Reaching out the US, Premier Zhu Rongji (
Zhu said China was still unfamiliar with the new US administration and considered Bush's state visit "an excellent opportunity for the two countries to communicate better with each other."
Speaking at a news conference on the final day of China's annual legislative session, Zhu said Beijing wants long-term stable relations with Washington.
He noted that the Bush administration promised not to challenge Beijing's view that Taiwan is a part of China -- a crucial issue for Chinese leaders. "Long-term, stable and friendly relations and cooperation between 1.6 billion Chinese and American people would be in the interests of peace, development, prosperity and stability for the entire 6 billion world population," Zhu said.
Indications that Bush plans to take a tougher line toward China than his predecessor have aroused concern in Beijing. China is worried by Bush's support for a system to protect the US from missile attack and anxious to stave off any increase in US support for Taiwan.
Zhu reiterated China's opposition to the National Missile Defense system, saying it would violate the 1973 Anti-Ballistic Missile treaty and spark an arms race. But he also noted that Bush plans to consult China on the issue. Zhu said he was gratified by assurances from US Secretary of State Colin Powell that Washington and Beijing can cooperate in trade and other areas.
``I don't think the differences are very serious,'' Zhu said.
Bush will travel to Shanghai in October to attend a meeting of Asia-Pacific leaders. A state visit to Beijing afterward had been expected, but Zhu's comment was the first official confirmation.
Zhu chuckled, paused dramatically and jabbed the air as he covered issues ranging from Japanese school books to China's stock markets during his two-hour press conference shown live on Chinese television. He steered clear of the nationalistic, quasi-Marxist ideology common in statements by Chinese politicians as he fielded questions from a packed room of Chinese and foreign reporters at the Mao Tse-tung-era Great Hall of the People.
But he was unbending on political reform, indicating that the Communist Party has no plans to give up its monopoly on power.
``We will never copy the Western model when we carry out political restructuring,'' he said.
Zhu said the government's top economic priority was to boost incomes in the countryside. He said China would push ahead with reforms to its tax system, eliminating scores of arbitrary fees imposed on farmers. He also brushed off concerns about China's mounting debt levels.
Zhu also used his press conference to try to defuse public anger and restore his credibility by apologizing to the nation over a deadly school blast. But he said his own probe found no evidence pupils were making fireworks, in contrast to accounts from survivors.
It was a rare apology by a Chinese leader and followed more than a week of controversy over the explosion that killed at least 42 people, mostly children.
The normally combative premier lowered his head and closed his eyes briefly as he delivered his emotional message. "I want to apologize and reflect on my own work," Zhu said in a hushed voice.
He acknowledged scepticism over the official explanation that last week's blast was the work of a deranged suicide bomber. But he said there was "no need for debate" and accepted personal responsibility for the tragedy.
Later, the 72-year-old premier laughed when asked whether he would still be serving in 2005 and by what age he thought he should retire, saying "it is still too early to discuss who will succeed me."
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