Ｃｈｉｎａ－ＵＳ Ｒｅｌａｔｉｏｎｓ Ｃｏｎｆｅｒｅｎｃｅ Ｈｅｌｄ ｉｎ ｔｈｅ Ｕ．Ｓ．

The Conference on China-US Relations: Past， Present Future， co-hosted by the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries， Texas AM University and George Bush Presidential Library， was held at Texas AM University from November 5 to November 8. The Chinese delegation， led by Mr. Qian Qichen， former vice premier of the State Council， participated in the conference， while George Bush， former US president， headed the US delegation.

The conference is composed of two parts. The first two days were a seminar featuring government officials. The topics included opportunities and challenges for China-US relations， global and regional security issues， economic trends and prospects， trade and business in and between China and the U.S.， and building partnerships in science and technology. The latter two days were round-table sessions for experts and scholars， covering 15 topics such as opportunities and challenges in doing business and trade in China and the US， SARS: crisis and opportunity of global public health， information technology and applications， research and development of energy production， reducing the threat of weapons of mass destruction， etc. In concert with the conference， Texas AM University especially set that week as the \"China week\"， and held an exhibition at the George Bush Presidential Conference Center， introducing China and the Chinese culture. The US organizers made elaborate preparations for this event， presenting an American students' chorus singing the Chinese National Anthem at the closing reception of the conference.

Mr. George Bush， former US president， chaired the opening ceremony. Secretary of State Collin Powell， on his way back to Washington D.C. after finishing a visit to Central America， especially made a stop in Texas to give a speech at the conference， which was attended by more than 2，500 people. Mr. Qian Qichen， former vice premier of the State Council and leader of the Chinese delegation， and Dr. Henry Kissinger， former US secretary of state， made important keynote speeches. Members of the Chinese delegation who spoke at the conference included Deputy Chief of the General Staff of PLA Xiong Guangkai， Vice Minister of Commerce Ma Xiuhong， Vice Minister of Science and Technology Deng Nan， Chinese Ambassador to the U.S. Yang Jiechi， Boao Forum Secretary-General Long Yongtu， CPAFFC Vice President Li Xiaolin， and Peking University Party Secretary Min Weifang. On the US side， besides former President Bush， former Secretary of State Kissinger， former Secretary of State Baker， former US National Security Adviser General Scowcroft， former Under Secretary of State Arnold Kanter， former US Ambassadors to China Prueher and Sasser were all present at the conference. Also participating in the conference were experts， scholars and businessmen from the two countries， totaling about 500 people.

Mr. Qian Qichen， in his keynote speech entitled \"Work Together for Better China-US Relations\"， pointed out: \"the China-US relationship is like a giant ship riding the surging waves of the ocean. Sometimes it runs into storms， but it always manages to get over them and move forward.\" \"It is no surprise， but rather， it is understandable that China and the US may have differences of this or that kind. As long as the differences are properly handled， the China-US relationship should and can continue to grow healthily.\" Looking to the future， he commented \"I am convinced that the relationship will have an even better tomorrow so long as we put it in a long-term strategic perspective， and treat it accordingly， adhere to the guiding principles enshrined in the three Sino-US joint communiqués， and grasp our common interests firmly in hand.\" His views on China-US relations were widely endorsed by the participants.

Collin Powell said in his speech: \"China is playing a constructive role in global and regional affairs. The US is dedicated to establishing a new， more enduring relationship with China. The relationship is not just growing in a bilateral sense. Increasingly， it is of a global nature. Differences and areas of disagreement exist in our relationship， but they should not constitute an obstacle for further development. Our relationship should be defined by our mutual interests， not by those areas of disagreement.\" He said， China is helping the U.S. with homeland defense after September 11， and that China has won the trust of the international society. He also mentioned that the leaders of the two countries have established close and personal relationship and hotlines， all of which symbolize the maturity of China-US relations.

Dr. Kissinger said， ever since 1972， seven US presidents in a row， no matter how tough their China policy was during election campaigns， they invariably supported the development of China-US relations afterwards. He also dismissed the idea of the so-called China threat， saying that China's development is achieved by its own strength， and that China will continue to grow. \"The U.S. cannot stop China's development. What it can do is to cooperate with China， rather than seeking conflict; because cooperation can provide benefits to both nations， whereas conflict will only bring harm.\"

President Bush concluded the opening ceremony by saying that China-US relationship is the most important relationship for both China and the US. Both countries are making efforts to contribute to this relationship. There are open channels for contacts and exchanges. We already saw many improvements and the bilateral relationship has never been better. As a result， maintaining the good momentum of growth will be conducive to the interests of both nations.

On behalf of the Chinese participants， Mme. Li Xiaolin said at the opening reception: \"The purposes of this conference are to promote friendship， deepen understanding and enhance trust. The conference is a successful cooperation， laying a good foundation for future substantial exchanges.\"

Mr. Qian Qichen commented on the conference， saying that this event， which has both governmental and non-governmental features， is the highest in level and the largest in scale among all the conferences on China-US relations. The success of this seminar promises a brighter future for China-US relations.

All the participants were also quite impressed by this conference. They considered it the highest level conference on China-US relations， saying that it will serve as a milestone for the development of bilateral relations. The participants from China and the US included many influential politicians， which clearly indicates the importance that both sides attached to China-US relations. A major characteristic of the conference is that both sides focused on seeking common grounds， emphasizing cooperation and looking to the future， while not evading differences.

The conference also attracted the attention of the media of China and the U.S. Xinhua News Agency， People's Daily， CCTV， Phoenix TV， as well as Associated Press， Reuters， C-Span， VOA， China Press， World Journal all sent their reporters to cover the event. Houston Daily commented， this conference is high in level and new in form and that the atmosphere is very friendly. Hawk said holding this conference in Texas AM University has a special educational significance for the young people in America.