Bill Clinton: “Good afternoon. I have just completed a meeting with President Jiang of China which I believe was very productive. It…”

“Good afternoon. I have just completed a meeting with President Jiang of China which I believe was very productive. It was an important meeting for the people of China and the people of the United States. China, after all, is home to one of every five people who live on this planet and is the world's fastest growing major economy. We have to work together on a wide range of issues of regional significance and of global significance. President Jiang said to me in a letter that we need to talk to each other not because we have no differences but because we do have differences and need to resolve them. Today I tried to be as forthright and clear as I could about our common interests and about our clear differences. We agreed on the need to work on improving our relationship. We know that what we do affects not only our own people but all the people in the world. When we work together we're a powerful force for security and economic progress. As fellow members of the U.N. Security Council, we have worked side by side on many things, including Cambodia and Haiti. In our meeting I reaffirmed the United States support for the three joint communiques as the bedrock of our one China policy. We agreed on the need to preserve the peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula and to work together to ensure that North Korea resolves the world's concerns over its nuclear problems. We also discussed very frankly areas of disagreement. I emphasized to President Jiang the need for early, concrete progress on aspects of China policy and practice that are of deep concern to the American people: human rights, including Tibet; trade practices; and nonproliferation. Over the past few months we have had a number of bilateral meetings in Beijing and Washington to explore the possibilities for progress in these key areas. Our meeting today is a part of that ongoing process. I hope it can lead to substantial advances. In our meeting today I especially stressed our concerns in the area of human rights. Last May I put forward key human rights conditions that must be met if most-favored-nation status to China is to be renewed next spring. I told President Jiang that I welcome our dialog on human rights. I hope we can make significant progress on these issues very soon. I mentioned in particular the need for prison access by the ICRC, the question of releasing political prisoners, especially those who are sick. I particularly mentioned the case of Wang Jontao. I asked for a dialog on Tibet with the Dalai Lama or his representatives. And I discussed the question of prison labor and the need for our customs officials to visit other facilities as already called for in our memorandum of understanding. In other words, on the question of human rights, I attempted to be quite specific, not implying that the United States could dictate to China or that China could dictate to the United States the general conditions or institutions of our society, but clearly recognizing that there are human rights issues that are a barrier to the full resolution of normal and complete and constructive relations between our two nations. I also emphasized the need for progress on our trade imbalance. We discussed the needs for greater market access and for the protection of intellectual property rights. I think our trade relationships alone indicate that the United States has not attempted to isolate China but instead has attempted to assist its movement into the global economy. After all, this year we will purchase about a third of the total Chinese exports, and we must do a better job of selling our products and services into that market. I also stressed that we look to China to participate fully in international efforts to stem weapons proliferation. We continue to have differences on these issues. But we agreed that we should seek to resolve them through dialog and negotiation. This is clearly in the interest of both nations. As we approach the 21st century, the relationship between our two countries will be one of the most important in the world. I believe that my meeting today with President Jiang established our determination to build on the positive aspects of our existing relations and to address far more candidly and personally than we have in the past the problems that remain between our two nations. I look forward to continuing that dialog during tomorrow's APEC leaders meeting and in other ways in the coming months. I believe we have made a good beginning. I always believe the best beginning in a challenging situation is to be as frank and forthright as possible. And I think that I did that, and I believe that he did that. Let me make just one other comment about a domestic issue; then I'll answer a couple of questions. I'd like to compliment the United States Senate in passing the crime bill today. It is absolutely imperative that we now resolve the differences between the Senate and the House bill, that we move ahead to get 100,000 police on the street as quickly as we can. It will still take several months even after the bill is signed to train the police and put them out there. It is a terribly important issue. There are other matters in the bills, especially the boot camps, that I think are important. But I am distressed at the Senate filibuster of the Brady bill. I know they're going to vote one more time tonight, and before they leave, I would urge the Senate to pass the Brady bill. It has been delayed far too long. And the attack against it, that it will not solve all the gun violence in the United States, ignores the fact that it will solve some of our problems by actually permitting us to do a weapons check of the criminal and mental health backgrounds of people who want to buy handguns. It will, it will turn up people who should not be able to buy guns, many of whom will have criminal records, some of whom may have outstanding warrants. This is an important issue for our country. I understand that some people think the politics are still difficult. But clearly, it is the right thing to do. And I hope the Senate will reconsider its filibuster and permit the majority to rule. There's plainly a heavy majority for the Brady bill. That majority should be able to carry the day. China-U.S. Relations”