UNITED STATES: CHINESE PRESIDENT JIANG ZEMIN LEAVES LOS ANGELES FOR BEIJING AFTER 9-DAY STATE VISIT

Record ID: 337606

  • Title: UNITED STATES: CHINESE PRESIDENT JIANG ZEMIN LEAVES LOS ANGELES FOR BEIJING AFTER 9-DAY STATE VISIT
  • Date: 3rd November 1997
  • Summary: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (NOVEMBER 3, 1997) (RTV - ACCESS ALL) 1. WS CHINA PRESIDENT JIANG ZEMIN'S MOTORCADE ARRIVING ON AIRPORT RUNWAY 0.08 2. SLV PEOPLE WAVING U.S. AND CHINA FLAGS 0.11 3. VARIOUS OF JIANG GETTING OUT OF CAR AND WALKING OVER TO CROWD WITH FLAGS 0.26 4. TRACK CROWD WAVING FLAGS 0.3
  • Embargoed: 18th November 1997 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA AND WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES
  • City:
  • Country: USA
  • Reuters ID: LVA1VVI2ASIRPF996E5DRCLK783K
  • Story Text: INTRO: Chinese President Jiang Zemin has left Los Angeles for Beijing after a state visit that included summit talks with President Bill Clinton which Jiang said would lead to closer Sino-American ties.

    President Jiang arrived at Los Angeles airport on Monday (November 3) at the end of a busy nine-day visit.

    During his stay in the United States Jiang swam in the Pacific ocean off Hawaii, visited Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia, met Clinton in Washington, rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange, went to Harvard University and Philadelphia and addressed business leaders and members of the Chinese-American community in Los Angeles.

    In Washington, Chinese officials signed a $3 billion dollar order for 50 jets made by Boeing Co., the biggest ever Chinese planes order.

    And a nuclear cooperation agreement was reached in which Clinton will allow exports of U.S. nuclear energy equipment to China in return for assurances that Beijing will have no more nuclear cooperation with Iran.

    The visit, the first in 12 years by a Chinese leader, was also marked by rallies at each stop along the way protesting against China's human rights record, particularly the 1989 crackdown on democracy demonstrations in Tiananmen Square.

    Rallies were also held to protest against China's presence in Tibet, its relations with Taiwan and its arms policy.

    While acknowledging the demonstrations, which started during his first stopover in Hawaii, Jiang declared that ideological and cultural differences between the United States and China should not be a barrier to future relations between the two countries.

    U.S. ambassador to China James Sasser said Jiang's visit augured well for better future relations between the United States and China. He cited the accords on nuclear technology cooperation and trade as helping to "lay the foundation for further improvement in Sino-U.S. relations." Washington economic analyst Daniel Rosen also said the summit was a success because a dialogue between the two parties had begun. "A very high grade is deserved for starting that process," Rosen said.

    But he said the terms of the two countries' long-term relationship was uncertain because it was not yet clear whether China was serious enough about economic reform to take a "globally-minded" leadership position alongside the U.S.

    Jiang's chartered Air China Boeing 747 left Los Angeles International Airport at 10:17 a.m. local time (1817 GMT) on Monday (November 3) for the 12-hour flight to the Chinese capital.


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