenges," Hu said.
"We meet here at a time when the relationship between the US and China has never been more important to our collaborative future," Obama told reporters.
"The major challenges of the 21st century - from climate change and nuclear nonproliferation to economic recovery - are challenges that touch both our nations; challenges that neither can solve by acting alone," Obama said.
Hu also championed more cooperation, stressing the need to steadily increase strategic mutual trust between the countries, which would be preceded by respect and accommodation of each other's core interests and major concerns.
Genuine partners
Hu said China hopes the US understands and supports Beijing's stand on issues such as Taiwan and called on Washington to ensure Tibetan and Uygur activists are not allowed to engage in separatist activities on US soil.
China's development has created opportunities, not challenges, for the world, including the US, Hu continued. He said that, instead of becoming adversaries, the countries should become interdependent and genuinely cooperative partners.
Hu also called on the US to reduce restrictions on hi-tech exports to China and urged Washington to recognize China's market economy status. He also asked Washington to properly deal with trade disputes. Hu told the press the countries should be firmer in their opposition to trade protectionism.
While committing to more high-level and people-to-people exchanges, Hu said China is willing to engage in dialogue about such issues as human rights and religion on the basis of mutual respect and non-interference of each other's internal affairs.
The countries will restart dialogue on human rights next February, according to the joint statement.
Obama said the US welcomed China's efforts to play an increasingly important role on the world stage, "a role in which its growing economy is joined by growing responsibility".
While praising China for its contribution to the world economic recovery, Obama said the US hopes Beijing will be able to "rebalance its economy and spur consumption".
Obama also said relations between the countries went "far beyond a single issue In time of interconnection, I do not believe one country's success would come at the expense of another."
Chinese experts had a mixed response to the talks between Hu and Obama.
Tao Wenzhao, a US studies expert at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said the "biggest flashpoint" came when Hu said both countries would establish a partnership to deal with global challenges.
"It won't work without the participation of China or the US," Tao said.
Despite the many agreements, Wang Yusheng, a researcher with the China Foundation for International Studies, said "many deep differences" remain.
"Obama said the US would not contain China, but why does Washington still prevent some hi-tech transfers to Beijing, why hasn't Washington recognized China's market economy status and why does Washington sell weapons to Taiwan?" he said.
Zhang Haizhou and Li Xiaokun contributed to the story
Of course, the story of our nation is not without its difficult chapters. In many ways -- over many years -- we have struggled to advance the promise of these principles to all of our people, and to forge a more perfect union. We fought a very painful civil war, and freed a portion of our population from slavery. It took time for women to be extended the right to vote, workers to win the right to organize, and for immigrants from different corners of the globe to be fully embraced. Even after they were freed, African Americans persevered through conditions that were separate and not equal, before winning full and equal rights.
None of this was easy. But we made progress because of our belief in those core principles, which have served as our compass through the darkest of storms. That is why Lincoln could stand up in the midst of civil war and declare it a struggle to see whether any nation, conceived in liberty, and "dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal" could long endure. That is why Dr. Martin Luther King could stand on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and ask that our nation live out the true meaning of its creed. That's why immigrants from China to Kenya could find a home on our shores; why opportunity is available to all who would work for it; and why someone like me, who less than 50 years ago would have had trouble voting in some parts of America, is now able to serve as its President.
And that is why America will always speak out for these core principles around the world. We do not seek to impose any system of government on any other nation, but we also don't believe that the principles that we stand for are unique to our nation. These freedoms of expression and worship -- of access to information and political participation -- we believe are universal rights. They should be available to all people, including ethnic and religious minorities -- whether they are in the United States, China, or any nation. Indeed, it is that respect for universal rights that guides America's openness to other countries; our respect for different cultures; our commitment to international law; and our faith in the future.
These are all things that you should know about America. I also know that we have much to learn about China. Looking around at this magnificent city -- and looking around this room -- I do believe that our nations hold something important in common, and that is a belief in the future. Neither the United States nor China is content to rest on our achievements. For while China is an ancient nation, you are also clearly looking ahead with confidence, ambition, and a commitment to see that tomorrow's generation can do better than today's.
In addition to your growing economy, we admire China's extraordinary commitment to science and research -- a commitment borne out in everything from the infrastructure you build to the technology you use. China is now the world's largest Internet user -- which is why we were so pleased to include the Internet as a part of today's event. This country now has the world's largest mobile phone network, and it is investing in the new forms of energy that can both sustain growth and combat climate change -- and I'm looking forward to deepening the partnership between the United States and China in this critical area tomorrow. But above all, I see China's future in you -- young people whose talent and dedication and dreams will do so much to help shape the 21st century.
