THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
(Beijing, People's Republic of China)
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For Immediate Release
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June 27, 1998
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FACT SHEET
ACHIEVEMENTS OF U.S.-CHINA SUMMIT
The agreements reached between the United States and China as part of
President Clinton's visit build on the achievements of the October 1997
summit between Presidents Clinton and Jiang Zemin, deepen cooperation
between the two countries on a broad range of issues and contribute toward
a more stable, secure, open and prosperous world.
NONPROLIFERATION AND SECURITY: The United States and China confirm their
common goal to halt the spread of weapons of mass destruction.
Enhancing Controls
Non-targeting. Presidents Clinton and Jiang announced that the United
States and China will not target strategic nuclear weapons under their
respective control at each other.
Missiles. The United States welcomed China's statement that it attaches
importance to issues related to the Missile Technology Control Regime
(MTCR) and missile nonproliferation and that it has begun to actively
study joining the MTCR. The United States and China will continue
consultations on MTCR issues later in this year.
Chemical Weapons. China and the United States will further strengthen their
controls on the export of dual-use chemicals and related production
equipment and technology to assure they are not used for production of
chemical weapons. China has announced that it has expanded the list of
chemical precursors which it controls.
Biological Weapons. Presidents Clinton and Jiang issued a joint statement
calling for strengthening of the Biological Weapons Convention and early
conclusion of a protocol establishing a practical and effective
compliance mechanism and improving transparency.
Anti-Personnel Landmines. Presidents Clinton and Jiang issued a joint
statement affirming their commitment to ending the export and
indiscriminate use of anti-personnel landmines and to accelerating
global humanitarian demining.
End-Use Visits. The United States and China agreed on practices for end-use
visits on U.S. high technology exports to China; this agreement will
establish a framework for such exports to China.
Political and Security Dialogues
Communications. Presidents Clinton and Jiang inaugurated the direct
Presidential link in May and affirmed its utility for consultation on
important global, regional and bilateral political, security and
economic issues. They also agreed to continue regular summit meetings.
Regional Stability. Presidents Clinton and Jiang issued a joint statement
on their shared interest in a peaceful and stable South Asia and a
strong global nonproliferation regime. The United States and China
agreed to intensify dialogue on security issues and coordinate efforts
to strengthen peace and stability in that region, as well as the Korean
peninsula and the Middle East.
Military-to-Military Relations
Military Maritime Consultative Agreement. The United States and China will
hold in July the first annual meeting under the auspices of the Military
Maritime Consultative Agreement, whose goal will be to promote safety in
naval and air operations, and to avoid incidents at sea.
Exchange of Observers. The United States and Chinese militaries agreed to
send personnel in the near future to observe a joint training exercise
of the other side on the basis of reciprocity. The size, location and
timing of the exercise will be discussed and decided by the two sides.
Disaster Response. The United States and Chinese militaries expressed
satisfaction with the exchanges recently conducted in the area of
humanitarian assistance and disaster relief and intend to continue
cooperation in this area. As a next step, the United States and Chinese
militaries agreed to hold a bilateral humanitarian relief 'sand table'
seminar game at the earliest opportunity. The exact timing, location,
size and format of the game, as well as further steps in bilateral
cooperation, will be discussed and decided by the two sides.
Environmental Security. The United States and Chinese militaries reached an
agreement to conduct cooperation and exchange in the area of military
environmental protection and security. The two sides are preparing to sign
a relevant memorandum to facilitate such cooperation and exchanges.
HUMAN RIGHTS: The United States and China affirm their commitment to the
promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms. While
the two countries have differences on human rights, they agree that candid
dialogue is an important element for resolving those differences. The
United States welcomes China's announcement that it will sign in the fall
the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and that it
Cultural Rights to the National People's Congress for ratification.
Religious Freedom. The United States and Chinese governments will encourage
continued exchanges among officials and religious figures to deepen
understanding on issues involving the role of religion in each country.
Dialogues. Senior officials of the U.S. States Department and Chinese
Ministry of Foreign Affairs will resume a dialogue on human rights,
holding the next round of discussions in the second half of 1998.
American and Chinese organizations involved with human rights issues
will convene a forum for non-official discussions in the second half of
ECONOMIC AND COMMERCIAL: The United States and China will promote economic
stability and growth in East Asia, enhance economic and technical
cooperation, and deepen commercial ties.
Trade Relations. WTO accessions negotiations continue and while some
progress has been made, more negotiations will be necessary to resolve
differences. The next round of talks is scheduled for the week of July
20 in Geneva.
