    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2008, Book II)]
    [July 30, 2008]
    [Pages 1086-1089]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Interview With Fuqing Yang of CCTV in China
    July 30, 2008

        Mr. Yang. So thank you very much, Mr. President, for joining us.
        The President. Thank you, sir.

    2008 Beijing Olympics

        Mr. Yang. The much anticipated Beijing Olympic Games will be opening
    in Beijing in just about a week's time. And you will be attending the
    opening ceremonies on

    [[Page 1087]]

    August the 8th. And the Chinese people are very much looking forward to
    your visit. So at this moment, what are your expectations for the
    Beijing Games? And what kind of messages will you bring to the Chinese
    people?
        The President. First message to the Chinese people is, I respect the
    Chinese people, respect the history, tradition. And I'm coming as the
    President of a friend, and I'm coming as a
    sportsman. And I'm looking forward to the competition.
        I'm looking forward to seeing--I think I'm going to go to the U.S.-
    Chinese basketball game. I understand Yao Ming is
    back on the court, and it will be an interesting challenge for the U.S.
    team. It will be exciting for me to see the athletes compete and to
    watch the Chinese fans respond, in this case, to the basketball game.
        It's going to be exciting. And I'm not coming alone. My wife is coming. A lot of my family is coming as well. So
    it's going to be great.

    2008 Beijing Olympics/President's Decisionmaking/China-U.S. Relations

        Mr. Yang. Okay. You are under a kind of pressure from politicians
    here in Washington who call on you not to go to Beijing.
        The President. Yes.
        Mr. Yang. But you insist on going. So out of what consideration did
    you make such a decision?
        The President. Well, first of all, I'm under pressure from
    politicians on a lot of fronts. I mean, this isn't the only issue that I
    get pressured on. And Presidents need to make their decision based upon
    what's best, not what's political.
        And I think it's best for U.S.-China's relations that I go. I know
    it's important for me to send a clear signal to the Chinese people that
    we respect them. I tell people that, of course, we've got differences
    with China on issues. They've got differences with us on issues.
        But the best way to conduct our diplomacy and conduct our relations
    is out of mutual respect. And it's much more likely a Chinese leader
    will listen to my concerns if he knows I respect the people of China.
    And so I'm looking forward to going. I'm going to have a dinner with
    President Hu Jintao, who I like. I respect the man
    a lot.
        And do we agree on everything? Of course not. But do we agree to
    have good, cordial relations and work hard to make our relationship
    unique and strong? Absolutely.

    President's Visit to China/Chinese Embassy in Washington, DC

        Mr. Yang. On the agenda of your visit to Beijing, you will be
    attending the opening ceremony of the new U.S. Embassy in Beijing?
        The President. Absolutely.
        Mr. Yang. And the new Chinese Embassy was just opened in Washington.
        The President. Last night. Yes, I know it. Isn't that exciting?
        Mr. Yang. Yes, very exciting, a very beautiful building. I attended
    the opening ceremony.
        The President. That's what I hear. You know, I.M. Pei is a famous architect who did the Chinese building.
        Mr. Yang. Yes.
        The President. So it just shows 30 years of a relationship that
    grows. And I found it very interesting, somebody said, ``Well, what does
    that mean?'' Well, first of all, we wouldn't be opening new Embassies or
    celebrating a 30th anniversary of relationship if, one, the
    relationships weren't important and the relationships weren't good.
        I mean, if the relationships were terrible, no one would be
    celebrating anything. But it's interesting that both countries are
    opening new Embassies in the same month. And so I am looking--well, not
    exactly the same month. Today is July and August--but in the same couple
    of weeks.
        And so yes, I'm going to go. And guess who is going to join me?
    President Bush 41, my father, will be there
    as well. And

    [[Page 1088]]

    he was the man that introduced me to China in the first place, in 1975.
        Mr. Yang. And you were only 18 years old?
        The President. No, no, no. I was older. I was--'75, I was 31.
        Mr. Yang. Thirty-one?
        The President. Yes, I was born in '46. My
    brother--see, my sister was 18 during the
    time.
        Mr. Yang. Okay.
        The President. But yes--no, look, I was a pretty old guy. And I
    explored around Beijing on a bicycle. It was a interesting time. Totally
    different city then than it is today.

