US-China talks more about future than the present

[July 29, 2009]  WASHINGTON (AP) -- The United States and China ended two days of high-level talks with few concrete results, although both sides are hopeful that connections forged among senior officials will help them work together better to fix the world's toughest problems.

In remarks after the end of meetings Tuesday, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said candid discussions on a range of subjects would be crucial to building a foundation that would let the countries settle future spats and cooperate on major global crises.

"Laying the groundwork may not yield a lot of concrete achievements immediately, but every step is a good investment," Clinton told reporters at a closing U.S. news conference.

The U.S.-China relationship is marked by periods of cooperation, followed by periods of deep discord when tensions flare over a host of differences, among them trade spats, occasional clashes by the countries' military forces in the Pacific and human rights. Relations hit a low point, for example, after the Bush administration's approval last year of a major arms sale package to China's rival Taiwan, which led to China breaking off military talks with the United States.

That rift appeared to be healing Tuesday, as China said it would be sending a senior general to the United States for talks this year and would welcome U.S. generals in China.

Vice Foreign Minister Wang Guangya said officials from both countries spent much of the gathering discussing ways to enhance U.S.-China ties. Improved military contact, he said, could increase trust and reduce suspicions.

Wang, however, issued a stern warning that the United States should "appropriately deal" with the question of Taiwan and not repeat its "wrong decision" on the 2008 arms sale to the self-governing island that China claims as its own territory.

The United States is considering a request by Taiwan to buy 66 F-16 jet fighters. Adm. Timothy Keating, commander of U.S. forces in the Pacific region, said after the talks Tuesday that the request would be handled as all others are.

On another potentially sensitive point, ethnic riots in China's oil-rich Xinjiang region, Wang said China appreciated what he called the "moderate attitude" of the U.S. response.

Rioting erupted in the regional capital of Urumqi on July 5 after police stopped a protest by Uighur residents. Uighur demonstrators smashed windows, burned cars and beat Han Chinese, the nation's dominant ethnic group. Two days later, the Han took to the streets and attacked Uighurs.

Shortly after the clashes began, Clinton said the United States was "calling on all sides to exercise restraint."

Wang urged Washington to "restrain" Uighur leaders in the United States from conducting terrorism in China, an apparent reference to Rebiya Kadeer, an exiled Uighur activist who lives in the Washington area and whom China blames for the riots. As the leaders spoke, a crowd of Uighurs stood outside the building and angrily denounced China and its leaders for its violent crackdown in Xinjiang.

Clinton said China's much-criticized human rights record was "absolutely integral" to the talks. But she was vague when asked specifically what issues were raised during the discussions other than violence in Xinjiang Province.

She said China shares U.S. worries over North Korean and Iranian nuclear programs and wants to work with Washington to deal with climate change. Wang said both sides believe that negotiations are the only way to deal with North Korea's recent missile and nuclear tests.

Clinton noted that State Councilor Dai Bingguo, who oversees foreign policy for China, had deep experience with Chinese policy toward North Korea and that she had spent "quite a bit of time" with him talking about the North. "I found that very useful, indeed," she said.

It was not clear, however, whether China, long North Korea's strongest ally, had agreed to step up pressure on the North to return to six-nation disarmament talks. The North's recent missile and nuclear tests prompted the United Nations to impose strict sanctions.

On the economics side, both nations sought to play down disagreements on trade, exchange rates and climate change and instead offered a picture of harmony with China pledging to work toward a key U.S. goal that it foster greater domestic-led growth to reduce its reliance on exporting to the United States.

For its part, the Obama administration pledged to tackle the budget deficit, which this year is projected to hit a record $1.84 trillion. That flood of red ink has left the Chinese, the world's largest holder of U.S. Treasury securities, distinctly nervous about the safety of their investments.

On climate control and energy, China did not signal any change in its refusal to agree to a specific cap on greenhouse emissions, but the two sides signed a document that Clinton said would create a platform for cooperation on climate change in the future heading into major climate negotiations in Copenhagen, Denmark, in December.

China's chief climate change official, Xie Zhenhua, told reporters earlier that rich countries should take the lead in reducing emissions and should help poorer countries by providing money and technology to deal with the problem.

U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu said clean energy and climate change will be a critical part of the U.S.-Chinese relationship.

"The stakes could not be higher," Chu said. What the United States and China do in coming decades "will help shape the fate of the world."

He said he was heartened by the progress the countries are making on the matter. "Both our countries, however, must do more," he said.

[Associated Press; By FOSTER KLUG]

AP Economics Writer Martin Crutsinger contributed to this report.

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