[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1997, Book II)]
[October 29, 1997]
[Pages 1452-1454]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Joint United States-China Statement
October 29, 1997

    At the invitation of President William J. Clinton of the United 
States of America, President Jiang Zemin of the People's Republic of 
China is paying a state visit to the United States from October 26 to 
November 3, 1997. This is the first state visit by the President of 
China to the United States in twelve years. President Jiang Zemin held 
formal talks with President Clinton in Washington D.C. and also met with 
Vice President Al Gore, Congressional leaders and other American 
leaders. Talks also were held between Vice Premier and Foreign Minister 
Qian Qichen and Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.
    The two Presidents had an in-depth and productive exchange of views 
on the international situation, U.S.-China relations and the important 
opportunities and challenges facing the two countries. They agree that a 
sound and stable relationship between the United States and China serves 
the fundamental interests of both the American and Chinese peoples and 
is important to fulfilling their common responsibility to work for peace 
and prosperity in the 21st century.
    They agree that while the United States and China have areas of both 
agreement and disagreement, they have a significant common interest and 
a firm common will to seize opportunities and meet challenges 
cooperatively, with candor and a determination to achieve concrete 
progress. The United States and China have major differences on the 
question of human rights. At the same time, they also have great 
potential for cooperation in maintaining global and regional peace and 
stability; promoting world economic growth; preventing the proliferation 
of weapons of mass destruction; advancing Asia-Pacific regional 
cooperation; combating narcotics trafficking, international organized 
crime and terrorism; strengthening bilateral exchanges and cooperation 
in economic development, trade, law, environmental protection, energy, 
science and technology, and education and culture; as well as engaging 
in military exchanges.
    The two Presidents are determined to build toward a constructive 
strategic partnership between the United States and China through 
increasing cooperation to meet international challenges and promote 
peace and development in the world. To achieve this goal, they agree to 
approach U.S.-China relations from a long-term perspective on the basis 
of the principles of the three U.S.-China joint communiques.
    China stresses that the Taiwan question is the most important and 
sensitive central question in China-U.S. relations, and that the proper 
handling of this question in strict compliance with the principles set 
forth in the three China-U.S. joint communiques holds the key to sound 
and stable growth of China-U.S. relations. The United States reiterates 
that it adheres to its ``one China'' policy and the principles set forth 
in the three U.S.-China joint communiques.
    As permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, the 
United States and China support the UN in its efforts, in accordance 
with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, to play a positive 
and effective role on global issues, including peacekeeping and the 
promotion of economic and social development. Both countries support 
efforts to reform the UN and to make the Security Council more 
representative, while retaining and improving its effectiveness. 
Stressing the need to put the UN

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on a firmer financial basis, both countries will participate actively in 
discussions on the Scale of Assessments in the UN.
    As two major countries in the Asia-Pacific region, the United States 
and China are ready to strengthen their cooperation to meet various 
challenges and make positive contributions to promoting stability and 
prosperity in the region. Recognizing that maintenance of peace and 
stability on the Korean Peninsula is of great importance, the two 
countries are working through the Four-Party Talks to help establish a 
durable peace on the Peninsula, and will continue consultations to this 
end. They also stress that it is in the interest of the two countries to 
maintain peace and stability in other important regions, including the 
Middle East, the Gulf, and South Asia.
    The two Presidents agreed on a number of steps that will provide a 
framework for further promoting U.S.-China relations and strengthening 
their cooperation in international affairs.

High-Level Dialogue and Consultations

    The United States and China agree to regular visits by their 
Presidents to each other's capitals.
    They agree to a Washington-Beijing presidential communications link 
to facilitate direct contact. They also agree to regular exchanges of 
visits by cabinet and sub-cabinet officials to consult on political, 
military, security and arms control issues.

Energy and Environment Cooperation

    The United States and China reaffirm the importance of bilateral 
cooperation across the broad range of environmental issues, as evidenced 
by the establishment of the U.S.-China Forum on Environment and 
Development in March 1997.
    They consider it a critical challenge to develop and efficiently use 
energy sources, protect the global environment, and promote 
environmentally sound growth and development. Accordingly, they agree to 
strengthen their cooperation in energy and environment through an 
initiative to accelerate clean energy projects and the appropriate 
transfer of related technologies. The principal areas of cooperation 
will be in clean energy, urban air pollution control and rural 
electrification. This initiative also will foster broader cooperation on 
global environment issues such as climate change, desertification and 
bio-diversity. China's State Planning Commission and the U.S. Energy 
Department have signed the U.S.-China Initiative on Energy and 
Environment Cooperation to promote effective cooperation in these 
fields, including the use of clean energy.