    China

        Mr. Yang. Yes. And you also paid three visits in your capacity as
    the President of the United States to China. And in a sense, you bear
    witness to the changes in China too.
        The President. Absolutely. It's amazing.
        Mr. Yang. So yes, how would you elaborate on the changes in the past
    30 years, since this year also marks the 30th anniversary of China's
    opening up and reform?
        The President. Yes, 30 years ago, there were hardly any automobiles.
    And everybody was on bicycle, truly. Masses of people, me included,
    riding along on our bike. Everybody wore the same clothes, except for
    me. People--I can remember going to a department store, and nobody had
    seen a westerner. And they were amazed when I would go. And I would go
    with my mother and my sister. And they were amazed. It was like we were, like, from a
    different planet.
        Today, it's a much different society. First of all, there's--very
    colorful. And obviously, there's a lot of automobiles. It seems like
    more automobiles than bicycles. And people are used to a relationship
    between the West and China. It's a common occurrence. There's a lot of
    exchanges.
        One of the first--I think the first graduation speech I ever gave as
    President was to Notre Dame, and they were honoring the honors graduates
    in the sciences. And many of the people there were Chinese citizens,
    young Chinese students, girls and boys, got their degrees at the Notre
    Dame University. It was just--just shows how different things are after
    30 years.

    China-U.S. Relations

        Mr. Yang. Okay. So there's also, like, China and the United States
    are going to celebrate 30 years of diplomatic relations in January 2009.
        The President. Yes.
        Mr. Yang. Yes. How would you evaluate the developments between our
    two countries in the diplomatic field in the last 30 years? And
    particularly, during two of your administrations, if you can give us a
    self-assessment?
        The President. Well, I think--look, I think they've grown very
    strategic. For example, the strategic dialogue on economics that
    Secretary Paulson is leading, that is
    very unique. And so he goes to China, and the Chinese leaders come here.
    And our Cabinet--many of our Cabinet works with their counterparts. And
    it's a broadening, a strengthening relationship.
        We've dealt with some tough problems in a way that's cordial and
    respectful. And I would say that they're very good relations. And I told
    somebody the other day that it's amazing that the United States now has
    very good relations with China, South Korea, and Japan and the ASEAN
    countries, all at the same time. And I think that's positive for the
    region.
        And take the six-party talks. There's a common problem. If North
    Korea were to end up with a nuclear weapon, it would be very
    destabilizing and very troubling for all of us. So we decided to work
    together, sit around the table as five parties, saying the same thing to
    the North Koreans. And I'm hopeful that it'll work. But it shows our
    relationship has matured.

    [[Page 1089]]

    Six-Party Talks

        Mr. Yang. You mentioned the six-party talks. Also, six-party talks
    are high on your agenda during your administration for the last couple
    of years. With the demolition of the Yongbyon facility, the cooling
    tower, specifically, it makes some tangible progress, probably gave
    momentum before the talks. So how do you see this mechanism will go on?
        The President. Yes.
        Mr. Yang. What kind of messages, if you want to say, to the six-
    party talks?
        The President. Well, first of all, I value our partners. The only
    way to solve this peacefully is for us to work together to send a common
    message. I thank the Chinese Government for their leadership on this
    issue.
        I firmly believe multilateral diplomacy can work this issue better
    than bilateral diplomacy; secondly, that we're at a very critical moment
    now for the North Korean Government to make a decision as to whether or
    not they're going to verify what they said they would do. It's one thing
    to say it, but I think it's going to be very important for them to
    understand that we expect them to show us.
        Now, there's no question the cooling tower went down. That's perfect
    verification; everybody saw it. But there's going to be--need to be
    verification on the plutonium program, the enriched uranium program and
    the proliferation program. And the decision is theirs. And if they make
    the decisions that we're comfortable with, then we move the process
    forward. And I certainly hope they make the right decision.
        Mr. Yang. Thank you, Mr. President.
        The President. Yes. I'm looking forward to going to Beijing.
        Mr. Yang. Good wishes to you for a very pleasant visit to Beijing.
        The President. I bet I have one. Thank you, sir.
        Mr. Yang. Thank you very much.

    Note: The interview was taped at 2:35 p.m. in the Map Room at the White
    House for later broadcast. In his remarks, the President referred to Yao
    Ming, center, National Basketball Association's Houston Rockets. The
    transcript was released by the Office of the Press Secretary on July 31.
    A tape was not available for verification of the content of this
    interview.