Regional Economic Developments. The United States and China held
consultations on the situation in Asia's financial markets and will
continue such discussions in the coming months. The United States
welcomed China's commitment to maintaining the stability of the exchange
rate of the renminbi.
China's Domestic Economic Reform Program. The United States government,
businesses and other private sector groups will work with China to
identify technical cooperation programs on commercialization of the
housing market and development of social security, pension benefits, and
insurance programs.
Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT). The United States will host
the 12th session of the JCCT in Washington, D.C. during September 1998.
State and Non-State Enterprise Forum. The United States and Chinese
governments will hold a conference in early 1999 on the role and
functioning of market disciplines bringing together representatives of
the U.S. private sector and of the Chinese non-state and state sectors.
Multi-Agency Infrastructure Mission. To expand cooperation on
infrastructure development, China's Ministry of Foreign Trade and
Economic Cooperation, State Development and Planning Commission, and
State Economic and Trade Commission, will host a U.S. multi-agency
mission to China in early 1999. The mission will be led by Commerce
Secretary Daley.
Electronic Commerce and Internet Applications. The United States and China,
working with the telecommunications organizations in each country, will
conduct a series of exchanges, seminars and discussions on electronic
commerce and the applications of Internet technologies. The benefits of
these technologies might be demonstrated in such areas as weather
forecasting, information dissemination, distance learning and
telemedicine.
Aviation Infrastructure Initiative. The United States and China agreed to
enter into a five-year aviation initiative that will focus on aviation
safety and training, airport development and management, and airspace
management through modern air traffic control systems, in addition to
the procurement of new efficient transport aircraft. This initiative
will recognize the need for China to expand its aviation infrastructure
to accommodate the additional transport aircraft required for China's
continued economic development and demand for passenger and cargo air
transport.
Commercial Cooperation. United States firms and Chinese entities have
signed contracts in the areas of energy and environment, aviation,
medical equipment and other sectors.
Labor Dialogue. The Labor Ministers of the United States and China will
undertake reciprocal visits in the near future to exchange views and
information on policies and issues related to labor markets and core
labor standards, including, for example, issues such as employment
creation policies, labor market training programs, labor statistics,
social safety net for workers, health and safety, and labor law reform.
Joint Economic Committee. The United States and China agreed on the value
of regular dialogue on economic issues in the context of the U.S. -
China Joint Economic Committee (JEC), and agreed that the next meeting
of the JEC would take place in Beijing in 1999. Following up on the last
JEC meeting in May, the U.S. Treasury Department has agreed to lead an
experts mission to Beijing to discuss how the United States and China
might share information and know-how regarding financial reform.
ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT: The United States and China established a number of
programs to address environmental degradation, cleaner uses of energy, and
climate change.
Climate Change. Under the auspices of the Environment and Development Forum
and in conjunction with the Framework Convention on Climate Change,
senior-level experts of the United states and China will initiate a
dialogue on climate change.
Energy and Environment Cooperation. In implementation of the U.S.-China
Energy and Environment Cooperation Initiative, which is an outgrowth of
the Environment and Development Forum and was agreed upon by Presidents
Clinton and Jiang in October 1997, the United States and China are
taking the following steps:
1) The United States and China will cooperate on Phase One of China's
Nationwide Air Quality Monitoring Network, using U.S. equipment and a
technical assistance grant from the Environmental Protection Agency.
2) United States firms and Chinese entities signed contracts in the
energy and environment area, including agreements for two power
projects and three coal bed methane exploration contracts.
3) The Oil and Gas Industry Forum will hold its first meeting in Beijing
in November 1998 to promote cooperation between industry and
government representatives of the two countries on domestic Chinese
and international oil and gas development issues.
4) The United States and China will hold an energy finance conference in
September 1998 in Beijing to promote trade and investment by U.S.
firms in China's energy sector.
Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy. The United States and China concluded an
agreement on cooperation concerning peaceful uses of nuclear
technologies.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY: The United States and China will expand cooperation
in the areas of health sciences and natural resource management. These
efforts also support the work of the U.S.-China Environment and Development
Forum.
Fighting Disease. The U.S.-China Health Protocol is being renewed to
continue cooperation in a range of areas, particularly child health
issues such as combating birth defects, disabilities and health hazards
due to environmental factors. The U.S. Center for Disease Control and
Beijing Medical University are signing the said agreement for joint
research into the health impacts of environmental hazards.
Water Resources Conservation. The United States and China will launch a
water resource management initiative beginning with a workshop in the
United States in the second half of 1998 to coordinate more closely
bilateral cooperation in water resource development and management with
the aim of promoting effective utilization and sustainable development
of water resources and developing business opportunities in both
countries.
