    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1996, Book II)]
    [November 24, 1996]
    [Page 2148]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Exchange With Reporters Prior to Discussions With President
    Kim Yong-sam of South Korea in Manila, Philippines
    November 24, 1996

        President Clinton. Hello, Mr. President.
        President Kim. Congratulations on your victory. I was assured of
    your victory much in advance. [Laughter]
        President Clinton. You knew about it before I did, then.

    Japan-U.S. Trade

        Q. Mr. President, did your meeting with Prime Minister Hashimoto
    produce any expectation of reducing the trade imbalance?
        President Clinton. We've made a lot of progress in the last 4 years.
    And we spent a lot of time on trade in that meeting, and he reaffirmed
    his willingness to resolve the remaining disputes between us. But if the
    economy keeps growing in Japan, that should help us reduce the trade
    imbalance.

    Korean Peace Process

        Q. Mr. President, are you optimistic that perhaps the four-way talks
    that were proposed can actually get underway?
        President Clinton. Well, we're going to talk about that.
        Q. But didn't you talk about it in your meeting with the Chinese
    leader?
        President Clinton. Absolutely, I did.
        Thank you.

    Note: The President spoke at 3:19 p.m. at the Central Bank. In his
    remarks, he referred to Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto of Japan and
    President Jiang Zemin of China.