TJ Cox: “The recent visit of President Jiang Zemin has focused the attention of the American people on our relations with the…”

“The recent visit of President Jiang Zemin has focused the attention of the American people on our relations with the People's Republic of China in a very constructive way. To the extent that the summit was meant to promote cordial relations between our two states and friendly dialog, it was a success. For President Jiang was warmly received, he was provided a 21-gun salute, a State dinner, a breakfast here on Capitol Hill with our congressional leadership, and he even had a chance to address the American people on the 'McNeil-Lehrer News Hour.' Because we respect his position as the head of the Communist Party and as the President of the People's Republic of China, and because we recognize the importance of cordial relations with the world's most populous nation, we received him properly and openly. But there is more to our relationship than summitry and warm expressions of goodwill. We also must do the hard work of hammering out our distinctions on security issues, on the proliferation of technology for weapons of mass destruction, and on human rights, all of which are of fundamental importance, not just to the peoples of our countries, but to the people of the whole world.”