Marine Resources Conservation and Natural Disaster Reduction. The U.S.
National Oceans and Atmospheric Administration and China's State Oceanic
Administration will convene a bilateral conference on marine disaster
forecasting and reduction and Integrated Coastal Management in the fall
of 1998 to focus on algae blooms, environmentally safe navigation, oil
exploration, marine construction, marine safety, coastal monitoring and
natural disaster response.
Preserving Natural Resources. The U.S. National Park Service and China's
National Park Agency have concluded a Memorandum of Understanding to
undertake personnel exchanges and cooperated on park and natural
resource management.
Endangered Species. The United States and China will enhance cooperation in
conservation and the protection of endangered species. The U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service and the Chinese State Forestry Administration will hold
a conference in China in the fall of 1998 to share techniques for
protecting endangered species.
Emergency Preparedness. The Federal Emergency Management Agency and the
Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs are actively discussing measures to
cooperate on emergency preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation
of the effects of disasters. The National Oceans and Atmospheric
Administration and its Chinese counterparts are expanding cooperation in
similar areas.
COOPERATION IN THE FIELD OF LAW: The United States and China will
cooperated on a broad range of programs designed to strengthen the rule of
law and legal cooperation, as agreed between Presidents Clinton and Jiang
in October 1997.
Judicial and Lawyer Training. The United States and China are expanding
cooperation on legal education, beginning with a conference of U.S. and
Chinese law deans held in Beijing on June 17-19. The United States and
China will expand judicial exchanges, including a visit to China by U.S.
Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, and will initiate judicial
training seminars. The United States Information Service will support
the preparation and translation of legal teaching materials from English
to Chinese. The American Bar Association will undertake an extensive
program of legal cooperation with Chinese counterparts.
Legal Protection of Human Rights. The United States and China will hold a
symposium in November on the legal protection of human rights, including
international human rights covenants, criminal procedure rights, legal
protection of religious freedom, and other issues.
Administrative Law. The United States and China will undertake cooperative
efforts in administrative law, which govern the way bureaucracies
interact with ordinary citizens and businesses, beginning with a
broad-ranging symposium involving decision-makers and academic experts
on comparative administrative law.
Legal Aid for the Poor. In light of the Chinese government's efforts to
initiate legal aid programs for the poor, the United States and China
will cooperate in this area, beginning with a symposium in Beijing later
this year.
Commercial Law and Arbitration. The United States and China will undertake
exchanges on securities regulation, including a symposium of experts
next year. Under the JCCT, the United States and China will hold
seminars for Chinese officials and businesses on issues covering
electronic commerce, corporate law and the judicial handling of
commercial disputes. As a result of JCCT discussions The Chinese
government has agreed to take steps to ensure that arbitration awards by
foreign investors will be promptly enforced in local Chinese courts. A
program will be developed to cooperate in the training of arbitrators.
LAW ENFORCEMENT: The United States and China will implement agreements to
combat international crime and narcotics.
Fighting Crime. The United States and China concluded a memorandum of
understanding establishing a law enforcement joint liaison group. The first
meeting of the Joint Liaison Group on Law Enforcement Cooperation was held
on May 1998, bringing together the major law enforcement agencies on each
side to develop closer working relationships in order to combat narcotics
trafficking, alien smuggling, counterfeiting, and organized crime.
Fighting Drugs. Following the agreement reached by Presidents Clinton and
Jiang in October 1997, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency and its Chinese
counterparts are assigning counternarcotics officers to their respective
embassies in Beijing and Washington.
Judicial Assistance. The United States and China will begin negotiations of
a mutual legal assistance agreement in criminal matters in September
PEOPLE-TO-PEOPLE-EXCHANGES: The United States and China will implement
cultural and educational programs to increase interaction between our two
societies.
Peace Corps. The United States and China agreed to sign a country agreement
on the operations of the U.S. Peace Corps in China.
Student Exchanges. Students and teachers from high schools in the United
States and China, under the auspices of Sister Cities International,
will visit each other's countries for multiple week programs beginning
in the year 2000 with a view to enhancing mutual understanding.
Exchange of Scholars. The Fulbright program will be expanded to include an
academic lecturers' exchange program, under which distinguished scholars
from the United States and China will give a series of lectures in one
another's countries.
Education Agreement. The United States and China have agreed to renew the
bilateral Education Protocol.
Book Donation. The United States Information Agency has arranged for a
donation of 550 volumes of American studies books to the new American
Studies Center at Beijing University.
