Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao is ending his Washington visit on an upbeat note, emphasizing friendship and cooperation after what he calls a successful meeting with President Bush at the White House.
Mr. Wen told a dinner audience Tuesday night that mutual interests are the bedrock of cooperation between China and the United States. He said a productive relationship between the two countries is conducive to stability in the Asia-Pacific region and to peace and development in the world.
The Chinese prime minister faced a heavy diplomatic agenda on his first official U.S. trip since taking office in March. He and Mr. Bush discussed the two governments’ differences over human rights, the U.S. frustration over China’s mounting trade surplus, and Beijing’s role in Korean nuclear talks. But it was the subject of Taiwan that captured the most attention. President Bush told Mr. Wen what he had hoped to hear — that the United States opposes any unilateral steps by Taiwan towards independence. Mr. Bush reiterated his administration’s earlier warning against any unilateral decision by China or Taiwan to change the status quo in the region.
Previous U.S. administrations have kept their statements about Taiwan independence deliberately broad.
Wednesday, Mr. Wen travels to the northeastern city of Boston for a speech at Harvard University.
During his speech at Tuesday night’s dinner, hundreds of protesters demonstrated outside the Washington hotel where the event was being held. The protesters included Tibetan exiles, Falungong members, human rights campaigners and pro-Taiwan demonstrators.
