(NSI News Source Info) Washington - March 13, 2009: US President Barack Obama on Wednesday invited Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi to the White House as
both powers tried to defuse military tensions and focus on stabilizing the global economy.
Obama is to take the symbolic step of meeting the foreign minister -- which is not standard protocol but has been used sparingly by previous presidents -- on Thursday after his talks with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner on Wednesday.
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Yang would first meet national security advisor James Jones, then go with him into talks with Obama, adding that a row over a US surveillance ship off China would be on the agenda.
"I don't think it will overshadow it, but I think the president will continue to make clear our country's position," Gibbs told reporters.
Gibbs said Obama's talks with Yang, who also met former president George W. Bush as foreign minister, would also focus on the global economic crisis.
Yang came here to work with Clinton and Geithner to prepare for the G20 summit of industrial and developing nations next month in London where Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao are to meet for the first time amid efforts to solve the international credit crunch.
State Department spokesman Robert Wood said earlier that the two sides would not let disputes distract from common goals.
He acknowledged "elements that come up that cause some tension. But the most important thing is that the US and China need to work together to solve a whole host of issues that the international community confronts."
The spat between Washington and Beijing began after the Pentagon said Chinese vessels had harassed a US Navy ship in international waters in the South China Sea.
Beijing hit back on Tuesday, rejecting that account and demanding the United States cease what it called illegal activities in the area.
The two sides have also been sparring over the last two days over US expressions of concern over China's human rights record in Tibet.
But Clinton, after her talks with Yang, said the pair agreed to work to prevent a similar standoff in the future and stood by her approach to not let human rights concerns interfere with progress on the economy and other areas.
"We both agreed we should work to ensure such incidents do not happen again in the future," Clinton told reporters after her two hours of talks with the Chinese foreign minister.
She said she also wanted to make sure there would be no "unforeseen" consequences emerging from the standoff.
The chief US diplomat also rejected charges from human rights activists that the Obama administration was taking too soft a line on China.
"The Obama administration is absolutely committed to a robust human rights agenda," Clinton said when asked if the administration was pulling its punches on Beijing. "There's no doubt about our commitment."
But she vowed to "explore different ways" to fulfill the commitment, in an apparent sop to Beijing.
China warned the United States Wednesday that its criticism of the situation in Tibet could harm relations between the two nations.
"We ask the US side... to acknowledge that Tibet is a part of China and oppose Tibetan independence, to avoid harming overall China-US relations and to stop using the Tibet issue to interfere in China's internal affairs," foreign ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said in a statement.
On Tuesday, the White House and the US State Department voiced criticism of how China handles the Tibetan region.
However, Wood had originally said that Clinton herself would issue the statement, which would have likely had a stronger impact.
As they went into their talks, Clinton and Yang both smiled for the cameras and struck positive notes.
"And we are here to get prepared for our two heads of state meeting in London and to work together to push our relationship forward," said the chief Chinese diplomat.
In her February 21-22 visit to Beijing, Clinton called for a deeper partnership between the United States and China, saying the world powers needed to unite to tackle the economic crisis and climate change.
"The United States and China have a joint responsibility to help ensure the summit yields tangible progress and concrete action steps toward a coordinated global response to stabilize the world economy and to begin a recovery," she said Wednesday.
both powers tried to defuse military tensions and focus on stabilizing the global economy.
Obama is to take the symbolic step of meeting the foreign minister -- which is not standard protocol but has been used sparingly by previous presidents -- on Thursday after his talks with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner on Wednesday.
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Yang would first meet national security advisor James Jones, then go with him into talks with Obama, adding that a row over a US surveillance ship off China would be on the agenda.
"I don't think it will overshadow it, but I think the president will continue to make clear our country's position," Gibbs told reporters.
Gibbs said Obama's talks with Yang, who also met former president George W. Bush as foreign minister, would also focus on the global economic crisis.
Yang came here to work with Clinton and Geithner to prepare for the G20 summit of industrial and developing nations next month in London where Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao are to meet for the first time amid efforts to solve the international credit crunch.
State Department spokesman Robert Wood said earlier that the two sides would not let disputes distract from common goals.
He acknowledged "elements that come up that cause some tension. But the most important thing is that the US and China need to work together to solve a whole host of issues that the international community confronts."
The spat between Washington and Beijing began after the Pentagon said Chinese vessels had harassed a US Navy ship in international waters in the South China Sea.
Beijing hit back on Tuesday, rejecting that account and demanding the United States cease what it called illegal activities in the area.
The two sides have also been sparring over the last two days over US expressions of concern over China's human rights record in Tibet.
But Clinton, after her talks with Yang, said the pair agreed to work to prevent a similar standoff in the future and stood by her approach to not let human rights concerns interfere with progress on the economy and other areas.
"We both agreed we should work to ensure such incidents do not happen again in the future," Clinton told reporters after her two hours of talks with the Chinese foreign minister.
She said she also wanted to make sure there would be no "unforeseen" consequences emerging from the standoff.
The chief US diplomat also rejected charges from human rights activists that the Obama administration was taking too soft a line on China.
"The Obama administration is absolutely committed to a robust human rights agenda," Clinton said when asked if the administration was pulling its punches on Beijing. "There's no doubt about our commitment."
But she vowed to "explore different ways" to fulfill the commitment, in an apparent sop to Beijing.
China warned the United States Wednesday that its criticism of the situation in Tibet could harm relations between the two nations.
"We ask the US side... to acknowledge that Tibet is a part of China and oppose Tibetan independence, to avoid harming overall China-US relations and to stop using the Tibet issue to interfere in China's internal affairs," foreign ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said in a statement.
On Tuesday, the White House and the US State Department voiced criticism of how China handles the Tibetan region.
However, Wood had originally said that Clinton herself would issue the statement, which would have likely had a stronger impact.
As they went into their talks, Clinton and Yang both smiled for the cameras and struck positive notes.
"And we are here to get prepared for our two heads of state meeting in London and to work together to push our relationship forward," said the chief Chinese diplomat.
In her February 21-22 visit to Beijing, Clinton called for a deeper partnership between the United States and China, saying the world powers needed to unite to tackle the economic crisis and climate change.
"The United States and China have a joint responsibility to help ensure the summit yields tangible progress and concrete action steps toward a coordinated global response to stabilize the world economy and to begin a recovery," she said Wednesday.
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