WHITE HOUSE MEETING: The US president told China's vice premier that his country would adhere to the Taiwan Relations Act, but also reiterated a commitment to `one China'
By Charles Snyder
US President George W. Bush personally reiterated his government's commitment to the Taiwan Relations Act as he met for nearly an hour at the White House with Chinese Vice Premier Qian Qichen (錢其琛) on Thursday.

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MARKET OPENING: The US says Taiwan is violating a 1998 trade agreement on importing meat, but the Board of Foreign Trade says the agreement was made on the premise that Taiwan would soon gain entry to the WTO
Trade ties between Taiwan and the US look set for more trouble after negotiators from both sides disagreed over the implementation of agriculture market opening measures in advance of Taiwan's entry into the WTO.

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Russia's Mir space station plunged into the Pacific Ocean on Friday, spectacularly streaking over the islands of Fiji with a huge smoke trail after engineers ended the laboratory's "triumphant" 15-year mission.

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The first high-level visit by a Chinese official since President George W. Bush took office was clouded by US outrage over China's treatment of a 5-year-old American boy taken from his parents for almost a month in a legal dispute.

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