Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao held separate talks in New York
Monday with former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, New
Jersey State Governor James McGreevey and New York Mayor Michael
Bloomberg.?
Wen, who flew in on Sunday on a four-day official visit to the
United States, told Kissinger that the China-US relations have
forged ahead amid ups and downs since the icy relations between the
two nations started to thaw more than 30 years ago. This came only
as a result of the unremitting efforts of many far-sighted
Americans.
Kissinger accompanied former US President Richard Nixon on his
ice-breaking visit to China in 1972. Seven years later, the two
countries normalized their relations.
Wen said he looks forward to exchanging views with US President
George W. Bush and other US leaders on China-US relations and
working together with them to push the bilateral ties forward.
Kissinger said both the United States and China have important
influence on world peace and prosperity.
During the past 30 years and more, progress of historical
significance has been made in the US-China relations, which is in
the interests of the two countries and the world at large, he
stressed.
The ongoing visit of Wen to the United States is of great
significance and will certainly give a vital impetus to the
development of the China-US relations, he noted.
During his talks with McGreevey and Bloomberg, Wen spoke highly
of the economic and trade cooperation between China and New Jersey
and New York.
Earlier in the day, Wen paid a visit to the New York Stock
Exchange and rang the opening bell from the balcony overlooking the
trading floor. After ringing the bell, he gave a thumbs up to
traders on the trading floor amid sounding applause.
Wen later visited the site of the World Trade Center twin
towers, which were destroyed in the Sept. 11 terror attacks in
2001, and placed a wreath there.
The United States is the first leg of Wen's four-nation tour,
which will also take him to Canada, Mexico and Ethiopia. Wen left
New York late on Monday for Washington, from where he will travel
on to the US northeastern port city of Boston on Wednesday.
(Xinhua News Agency December 9, 2003)