    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2002, Book II)]
    [October 25, 2002]
    [Pages 1897-1900]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    The President's News Conference With President Jiang Zemin of China in Crawford, Texas
    October 25, 2002

        President Bush. I want to welcome the President of China to our
    ranch and to Texas.
        I want to start off by saying how sad Laura and I are about the
    sudden and tragic death of United States Senator Paul
    Wellstone, his wife,
    and one of his children, as well as the
    death of others on that private airplane. Our prayers and heartfelt
    sympathy goes to their sons, their loved ones, their friends, and the
    people of Minnesota. Paul Wellstone was a man of deep convictions, a
    plain-spoken fellow who did his best for his State and for his country.
    May the good Lord bless those who grieve.
        This is the third meeting of the President and me, and our personal
    relations and the relations between our two countries are strong. In our
    meeting, we discussed the threat posed by the Iraqi regime. China
    supports Iraq's strict compliance with U.N. Security Council
    resolutions. And today we discussed and I urged President Jiang to
    support a new Security Council resolution demanding Iraq fully disarm
    itself of weapons of mass destruction.
        The President and I also discussed and expressed concern about the
    acknowledgment of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea of a program
    to enrich uranium. We agreed that peace and stability in northeast Asia
    must be maintained. Both sides will continue to work towards a nuclear-
    weapons-free Korean Peninsula and a peaceful resolution of this issue.
        The United States and China are also allies in the fight against
    global terror, and our two countries are deepening our economic
    relations. It is inevitable that nations the size of the United States
    and China will have differences, but the President and I agree that we
    need to resolve our differences through mutual understanding and
    respect.
        On human rights, I emphasized that no nation's efforts to counter
    terrorism should be used to justify suppressing minorities or silencing
    peaceful dissent. I shared with the President my views on the importance
    of China freeing prisoners of conscience, giving fair treatment to
    peoples of faith, and preserving the rights of Hong Kong citizens. I
    also spoke of the importance of respecting human rights in Tibet and
    encouraged more dialog with Tibetan leaders.
        On proliferation, I expressed our continuing concerns about
    transfers of sensitive technologies.
        On Taiwan, I emphasized to the President that our ``one China''
    policy, based on the three communiques in the Taiwan Relations Act,
    remains unchanged. I stressed the need for dialog between China

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    and Taiwan that leads to a peaceful resolution of their differences.
        The United States seeks and is building a relationship with China
    that is candid, constructive, and cooperative. We will continue building
    this relationship through contacts at many levels in months to come,
    including a new dialog on security issues.
        I'm pleased to announce that Vice President Cheney will visit China next spring. The United States and
    China believe that a strong relationship between our nations will help
    to build a more peaceful world.
        Thank you for coming, President Jiang.
        President Jiang. Mr. President, ladies and gentlemen, I just learned
    that one plane crashed. I would like to express my deep condolences for
    the loss of the Senate. And also I would like to express my condolences
    to the bereaved family.
        I'm very pleased to visit President Bush at his ranch. I would like
    to thank President Bush and Mrs. Bush for the warm hospitality accorded
    to us. President Bush and I had a very good conversation. We exchanged
    views on some important issues of mutual interest. The meeting has been
    constructive and productive.
        We all agree that China and the U.S. are two great nations sharing
    extensive and important common interests. The two sides should increase
    exchanges and cooperation in economic, trade, cultural, educational, and
    other fields. We should stepup dialog and coordination on major
    international and regional issues, and constantly move our constructive
    and cooperative relationship forward.
        We are satisfied with our counterterrorism cooperation of the past
    year. We agreed to strengthen such cooperation in a two-way and mutually
    beneficial manner and work together against terrorism in all forms and
    manifestations.
        We have had a frank exchange of views on the Taiwan question, which
    is of concern to the Chinese side. I have elaborated my Government's
    basic policy of peaceful unification and one country, two systems, for
    the settlements of the Taiwan question. President Bush has reiterated
    his clear-cut position that the U.S. Government abides by the ``one
    China'' policy.
        We did, indeed, discuss the nuclear issue concerning DPRK. I point
    out that China has all along been supporter of a nuclear-free Korean
    Peninsula and wants peace and stability there. I agreed with President
    Bush that we will continue to consult on this issue and work together to
    ensure a peaceful resolution of the problem.
        We have also discussed human rights, religion, and other issues. I
    told President Bush that democracy and human rights are the common
    pursuits of mankind and that China's human rights situation is at its
    best time, characterized by constant improvement. Regarding our
    differences in these areas, the Chinese side stands ready to continue
    exchanging views with the U.S. side on basis of mutual respect and
    seeking common ground while shelving differences, with a view to
    deepening understanding and enhancing consensus.
        I'm confident that, so long as the two sides persist in viewing and
    handling their relations from a strategic height and with a long-term
    perspective and keep expanding cooperation and enhancing mutual trust,
    China-U.S. relations will be able to grow steadily and bring benefits to
    both peoples.
         Thank you.
        President Bush. Thank you, Mr. President.
        I told the President that we would--asked him if we could take some
    questions. He said, ``Sure.'' There will be two questions from each
    side. And I promised him I would do my very best to make sure that the
    questioners would only ask one question, if you know what I mean, Mr.
    Fournier [Ron Fournier, Associated Press]. [Laughter]
        President Jiang said he remembered a couple of the American
    reporters were quick to break the one-question rule, and he asked if a
    fellow, Fournier, would be

