[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 42, Number 16 (Monday, April 24, 2006)]
[Pages 740-741]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks at a Welcoming Ceremony for President Hu Jintao of China

April 20, 2006

    Good morning. Laura and I are pleased to welcome President Hu Jintao 
and his wife, Madam Liu, to the White House.
    The United States and China are two nations divided by a vast ocean 
yet connected through a global economy that has created opportunity for 
both our peoples. The United States welcomes the emergence of a China 
that is peaceful and prosperous and that supports international 
institutions. As stakeholders in the international system, our two 
nations share many strategic interests. President Hu and I will discuss 
how to advance those interests and how China and the United States can 
cooperate responsibly with other nations to address common challenges.
    Our two nations share an interest in expanding free and fair trade, 
which has increased the prosperity of both the American people and the 
Chinese people. Trade in

[[Page 741]]

goods between our two nations has grown to $285 billion a year, and U.S. 
exports to China grew nearly 21 percent in last year alone. Our trade 
relationship can become even stronger as China adopts policies that 
allow U.S. companies to compete in China with the same freedom that 
Chinese companies are able to compete here in the United States. So we 
welcome China's commitments to increase domestic demand, to reform its 
pension system, to expand market access for U.S. goods and services, to 
improve enforcement of intellectual property rights, and to move toward 
a flexible, market-based exchange rate for its currency. These policies 
will benefit the Chinese people and are consistent with being a 
responsible member of the international economic system and a leader in 
the World Trade Organization.
    Prosperity depends on security, so the United States and China share 
a strategic interest in enhancing security for both our peoples. We 
intend to deepen our cooperation in addressing threats to global 
security, including the nuclear ambitions of Iran; the genocide in 
Darfur, Sudan; the violence unleashed by terrorists and extremists; and 
the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. I appreciate China's 
role as host of the six-party talks, which will be successful only if 
North Korea makes the right strategic decision: to abandon all its 
nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programs as pledged to the other 
five parties. I will continue to seek President Hu's advice and 
cooperation and urge his nation to use its considerable influence with 
North Korea to make meaningful progress toward a Korean Peninsula that 
is free of nuclear weapons.
    The natural world also generates threats to international security, 
and the United States and China share a strategic interest in meeting 
these challenges as well. We will continue to cooperate to fight avian 
flu and other pandemic diseases. We will continue to cooperate to 
respond to natural disasters. We will continue to cooperate to develop 
alternatives to fossil fuels. New technologies can drive economic growth 
on both sides of the Pacific and help us become better stewards of our 
natural resources.
    As the relationship between our two nations grows and matures, we 
can be candid about our disagreements. I'll continue to discuss with 
President Hu the importance of respecting human rights and freedoms of 
the Chinese people. China has become successful because the Chinese 
people are--experience the freedom to buy and to sell and to produce. 
And China can grow even more successful by allowing the Chinese people 
the freedom to assemble, to speak freely, and to worship.
    The United States will also be candid about our policy toward 
Taiwan. The United States maintains our ``one China'' policy based on 
the three communiques and the Taiwan Relations Act. We oppose unilateral 
changes in the status quo in the Taiwan Strait by either side, and we 
urge all parties to avoid confrontational or provocative acts. And we 
believe the future of Taiwan should be resolved peacefully.
    The United States and China will continue to build on our common 
interests; we will address our differences in a spirit of mutual 
respect. We have made progress in building a relationship that is candid 
and cooperative, and President Hu's visit will further that progress.
    And so, Mr. President, welcome to the White House. We're really glad 
you're here. I'm looking forward to our meetings, and I'm so thrilled to 
welcome Madam Liu as well. Thank you for coming.

Note: The President spoke at 9:44 a.m. on the South Lawn at the White 
House, where President Hu was accorded a formal welcome with full 
military honors. In his remarks, President Bush referred to Liu 
Yongqing, wife of President Hu. The transcript released by the Office of 
the Press Secretary also included the remarks of President Hu.