ID :
202375
Fri, 08/19/2011 - 16:43
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/202375
The shortlink copeid
Biden reaffirms U.S. 'absolute commitment' to China ties
BEIJING, Aug. 19 Kyodo - U.S. Vice President Joe Biden met with Chinese President Hu Jintao on Friday and reaffirmed Washington's ''absolute commitment'' to strong ties with China, while Beijing offered its full confidence in the wobbling U.S. economy.
U.S. President Barack Obama ''asked me to come to Beijing to meet you and reaffirm our absolute commitment to developing a strong, enduring and positive relationship with China and to reaffirm our engagement with the world in a much bigger way,'' Biden was quoted by Xinhua News Agency as telling Hu.
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, who met Biden earlier Friday, told the U.S. vice president that he is ''fully confident'' the U.S. economy will overcome the fiscal problems that sparked global market uncertainty over the safety of dollar assets.
Biden thanked Wen for his comments on the U.S. economy and Chinese investment in U.S. government debt, Xinhua said.
''We appreciate and welcome your concluding that the United States is such a safe haven, and we appreciate your investment in U.S. Treasuries,'' he said. ''And very sincerely, I want to make clear that you have nothing to worry about.''
China is the largest foreign holder of U.S. debt, holding about $1.16 trillion in U.S. Treasury securities as of the end of June, according to Xinhua.
On Friday morning, Biden joined China's Vice President Xi Jinping at a roundtable meeting with U.S. and Chinese business leaders, where Xi urged the United States to take ''early and concrete action'' to relax restrictions on hi-tech exports to China.
Xi, who is tipped to take over as chief of the ruling Communist Party next year, also called on the U.S. side to provide a fair investment environment for Chinese enterprises in the United States, according to a transcript provided by the White House of remarks Xi and Biden made at the roundtable.
According to the transcript, Biden expressed U.S. concerns about market access in China.
''You have legitimate concerns about access to America. And I would argue we have legitimate concerns in reverse,'' Biden said.
Xi and Biden held talks on Thursday, the day after the U.S. vice president arrived in China on a six-day visit.
During that meeting, Xi demanded the United States respect China's position on Taiwan and Tibet, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
Xi was also quoted as saying turmoil in international financial markets had expanded and global economic growth faced severe challenges, alluding to growing concern over the fiscal health of the U.S. economy in the wake of the downgrading earlier this month of U.S. debt by rating agency Standard & Poor's.
Biden is scheduled to visit the southwestern city of Chengdu over the weekend to deliver a speech on U.S.-China relations at Sichuan University.
Beijing is the first stop on Biden's nine-day swing through Asia that will also include visits to Mongolia and Japan.
U.S. President Barack Obama ''asked me to come to Beijing to meet you and reaffirm our absolute commitment to developing a strong, enduring and positive relationship with China and to reaffirm our engagement with the world in a much bigger way,'' Biden was quoted by Xinhua News Agency as telling Hu.
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, who met Biden earlier Friday, told the U.S. vice president that he is ''fully confident'' the U.S. economy will overcome the fiscal problems that sparked global market uncertainty over the safety of dollar assets.
Biden thanked Wen for his comments on the U.S. economy and Chinese investment in U.S. government debt, Xinhua said.
''We appreciate and welcome your concluding that the United States is such a safe haven, and we appreciate your investment in U.S. Treasuries,'' he said. ''And very sincerely, I want to make clear that you have nothing to worry about.''
China is the largest foreign holder of U.S. debt, holding about $1.16 trillion in U.S. Treasury securities as of the end of June, according to Xinhua.
On Friday morning, Biden joined China's Vice President Xi Jinping at a roundtable meeting with U.S. and Chinese business leaders, where Xi urged the United States to take ''early and concrete action'' to relax restrictions on hi-tech exports to China.
Xi, who is tipped to take over as chief of the ruling Communist Party next year, also called on the U.S. side to provide a fair investment environment for Chinese enterprises in the United States, according to a transcript provided by the White House of remarks Xi and Biden made at the roundtable.
According to the transcript, Biden expressed U.S. concerns about market access in China.
''You have legitimate concerns about access to America. And I would argue we have legitimate concerns in reverse,'' Biden said.
Xi and Biden held talks on Thursday, the day after the U.S. vice president arrived in China on a six-day visit.
During that meeting, Xi demanded the United States respect China's position on Taiwan and Tibet, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
Xi was also quoted as saying turmoil in international financial markets had expanded and global economic growth faced severe challenges, alluding to growing concern over the fiscal health of the U.S. economy in the wake of the downgrading earlier this month of U.S. debt by rating agency Standard & Poor's.
Biden is scheduled to visit the southwestern city of Chengdu over the weekend to deliver a speech on U.S.-China relations at Sichuan University.
Beijing is the first stop on Biden's nine-day swing through Asia that will also include visits to Mongolia and Japan.
