UNCLASSIFIED
22
046676
MDLIAN 9324
UNCLASSIFIED
FM PEKING
TO PRIORITY FCO
TELNO 351
OF 100851Z MARCH 93
INFO PRIORITY WASHINGTON,
RECE
1 1 MAR 1993
FICE
INFO ROUTINE HONG KONG, TOKYO, SEOUL
GISTRY
con Taken
SINO-US RELATIONS: PRESS INTERVIEW WITH JIANG ZEMIN
SUMMARY
1.
.
Pl.w int sup
us/China (Men)
JIANG ZEMIN RESPONDS IN STANDARD, EMOLLIENT TERMS TO QUESTIONS ON SINO-US RELATIONS AND TRADE, HONG KONG, TAIWAN, THE CHINESE ECONOMY AND DENG'S CONTRIBUTION TO THE DIRECTION OF GOVERNMENT POLICY. (HIS BLAND COMMENTS ON HONG KONG ARE REPORTED SEPARATELY).
DETAIL
2. THE 9 MARCH PEOPLE'S DAILY PUBLISHED A FRONT-PAGE ARTICLE SUMMARISING AN INTERVIEW WHICH JIANG ZEMIN GAVE TO THE EDITOR OF US NEWS AND WORLD REPORT ON 23 FEBRUARY. JIANG CALLED FOR CLOSER AND BROADER SINO-US CO-OPERATION BUILDING ON THE LANGUAGE USED BY FOREIGN MINISTER QIAN QICHEN IN A PEOPLE'S DAILY ARTICLE ON 30 DECEMBER 1992, NOTING THAT CHINA AND THE US HAVE IMPORTANT COMMON BILATERAL AND INTERNATIONAL INTERESTS. THEY SHOULD MANAGE DISAGREEMENTS PROPERLY, BUILD CONFIDENCE AND NOT LET DIFFERENCES HAMPER RELATIONS. THERE HAD BEEN SOME PROGRESS IN BILATERAL RELATIONS DURING 1992, IN SPITE OF THE DAMAGE DONE BY THE DECISION TO SELL F16 FIGHTERS TO TAIWAN. CHINA WAS WILLING TO WORK WITH THE CLINTON ADMINISTRATION FOR BETTER RELATIONS ON THE BASIS OF THE 3 JOINT COMMUNIQUES.
HUMAN RIGHTS
3.
JIANG SAID THAT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN CHINA AND THE US ON HUMAN RIGHTS WERE AN INEVITABLE CONSEQUENCE OF THE TWO COUNTRIES' DISTINCT SOCIAL, ECONOMIC AND HISTORICAL CIRCUMSTANCES. COMMON GROUND SHOULD BE SOUGHT AND DIFFERENCES SHELVED. CHINA WOULD RESIST EFFORTS TO IMPOSE PRESSURE ON THE CONDUCT OF ITS INTERNAL AFFAIRS.
MFN AND TRADE
4.
JIANG SPOKE ON STANDARD LINES ABOUT MFN, SAYING THAT CONDITIONALITY WAS UNACCEPTABLE. PRESIDENT CLINTON WAS HIMSELF CONFRONTING DOMESTIC ECONOMIC PROBLEMS: GREATER SINO-US CO-OPERATION WOULD BE HELPFUL TO BOTH SIDES. THE TWO SIDES HAD
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