He also warned that if a proposed American missile defense was perceived as negating China's small force of nuclear missiles, then "we would keep an appropriate number of forces to meet our defense needs," but he declined to be more specific.
Still, Jiang professed to be unworried by what some describe as a hawkish and anti-China climate in Washington. "At any time, there are all kinds of people with different opinions," he said, and he quoted a Song Dynasty poem: "People part and meet, they have sorrow and joy, just like the moon that wanes and waxes."
Jiang described a long and friendly acquaintance with the first president Bush and his wife, Barbara. He expressed his hope that the new president's visit to China in October would advance friendly ties, and said, "For two such big countries, it would be strange if they had no disagreements at all."
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