Economic Relations and Trade

    The two Presidents are prepared to take positive and effective 
measures to expand U.S.-China trade and economic ties. As both economies 
move into the 21st century, information technology will be critical to 
spurring technological innovation and improving productivity. In this 
regard, China indicated its intention to participate as soon as possible 
in the Information Technology Agreement. In addition, in the context of 
WTO negotiations, China will continue to make further substantial tariff 
reductions.
    The United States and China agree that China's full participation in 
the multilateral trading system is in their mutual interest. To this 
end, they agree to intensify negotiations on market access, including 
tariffs, non-tariff measures, services, standards and agriculture and on 
implementation of WTO principles so that China can accede to the WTO on 
a commercially meaningful basis at the earliest possible date.

Peaceful Nuclear Cooperation

    The United States and China agree that it is in their mutual 
interest to cooperate in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy. To this 
end, they each have taken the steps necessary to implement the U.S.-
China Agreement on Peaceful Nuclear Cooperation concluded in 1985. In 
addition, China's State Planning Commission and the U.S. Department of 
Energy have signed an Agreement of Intent to promote peaceful nuclear 
cooperation and research between the two countries.

Nonproliferation

    The United States and China agree to work to bring the Comprehensive 
Test Ban Treaty into force at the earliest possible date. They also 
agree to pursue at the UN Conference on Disarmament the early start of 
formal negotiations on the Treaty on the Prohibition of the Production 
of Fissile Materials Used in Nuclear Weapons and Other Nuclear Explosive 
Devices.
    The United States and China reiterate their commitment not to 
provide any assistance to unsafeguarded nuclear facilities and nuclear 
explosion programs. China has placed controls on

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exports of nuclear and dual-use materials and related technology and 
will take further measures to strengthen dual-use export controls by 
mid-1998. The United States will continue to enforce firm controls on 
the export of nuclear and dual-use materials and related technology.
    As original parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention, the United 
States and China agree to cooperate in implementing the Convention 
within a multilateral framework. Both countries agree on the importance 
of government oversight of chemical-related exports.
    The United States and China agree to build on the 1994 Joint 
Statement on Missile Nonproliferation. They reaffirm their respective 
commitments to the guidelines and parameters of the Missile Technology 
Control Regime (MTCR).

Human Rights

    The United States and China both recognize the positive role of the 
Universal Declaration on Human Rights and other international human 
rights instruments in promoting human rights. They reiterate their 
commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights and 
fundamental freedoms.
    While the two countries have not resolved their differences on human 
rights, they have agreed to discuss them through dialogue at both 
governmental and non-governmental levels in the spirit of equality and 
mutual respect. The two countries agree to hold discussions on the 
structure and functions of an NGO forum on human rights.

Cooperation in the Field of Law

    The United States and China agree that promoting cooperation in the 
field of law serves the interests and needs of both countries. They will 
strengthen cooperation in combating international organized crime, 
narcotics trafficking, alien smuggling, counterfeiting and money 
laundering. To this end, they intend to establish a joint liaison group 
for law enforcement cooperation composed of representatives of the 
relevant agencies of both governments. They agree to begin consultations 
on mutual legal assistance aimed at concluding a mutual legal assistance 
agreement.
    The United States and China will assign counternarcotics officers to 
their respective embassies on a reciprocal basis. Recognizing the 
importance the United States and China each attaches to legal exchanges, 
they intend to establish a joint liaison group to pursue cooperative 
activities in this area. These may include exchanges of legal experts; 
training of judges and lawyers; strengthening legal information systems 
and the exchange of legal materials; sharing ideas about legal 
assistance; consulting on administrative procedures; and strengthening 
commercial law and arbitration.
    As part of this program of legal cooperation, China's Minister of 
Justice will visit the United States in November 1997 at the invitation 
of the U.S. Attorney General.

Military-to-Military Relations

    The United States and China have reached agreement on the 
establishment of a consultation mechanism to strengthen military 
maritime safety, which will enable their maritime and air forces to 
avoid accidents, misunderstandings or miscalculations.
    They agree to share information and discuss issues related to their 
respective experiences in the areas of humanitarian assistance and 
disaster relief.

Science and Technology, Educational and Cultural Exchanges

    The U.S.-China Joint Commission on Science and Technology will 
continue to guide the active bilateral scientific and technological 
cooperation program, which involves more than 30 agreements reached 
since 1979, and will promote the further use of science and technology 
to solve national and global problems. The United States and China also 
will identify areas for cooperative projects using space for Earth 
science research and practical applications.
    The United States and China will expand educational and cultural 
exchanges. Both Presidents believe that increased people-to-people 
exchanges will help cultivate long-term bilateral relations.
    President Jiang Zemin expressed his thanks to President Clinton and 
the American people for their warm reception and invited President 
Clinton to visit China in 1998. President Clinton accepted this 
invitation with pleasure.

Note: The joint statement was made available by the Office of the Press 
Secretary but was not issued as a White House press release.