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    there. And I said, ``Well, surely he won't do it this time.''
        Mr. Fournier. [Laughter]
        Q. I understand that means I can ask each President one question?
    [Laughter]
        President Bush. That's exactly the problem. [Laughter]

    North Korean Nuclear Program

        Q. I'll be glad to--I'll be glad to--your question, President Bush,
    is, Are you willing to negotiate with North Korea, while North Korea
    maintains a nuclear weapons program?
        And, President Jiang, could you tell us, do you think North Korea's
    nuclear weapons program is a threat to your country, and, if so, how do
    you plan to stop it?
        President Bush. See, I told you he wouldn't abide by the one-
    question rule. [Laughter]
        Our first step, to make sure we resolve this peacefully, is to work
    with our friends, is to remind our friends of the dangers of a nuclear
    regime on the Korean Peninsula. President Jiang made it clear that
    China, like the United States, believes in a Korean Peninsula without
    nuclear weapons.
        This is a chance for the United States and China to work very
    closely together to achieve that vision of a nuclear free--nuclear-
    weapons-free peninsula. And so I've instructed Secretary Powell to work very closely with his counterpart, as well
    as with their counterparts in South Korea and Japan and Russia, to come
    up with a common strategy to convince Kim Chong-il to disarm. And we look forward to working to that end.
        And so to complete our--the important dialog of developing a
    strategy that will hold North Korea to account in terms of disarming,
    I'm going to be visiting with the Prime Minister of Japan and the leader of South Korea tomorrow in Mexico.
        President Jiang. I can answer your question in the most clear-cut
    terms and most definitely that we Chinese always hold the position that
    the Korean Peninsula should be nuclear-weapon-free. We are completely in
    the dark as for the recent development. But today President Bush and I
    agreed that the problem should be resolved peacefully.
        Thank you.

    China-U.S. Relations/``One China'' Policy

        Q. I'm from CCTV. My first question is for President Jiang. This is
    your third meeting with President Bush. How do you evaluate China-U.S.
    relations in the past year, and how do you envisage the future of the
    relationship?
        And also a question for President Bush. Just now you----
        President Bush. It's an international problem. [Laughter]
        Q. ----said that the United States supports a ``one China'' policy.
    What concrete step would you take to translate this commitment into
    reality?
        President Jiang. In the past year, China and the United States have
    expanded their cooperation and enhanced mutual understanding and trust.
    On the whole, the relationship has enjoyed a good momentum of growth.
    Facts have proven once again that, despite the profound changes in the
    international situation and despite the differences of one type or
    another between China and the U.S., our two countries have more, rather
    than less, common interest. And the prospect of cooperation between us
    has become broader, rather than narrower.
        President Bush. In terms of your question about the ``one China''
    policy--``one China'' policy means that the issue ought to be resolved
    peacefully. We've got influence with some in the region. We intend to
    make sure that the issue is resolved peacefully, and that includes
    making it clear that we do not support independence.
        Holland [Steve Holland, Reuters].

