Hu meets with Obama, makes 5 proposals for Sino-U.S. relations

BEIJING, Nov. 17 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao made five proposals on promoting Sino-U.S. relations and tackling delicate issues of common concern while meeting with visiting U.S. President Barack Obama in Beijing Tuesday.

Obama, who is in Beijing for a four-day state visit to China, agreed with Hu on the proposals, reiterating that the United States does not seek to contain China's rise and that he welcomes China as a "strong, prosperous and successful member of the community of nations."

FURTHER STRATEGIC MUTUAL TRUST

Hu called on the two countries to continue to increase strategic mutual trust with prerequisite of respect for each other's core interests and major concerns.

He hailed Obama's statement that the United States sticks to the one-China policy and hoped that the United States would "properly handle" the Taiwan issue and forbid "Tibet independence" and "East Turkistan" forces from using U.S. territory to cover their anti-China separatist activities.

In Hu's words, China and the United States should not be opponents, but partners that trust each other and cooperate sincerely.

"The development of China is an opportunity for all nations, including the United States," Hu said. "It is not a challenge, let alone a threat."

MAINTAIN EXCHANGES AT ALL LEVELS

Hu said China and the United States should maintain different levels of communication and consultation on major issues in a timely manner through different channels, including exchange of visits, talks and meetings on multilateral occasions.

The two countries should further substantiate the results of the first round of Sino-U.S. Strategic Economic Dialogue and start soon to prepare for the second round of talks in Beijing next summer, Hu said, calling the dialogue an important platform to enhance exchanges and cooperation between the two countries.