I've said many times that I believe that our world is now fundamentally interconnected. The jobs we do, the prosperity we build, the environment we protect, the security that we seek -- all of these things are shared. And given that interconnection, power in the 21st century is no longer a zero-sum game; one country's success need not come at the expense of another. And that is why the United States insists we do not seek to contain China's rise. On the contrary, we welcome China as a strong and prosperous and successful member of the community of nations -- a China that draws on the rights, strengths, and creativity of individual Chinese like you.
To return to the proverb -- consider the past. We know that more is to be gained when great powers cooperate than when they collide. That is a lesson that human beings have learned time and again, and that is the example of the history between our nations. And I believe strongly that cooperation must go beyond our government. It must be rooted in our people -- in the studies we share, the business that we do, the knowledge that we gain, and even in the sports that we play. And these bridges must be built by young men and women just like you and your counterparts in America.
Of course, the story of our nation is not without its difficult chapters. In many ways -- over many years -- we have struggled to advance the promise of these principles to all of our people, and to forge a more perfect union. We fought a very painful civil war, and freed a portion of our population from slavery. It took time for women to be extended the right to vote, workers to win the right to organize, and for immigrants from different corners of the globe to be fully embraced. Even after they were freed, African Americans persevered through conditions that were separate and not equal, before winning full and equal rights.
None of this was easy. But we made progress because of our belief in those core principles, which have served as our compass through the darkest of storms. That is why Lincoln could stand up in the midst of civil war and declare it a struggle to see whether any nation, conceived in liberty, and "dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal" could long endure. That is why Dr. Martin Luther King could stand on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and ask that our nation live out the true meaning of its creed. That's why immigrants from China to Kenya could find a home on our shores; why opportunity is available to all who would work for it; and why someone like me, who less than 50 years ago would have had trouble voting in some parts of America, is now able to serve as its President.
And that is why America will always speak out for these core principles around the world. We do not seek to impose any system of government on any other nation, but we also don't believe that the principles that we stand for are unique to our nation. These freedoms of expression and worship -- of access to information and political participation -- we believe are universal rights. They should be available to all people, including ethnic and religious minorities -- whether they are in the United States, China, or any nation. Indeed, it is that respect for universal rights that guides America's openness to other countries; our respect for different cultures; our commitment to international law; and our faith in the future.
These are all things that you should know about America. I also know that we have much to learn about China. Looking around at this magnificent city -- and looking around this room -- I do believe that our nations hold something important in common, and that is a belief in the future. Neither the United States nor China is content to rest on our achievements. For while China is an ancient nation, you are also clearly looking ahead with confidence, ambition, and a commitment to see that tomorrow's generation can do better than today's.
In addition to your growing economy, we admire China's extraordinary commitment to science and research -- a commitment borne out in everything from the infrastructure you build to the technology you use. China is now the world's largest Internet user -- which is why we were so pleased to include the Internet as a part of today's event. This country now has the world's largest mobile phone network, and it is investing in the new forms of energy that can both sustain growth and combat climate change -- and I'm looking forward to deepening the partnership between the United States and China in this critical area tomorrow. But above all, I see China's future in you -- young people whose talent and dedication and dreams will do so much to help shape the 21st century.
I've said many times that I believe that our world is now fundamentally interconnected. The jobs we do, the prosperity we build, the environment we protect, the security that we seek -- all of these things are shared. And given that interconnection, power in the 21st century is no longer a zero-sum game; one country's success need not come at the expense of another. And that is why the United States insists we do not seek to contain China's rise. On the contrary, we welcome China as a strong and prosperous and successful member of the community of nations -- a China that draws on the rights, strengths, and creativity of individual Chinese like you.
To return to the proverb -- consider the past. We know that more is to be gained when great powers cooperate than when they collide. That is a lesson that human beings have learned time and again, and that is the example of the history between our nations. And I believe strongly that cooperation must go beyond our government. It must be rooted in our people -- in the studies we share, the business that we do, the knowledge that we gain, and even in the sports that we play. And these bridges must be built by young men and women just like you and your counterparts in America.
President Barack Obama listens to a question at the town hall meeting with future Chinese leaders at the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum in Shanghai, China, Nov. 16, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)
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