China-U.S. summit to be a great success: Chinese FM

Source: Xinhua | 03-13-2009 08:25

WASHINGTON, March 12 (Xinhua) -- The coming summit between Chinese President Hu Jintao and U.S. President Barack Obama will be a great success and of great significance for bilateral relations at a new phase, visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said here Thursday.

"In two weeks' time, President Hu Jintao and President Obama will meet in London. It will be the first meeting between our heads of state since the new U.S. administration came into office," Minister Yang said, while addressing a luncheon meeting at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in downtown Washington D.C.

"Both sides attach great importance to this meeting and are making intensive preparations for it. I am confident that with joint efforts of the two sides, the meeting will be a great success and chart the course for the future growth of China-U.S. relations," the minister said.

Yang said that President Hu has invited President Obama to visit China at a mutually convenient time and the Chinese side looks forward to his early visit.

Due to joint efforts by the two sides, Yang said, solid ground works have been done for the China-U.S. summit in London when leaders of the Group of 20 (G20) gather in the British capital to discuss how to tackle the ongoing global financial crisis and economic downturn.