[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2005, Book II)]
[November 8, 2005]
[Pages 1684-1687]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Interview With Phoenix Television of Hong Kong
November 8, 2005

China-U.S. Relations

    Naichain Mo. Mr. President, thank you for selecting Phoenix 
Television for this interview. What greeting and message would you like 
to convey to the Chinese people prior to your visit to China?
    The President. First, that the relationship between China and 
America is an important relationship. It's a mixed relationship. There 
is a lot of good that we're doing together, and there's a lot of areas 
where we may not have full agreement but, nevertheless, are able to 
discuss our disagreements in a very cordial way. And so I would tell the 
people of China you live in a great, massive country that's growing well 
and that we want to have good relations with you.

[[Page 1685]]

President's Upcoming Visit to China

    Ms. Mo. This will be your third formal visit to China.
    The President. Yes.
    Ms. Mo. What do you hope to achieve with this visit?
    The President. Well, first of all, the visit is giving me a chance 
to further get to know the leadership. President Hu 
is a person who I enjoy visiting with. He is a smart fellow. And the 
more you get to know a person, the better--the easier it is to make good 
policy.
    Secondly, I'm going to, of course, be going to China to represent 
the interests of my people. I'll talk about the need for trade that is 
free and fair. I'll talk about the currency, of course. I'll talk about 
intellectual property rights that the President and 
I have discussed before.
    And then on the international front we'll, of course--I'll confirm 
my ``one China,'' three-communique policy, that not only says that we do 
not support independence but as well, we will adhere to the Taiwan 
Relations Act. I think that's important for the Chinese leadership and 
the people of China to hear.
    We've also got an agenda to fight terrorism, fight narcotrafficking, 
as well as to work together to convince the leader of North Korea that 
the Korean Peninsula should be nuclear weapons-free.
    So we've got a broad agenda.
    Ms. Mo. Keep you busy.
    The President. It will keep us busy, but it's an important agenda, 
and the people of China must understand that when the United States and 
China works together, we can accomplish a lot.

Taiwan

    Ms. Mo. You brought up Taiwan. I remember in 2001 and 2003 you made 
strong statements regarding Taiwan----
    The President. Yes.
    Ms. Mo. ----and regarding the recent development, do you feel less 
concern about a cross-strait situation than you were in, like, 2003?
    The President. Well, I'm always concerned that one party or the 
other will do something unilaterally to change the status quo, which 
would then create, you know, a source of angst and anger. And therefore, 
I'm constantly reiterating my position so that both sides clearly know 
the position of the United States.
    Ms. Mo. Are you optimistic about a peaceful resolution in the end?
    The President. I have seen some--yes, I am optimistic there will be 
a peaceful resolution. Secondly, I am optimistic because I have seen 
cross-straits discussion starting to take place. And I urge the parties 
to continue those discussions. I believe it is possible, through 
discussion and good will, to end up solving this issue in a peaceful 
way.

China-U.S. Relations

    Ms. Mo. You call U.S.-China relationship complicated.
    The President. Yes.
    Ms. Mo. And we heard U.S. officials and experts have variously 
called China a threat, a partner, a competitor, and an opportunity. So 
how do you see China, and what's your plan to deal with China's 
emergence?
    The President. Well, that's interesting--all the different 
adjectives I guess kind of express a complicated relationship. I would 
say--I think we've got a lot of issues to deal with, is the best way to 
describe it. And on issues on which we agree, we can make positive 
contributions and change.
    Issues we don't necessarily agree on, we can work through and do so 
in a frank way. And I repeat, I think we have a fantastic opportunity by 
working with China and other countries to make sure that the Korean 
Peninsula is nuclear weapons-free, which will lay a foundation for a 
peace in the region and the hemisphere, and that's important.
    Ms. Mo. You brought up North Korea. What other issues do you most 
seek China's

[[Page 1686]]

support and cooperation? And what do you expect them to do?
    The President. Well, first of all, on the United Nations Security 
Council we work on every issue together. And one way for us to be able 
to work together is just to share opinions on different issues. For 
example, I'll bring up Iran. I want the President 
to understand how I think it's important for the free world and the 
peaceful world to work together to convince the Iranians not to develop 
a nuclear weapon.
    China has got influence. China is a big, powerful nation. And 
therefore, it's in our interest that we share ideas and work together. 
I'll also want to continue discussions on the economic front, because 
we've got a big trade imbalance with China, but we're making progress. 
The Chinese took a good first step on having a market currency; I 
believe they ought to do more. The President made a very strong 
statement in New York about intellectual property rights. We've reached 
a textile agreement, which is a very important signal to our folks who 
want to make sure that the President works for fair 
trade. And with the trade balance as big as it is, you know, it's 
important for people here in America to be able to say to themselves, 
``We hope it's fair.'' And I'm going to continue to insist on fair trade 
as well.
    Finally, there is a couple of other areas we can work on, if you've 
got a second. One is energy. We consume a lot of energy. China is 
consuming more energy. And we need to share information and share 
technologies so both of us can diversify away from hydrocarbons.

President's 1975 Visit to China

    Ms. Mo. My last question, in 1975 you visited China, when your 
father was U.S. Representative in Beijing.
    The President. Yes, I did.
    Ms. Mo. I know you spent your 29th birthday there----
    The President. That's right. [Laughter]
    Ms. Mo. ----and went back a number of visit over the years. Can you 
share with us some of the memories that made the deepest impression on 
you when you think of China?
    The President. I think of how different China is today than it was 
in 1975. In 1975--first of all, I had a fantastic experience when I went 
there in 1975.
    Ms. Mo. Good to know.
    The President. I really did. It was great. It was really 
interesting. The two impressions--a couple of impressions. One, 
everybody was on bicycles; there weren't many automobiles. I happened to 
be one of the people on bicycles. I rode all over the place in Beijing, 
which was fascinating.
    Secondly, I can remember how odd people thought I looked. In other 
words, there wasn't much exposure to the West, and all of a sudden an 
American starts riding a bike amongst them, and it, frankly, surprised 
some people.
    And thirdly, I noticed there was uniformity in dress. People wore 
the same style clothes. And that's changed, which means there's a 
market; people are beginning to express their own individual desires and 
somebody is meeting those desires with a product. There's high-rise 
buildings that are magnificent. When I went to Shanghai right after 
September the 11th, 2001, I was--it was mind-boggling to look at the 
fantastic buildings that had been built between the airport and the old 
town.
    So this is a country that has progressed a lot since 1975, which 
shows the vast potential of China. And it explains to people--it should 
explain to people in America why it's important for our Government to 
have a good working relationship--as complex as it is, but to have a 
good working relationship. And we do. And that's in the interest not 
only of our respective people but it's in the interest of the world.
    Ms. Mo. Thank you, Mr. President.
    The President. Thanks for coming.
    Ms. Mo. I wish you a very good trip to Asia and a successful visit 
to China.

[[Page 1687]]

    The President. Thank you very much.

Note: The interview was taped at 1:34 p.m. in the Map Room at the White 
House for later broadcast. In his remarks, the President referred to 
President Hu Jintao of China; and Chairman Kim Chong-il of North Korea. 
A tape was not available for verification of the content of this 
interview.