Qian Qichen

Foreign Minister Qian Qichen, speaking at a banquet for former Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger, said Wednesday that China hopes for a speedy end to disputes with the United States. Qian said the "objective existence of major, long-term common interests" between the United States and China gives Beijing hope that friendly relations between the two countries can soon be restored, the official New China News Agency reported.

President Bush and Chinese Vice Premier Qian Qichen made no apparent progress on an array of difficult bilateral issues Thursday, ending their meeting five minutes shy of the allotted hour. Nevertheless, Bush told Qian that he believes the United States and China can have "good relations," a senior Bush administration official said after the session.

Visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Qian Qichen said Sino-American relations are "at a crossroad" because of U.S. sanctions imposed as a result of "distorted news reports and lies" about the suppression of the pro-democracy movement in Beijing four months ago. Qian took a tough line in a luncheon address to the Council on Foreign Relations in New York.

When it comes to the modern-day relationship between America and China, you might say that Vice Premier Qian Qichen was present at the creation. Qian, the vicar of Chinese foreign policy, is visiting Washington this week. You can be sure he knows the details and history of the last 12 turbulent years of U.S.-China relations better than any of the Bush administration officials he meets.

In a new sign of improving Sino-American relations, Chinese Foreign Minister Qian Qichen predicted Saturday that his groundbreaking visit to Washington will be the first in a series of new high-level meetings between U.S. and Chinese leaders. "I believe that in the future, there will be more contacts and more visits between our two countries," the Chinese foreign minister said at a news conference in Washington. "And so, this is the purpose of my visit."

As Secretary of State Warren Christopher prepares for an important meeting Tuesday with Chinese Foreign Minister Qian Qichen, he is facing an unusual undertone of personal animosity because of Chinese suggestions that he misled Beijing's top diplomat the last time the two met.

President Clinton pronounced himself "quite satisfied" Wednesday with assurances from China's foreign minister that Beijing will respect the freedom and political rights of Hong Kong citizens after the British colony reverts to Chinese control in two months.

Foreign Minister Qian Qichen, in a wide-ranging news conference Tuesday, expressed Chinese determination to resist Western policies on a broad range of international issues. Exuding confidence as spokesman for a nation with growing economic and military power, Qian sharply denied that Beijing poses any threat to its neighbors. He charged that this idea is being promoted by international arms sellers looking for new buyers.

When it comes to the modern-day relationship between America and China, you might say that Vice Premier Qian Qichen was present at the creation. Qian, the vicar of Chinese foreign policy, is visiting Washington this week. You can be sure he knows the details and history of the last 12 turbulent years of U.S.-China relations better than any of the Bush administration officials he meets.

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, a staunch supporter of U.S. policy in the Persian Gulf, said in remarks published Monday that Egypt would not participate in a military strike against Iraq. Asked if Egypt would consider joining other Arabs to keep order in Iraq after a U.S. attack, Mubarak told the weekly Mayo newspaper: "No. We have nothing to do with Iraq. But it is no problem at all to enter Kuwait as a peacekeeping force. In fact it is natural," he was quoted as saying.

President Clinton pronounced himself "quite satisfied" Wednesday with assurances from China's foreign minister that Beijing will respect the freedom and political rights of Hong Kong citizens after the British colony reverts to Chinese control in two months.

Lost amid the ups and downs of daily events in Asia is a fundamental change of extraordinary importance. For the first time in a quarter-century, China says it no longer welcomes an American military presence in Asia. China's new message seems to be "Go home, America," a reverse of George S. McGovern's "Come home, America" refrain during the Vietnam War. Chinese Foreign Minister Qian Qichen made this abundantly clear during the conference of the Assn.

Secretary of State Warren Christopher and Chinese Foreign Minister Qian Qichen on Tuesday began to thaw the recent freeze in U.S.-China relations, avoiding rhetoric and working toward a modest improvement in contacts between the two countries. The two officials talked for 90 minutes in a spacious conference center here in a session both sides characterized in cautiously positive terms.

As Secretary of State Warren Christopher prepares for an important meeting Tuesday with Chinese Foreign Minister Qian Qichen, he is facing an unusual undertone of personal animosity because of Chinese suggestions that he misled Beijing's top diplomat the last time the two met.

Chinese Foreign Minister Qian Qichen blamed the United States for tensions and hostility surrounding the four-day visit by U.S. Secretary of State Warren Christopher that ended this morning with little or no progress on key issues of human rights reform in China.

Foreign Minister Qian Qichen, in a wide-ranging news conference Tuesday, expressed Chinese determination to resist Western policies on a broad range of international issues. Exuding confidence as spokesman for a nation with growing economic and military power, Qian sharply denied that Beijing poses any threat to its neighbors. He charged that this idea is being promoted by international arms sellers looking for new buyers.

Secretary of State James A. Baker III met with China's foreign minister for 90 minutes Monday in what he described as an attempt to preserve Sino-American cooperation in the wake of the suppression of the pro-democracy movement. The meeting was the first high-level contact between U.S. and Chinese officials since President Bush banned government-to-government exchanges as part of the sanctions he imposed after the Tian An Men Square massacre in June.

President Bush and Chinese Vice Premier Qian Qichen made no apparent progress on an array of difficult bilateral issues Thursday, ending their meeting five minutes shy of the allotted hour. Nevertheless, Bush told Qian that he believes the United States and China can have "good relations," a senior Bush administration official said after the session.

In a new sign of improving Sino-American relations, Chinese Foreign Minister Qian Qichen predicted Saturday that his groundbreaking visit to Washington will be the first in a series of new high-level meetings between U.S. and Chinese leaders. "I believe that in the future, there will be more contacts and more visits between our two countries," the Chinese foreign minister said at a news conference in Washington. "And so, this is the purpose of my visit."

Despite China's snub of the latest U.N. resolution against Iraq, President Bush on Friday agreed to meet with Chinese Foreign Minister Qian Qichen in the highest-level contact between the two nations since last year's Tian An Men Square crackdown. With Qian standing at his side, Bush asserted that U.S. concerns over Chinese human rights violations will not be the sole focus of relations between the two countries.