Source: China Daily

01-08-2009 15:49

Visiting Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao met US Secretary of State Colin Powell in Washington on December 9, 2003, and they exchanged views on bilateral relations and other issues.

Visiting Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao shakes hands with US Secretary of State Colin Powell in Washington on December 9, 2003. [China-embassy.org ]

Tremendous progress has been made in the development of the Sino-US relations in the past 30-odd years despite twists and turns, Wen said.

Mutually beneficial trade and economic cooperation between the two countries has reached an unprecedented height, and exchanges and cooperation in other fields are also expanding steadily, he added.

The history of the Sino-US relations shows that the two countries share a wide range of common interests and there is a solid foundation for bilateral cooperation, the Chinese premier said. The steady development of the Sino-US relations not only benefits the two peoples, but is conducive to world peace and stability, he said.

China is ready to work together with the United States to push forward the development of the constructive and cooperative relations between the two countries, Wen said.

Wen reiterated the Chinese government's principled stand on the Taiwan issue, stressing that "peaceful reunification and one country, two systems" is China's fundamental policy in resolving the Taiwan issue.

China is, with the greatest sincerity and utmost efforts, working for the eventual reunification of the motherland through peaceful means, the Chinese premier said. However, the Chinese government will never tolerate the Taiwan authorities' attempt to separate Taiwan from China by holding the so-called "referendums," using democracy only as a cover, he stressed.