The US and China pledged to work together on a raft of issues from climate change to free trade to Iran as they set the stage for an era of closer cooperation.
The mood was upbeat as the Pacific powers wrapped up two days of in-depth talks on Tuesday, but even US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton acknowledged that the dialogue was more about ideas than specifics, with the two sides mostly agreeing to hold more talks on a broad swath of issues.
“Laying this groundwork may not deliver a lot of concrete achievements immediately, but every step on this path to create confidence and understanding is a very good investment,” Clinton told reporters.
US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said the two countries were committed to working together to revive the ailing global economy and would firmly resist protectionism in the process.
He said China had agreed to longstanding US economic concerns, with the two nations agreeing to treat foreign-owned firms operating in their markets equally to domestic companies in awarding government contracts.
He said China also promised it would work to boost domestic demand, making consumption a bigger slice of the economy.
Geithner's remarks were echoed by Chinese Vice Premier Wang Qishan (王岐山), who said the two countries “will strengthen cooperation to jointly build a strong financial system” to ensure “stability in the two countries and the world at large.”
Clinton said she raised concerns about China's human rights record including recent ethnic violence in Muslim-majority Xinjiang Province.
“Human rights is absolutely integral to the Strategic and Economic Dialogue,” Clinton said. “It is a part of our policy, not only with China, but with other countries.”
Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Wang Guangya (王光亞) thanked the US for its “moderate” stance on Xinjiang.
Dozens of Uighurs held a noisy protest, chanting “Shame on China” outside the White House as a motorcade of Chinese delegates arrived for the talks' finale.
In Beijing, the Chinese government summoned the Japanese ambassador to protest the visit to Tokyo by exiled Uighur leader Rebiya Kadeer, the foreign ministry said in a statement on its Web site.
Vice Foreign Minister Wu Dawei (武大偉) summoned Japanese Ambassador Yuji Miyamoto to express China's “strong dissatisfaction” over the issue.
Tropical Storm Usagi strengthened to a typhoon yesterday morning and remains on track to brush past southeastern Taiwan from tomorrow to Sunday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was approximately 950km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost point, the CWA said. It is expected to enter the Bashi Channel and then turn north, moving into waters southeast of Taiwan, it said. The agency said it could issue a sea warning in the early hours of today and a land warning in the afternoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was moving at
UPDATED FORECAST: The warning covered areas of Pingtung County and Hengchun Peninsula, while a sea warning covering the southern Taiwan Strait was amended The Central Weather Administration (CWA) at 5:30pm yesterday issued a land warning for Typhoon Usagi as the storm approached Taiwan from the south after passing over the Philippines. As of 5pm, Usagi was 420km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost tip, with an average radius of 150km, the CWA said. The land warning covered areas of Pingtung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春), and came with an amended sea warning, updating a warning issued yesterday morning to cover the southern part of the Taiwan Strait. No local governments had announced any class or office closures as of press time last night. The typhoon
DISCONTENT: The CCP finds positive content about the lives of the Chinese living in Taiwan threatening, as such video could upset people in China, an expert said Chinese spouses of Taiwanese who make videos about their lives in Taiwan have been facing online threats from people in China, a source said yesterday. Some young Chinese spouses of Taiwanese make videos about their lives in Taiwan, often speaking favorably about their living conditions in the nation compared with those in China, the source said. However, the videos have caught the attention of Chinese officials, causing the spouses to come under attack by Beijing’s cyberarmy, they said. “People have been messing with the YouTube channels of these Chinese spouses and have been harassing their family members back in China,”
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said there are four weather systems in the western Pacific, with one likely to strengthen into a tropical storm and pose a threat to Taiwan. The nascent tropical storm would be named Usagi and would be the fourth storm in the western Pacific at the moment, along with Typhoon Yinxing and tropical storms Toraji and Manyi, the CWA said. It would be the first time that four tropical cyclones exist simultaneously in November, it added. Records from the meteorology agency showed that three tropical cyclones existed concurrently in January in 1968, 1991 and 1992.
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