[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 36, Number 36 (Monday, September 11, 2000)]
[Pages 2021-2022]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Exchange With Reporters Prior to Discussions With President Jiang Zemin 
of China in New York City

September 8, 2000

Permanent Normal Trade Status for China/National Missile Defense System

    Q. Can you offer any assurances to President Jiang on the China 
trade bill, that it

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will eventually be passed, and on the national defense system that you 
deferred last week?
    President Clinton. I believe the legislation will pass, and I'm 
pleased at the progress it's making in the Senate. But of course, we 
still have some work to do. The missile defense issue will be resolved 
by my successor, although I hope we get a chance to talk about it a 
little bit today.

Human Rights in China

    Q. Mr. President, will you make any requests of President Zemin on 
the question of human rights as attached to the permanent normal trade 
relations bill?
    President Clinton. We're going to discuss human rights issues, as we 
always do, but I feel very strongly that PNTR should pass. And I think 
over the long run it's good for the development of democracy and human 
rights in China, and I know it's good for America-Chinese relationships 
over the long run.

United Nations Security Council Summit

    Q. Mr. Clinton, I know that yesterday you were present at the P-5 
summit, which was a Chinese initiative. So as the President of the 
United States, also a permanent member of the Security Council, what 
would you say about the P-5 summit yesterday? And also, how do you see 
the role of China for international peace and security in this century?
    President Clinton. Well, first of all, I think it was a very good 
idea by President Jiang to have the P-5 meet. I was amazed that they had 
never met, or hadn't met in a long time. And I think it was a very good 
idea. And we actually made a specific decision to, as a group, help the 
Secretary- General implement his report on peacekeeping and to continue 
to explore what else we could do together.
    I think it might be a forum in the future that would provide an 
opportunity for Chinese cooperation with the other members of the P-5 in 
a way that would be very helpful to the rest of the world, as well.

President Fidel Castro of Cuba

    Q. Could you describe your encounter with Fidel Castro yesterday?
    The President. What Joe said is right. It just happened. There were 
a whole lot of people in a line. I was talking to them. I turned around, 
and he was standing there. He apparently had come up and waited, and we 
must have--the encounter lasted just a few seconds. That's all that 
happened.

Note: The exchange began at 10:40 a.m. at the Waldorf-Astoria. In his 
remarks, the President referred to White House Press Secretary Joe 
Lockhart. A tape was not available for verification of the content of 
this exchange.