UNITED STATES: CHINESE VICE PREMIER QIAN QICHEN ROUNDS OFF HIS U.S VISIT WITH ADDRESS TO US/CHINA BUSINESS COUNCIL IN WASHINGTON
Record ID:
338005
UNITED STATES: CHINESE VICE PREMIER QIAN QICHEN ROUNDS OFF HIS U.S VISIT WITH ADDRESS TO US/CHINA BUSINESS COUNCIL IN WASHINGTON
- Title: UNITED STATES: CHINESE VICE PREMIER QIAN QICHEN ROUNDS OFF HIS U.S VISIT WITH ADDRESS TO US/CHINA BUSINESS COUNCIL IN WASHINGTON
- Date: 23rd March 2001
- Summary: WILLARD HOTEL, WASHINGTON D.C., UNITED STATES (MARCH 23, 2001) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. VARIOUS OF ANTI QICHEN PROTESTERS, SUPPORTERS OF FALUN GONG, FREE TIBET DEMONSTRATORS OUTSIDE WILLARD HOTEL (4 SHOTS) 0.23 2. WS: INTERIOR OF WILLARD HOTEL/ CHINESE DELEGATES (2 SHOTS) 0.31 3. SCU: SOUNDBITE (English) CHINESE VICE-PREMIER, QIAN QICHEN, SAYING: "Cult is a poisonous tumour of society. Falun Gong is precisely such a cult that ruins families and human lives. It is not a religion at all. It despises Protestantism, Catholicism and Buddhism. It fools and entraps people. In order to safeguard the human rights and freedoms of the Chinese people, the Government has outlawed the organisation in accordance with the law." 1.11 4. SV: CUTAWAY 1.14 5. SCU: SOUNDBITE (English) QIAN QICHEN, SAYING: "The Taiwan question holds the key to a healthy China-US relationship. There is only one China in the world. Both the mainland and Taiwan are part of China. China's sovereignty and territorial integrity brook no division. It is the firm resolve of all the Chinese residing at home and abroad to settle the Taiwan question and achieve the reunification of the motherland at an early date." 1.50 6. SCU: CUTAWAY 1.52 7. SCU: SOUNDBITE (Mandarin with English Translation) QIAN QICHEN, SAYING: "The United States wants to see the question of Taiwan resolved peacefully. This is a positive desire, but - since there is already trouble in that particular region - if weapons were sold to that region, it would be like adding fuel to the flames. There's already a spark there. If you pour oil and fuel over the spark, the spark will turn into a great flame. " 2.53 8. SCU: CUTAWAY 2.56 9. SCU: SOUNDBITE (Mandarin with English Translation) CHINESE VICE-PREMIER, QIAN QICHEN, SAYING: "During the visit, the U.S. briefed me about NMD. Of course, I raised some issues, and I don't quite understand the thinking behind the NMD." 3.28 NATIONAL NEWSPAPER ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE, WASHINGTON D.C., UNITED STATES (MARCH 23, 2001) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 10. WIDE OF CONFERENCE 3.33 11. SV: SOUNDBITE (English) SECRETARY OF STATE, COLIN POWELL, SAYING: "The situation is that the Chinese asked us last December to locate an individual that was missing. We located that individual, made sure that person was in good health, made the Chinese aware of his presence and that's as far as I'd like to go on it. This is a matter that belongs in other cabinet departments." 3.55 NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (MARCH 23, 2001) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 12. SCU: SOUNDBITE (English) XUE DONGHUA HUSBAND OF DETAINED CHINESE ACADEMIC, GAO ZHAN, SAYING: "We're working very closely with the State department, with congressmen and senators. If they are still holding my wife without releasing her, we will try and build up more pressure." 4..42 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 7th April 2001 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: WASHINGTON D.C., UNITED STATES
- City:
- Country: USA
- Reuters ID: LVA8NX8XD7R86LU8NSYC5J2HCQXN
- Story Text: Rounding off a week of diplomacy and business in New
York and Washington, Chinese Vice Premier Qian Qichen
addressed the US/China Business Council and the US China
Relations Council in Washington D.C.
Qian was met by protesters gathered outside the Willard
Hotel promoting the causes of a Free Tibet and drawing
attention to the treatment by Chinese authorities of the
outlawed Falun Gong religious movement.
Qian spoke on issues such as China's proposed entry
into the WTO, the complex relationship between the U.S.,
Taiwan and China and the outlawed Falun Gong movement, which
he referred to as a "cult".
During his speech, which he delivered in English, Qian
referred to the movement (the banning of which is used
frequently as an example of China's disputed human rights
record) as a "cult" and said that the Chinese government had
banned its practices in a bid to "safeguard and protect the
human rights of the Chinese people."
He also referred to the triangular diplomatic and military
relationship between the U.S., China and Taiwan, calling the
"Taiwan question the key to a healthy relationship between the
United States and China."
He held strong to his government's mandate that there is
only "One China" and that "Reunification" with the island,
which the U.S. regards as a renegade province, was a priority.
During a question and answer session in which he
participated with the aid of a translator, Qian addressed the
issue of U.S. military aid to Taiwan.
The U.S. is committed to support Taiwan's defence needs
(due to the Taiwan Relations Act and Taiwan Security
Enhancement Act) and president Bush must make a key decision
in the next month regarding the nature of future military aid,
including Taiwan's desire to purchase destroyers equipped with
the sophisticated Aegis radar system.
Qian drew an analogy between U.S. involvement and pouring
oil on an already highly inflammable spark.
When asked about Bush's proposed National Missile Defence
system, Qian said he had issues with the plan and did "not
understand the thinking behind it."
The NMD, essentially a defence shield to protect the U.S.
from long range missiles, is viewed with deep suspicion by
Beijing.
As a backdrop to the Qian visit, it was revealed in the
past week that a top Chinese military officer has defected to
the U.S. and a U.S.-based sociologist was detained in
Beijing.
Xue Donghua, the husband of U.S.-based sociologist, Gao
Zhan, who has been detained in China for more than a month for
allegedly damaging state security, spoke out about his wife's
imprisonment, saying he was working with American authorities
to secure her release.
She is a Chinese citizen who has permanent resident status
in the United States. A senior U.S. official said Qian told
Bush that Gao may not have known she was breaking Chinese law,
but promised to look into the matter and report back.
Secretary of State Colin Powell, giving a speech to a
Newspaper Society in Washington on Friday (March 23), declined
to elaborate on the case of a Senior Chinese Liberation Army
Colonel who defected to the U.S. in December, saying it was a
matter for other cabinet departments.
The Bush administration's stance towards China is somewhat
different to that of the foundations laid down by previous
president Bill Clinton's foreign policy team. Bush campaigned
on a pledge to treat China as a "strategic competitor", rather
than a "strategic partner", a policy different from that
pursued by the Clinton administration.
U.S. lawmakers have spoken out against China's crackdown
on the Falun Gong spiritual movement. The United States has
criticised China's human rights record and will sponsor a
motion to condemn it at the U.N. Commission on Human Rights in
Geneva.
Bush made it clear during his meeting with Qian that
relations would be better if China allowed for greater
religious freedom.
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