    U.N. Resolution on Iraq

        Q. Sir, do you feel like you've got China's support for a new
    resolution on Iraq? And

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    are you willing to make any more concessions in the language of a U.N.
    resolution, now that Russia and France have offered a watered-down
    resolution?
        President Bush. Thank you for asking one question. [Laughter] Now
    I'll try to answer it.
        I made it clear to the President of China that I am interested in
    seeing to it that the United Nations is effective--effective in
    disarming Saddam Hussein. That's what the
    United Nations has said for 11 years, that Saddam ought to disarm. And
    therefore, any resolution that evolves must be one which does the job of
    holding Saddam Hussein to account. That includes a rigorous, new, and
    vibrant inspections regime, the purpose of which is disarmament, not
    inspections for the sake of inspections.
        And any resolution which will be effective must have--there must be
    consequences. Let me put it bluntly: There must be consequences in order
    to be effective. And therefore, in order for there to be consequences,
    we won't accept a resolution which prevents us from doing exactly what I
    have told the American people is going to happen. That is, if the U.N.
    won't act and if Saddam won't disarm, we will
    lead a coalition to disarm him. And we're working with all countries,
    particularly those on the Perm 5, to do just that.
        And that's what we'll accept, something that will enable us to do
    precisely what I have just described and what I describe almost every
    day that I'm out there talking to the American people.
        You tried to violate the rule, but I'm not going to let you.

    China-U.S. Relations

        Q.  I'm from Xinhua news agency. For some time, certain people
    inside the United States call for containment against China. These
    people believe that a rising China poses a growing threat to the United
    States. What is your comment?
        President Jiang. Given their different national conditions, it is
    only natural for China and the United States to disagree from time to
    time. Such a disagreement should be viewed and handled with a broad
    perspective. China has chosen a development path suited to its national
    conditions. It has enjoyed a rapid progress in economic growth, cultural
    development, and the building of democracy and rule of law, bringing
    tangible benefits to the Chinese people. Their quality of life and
    standard of living are improving.
        As the biggest developing country in the world, this road is still
    very long before China achieves full modernization. Our central task and
    long-term goal remain one of economic development and improvement of
    people's living standards.
        The Chinese people have a tradition of peace loving. China has never
    engaged in expansion nor sought hegemony. We sincerely desire peace all
    over the world. Even when China becomes more developed in the future, it
    will not pose a threat to others. Threats have and will continue to
    prove that China is a staunch force for the maintenance of world and
    regional peace.
        Thank you.
        President Bush. Thank you all very much.

    Note: The President's news conference began at 1:41 p.m. outside the
    Governor's House at the Bush Ranch. In his remarks, he referred to
    General Secretary Kim Chong-il of North Korea; Prime Minister Junichiro
    Koizumi of Japan; President Kim Dae-jung of South Korea; and President
    Saddam Hussein of Iraq. President Bush also referred to the October 25
    crash of a twin engine King Air aircraft in Eveleth, MN, which took the
    lives of Senator Paul Wellstone of Minnesota; his wife, Sheila Ison; his
    daughter, Marcia Wellstone; campaign aides Will McLaughlin, Tom Lapic,
    and Mary McEvoy; pilot Richard Conroy; and co-pilot Michael Guess.
    President Jiang referred to the DPRK, the Democratic People's Republic
    of Korea. President Jiang spoke in Chinese, and his remarks were
    translated by an interpreter.