On April 12, while attending the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, D.C., Chinese President Hu Jintao met with foreign leaders including U.S. President Barack Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama.
China and the U.S.
On one of the most contentious issues between Beijing and Washington, Hu told Obama that appreciation of Chinese currency renminbi (yuan) would neither help balance Sino-U.S. trade nor resolve serious unemployment problems in the United States.
China will continue to reform its exchange rate regime based on its own social and economic development, Hu said. Moreover, Beijing would not bend to foreign pressure.
Having no intention of pursuing a trade surplus with Washington, Beijing remains willing to take additional measures to increase imports from the United States, Hu said. Meanwhile, Hu called on Obama to loosen U.S. export controls on hi-tech products so exports to China can be increased.
During his meeting with Obama, Hu also put forward a series of proposals for improving Sino-U.S. relations, including respecting concerns of mutual importance and maintaining closer ties.
Hu went on to suggest Beijing and Washington work more closely in trade, counterterrorism, energy, environmental protection and law enforcement areas, while exploring new opportunities for further cooperation in civil aviation, high-speed rail technology and infrastructure development.
China and Japan
China stands ready to work with Japan to advance Asian integration by promoting regional cooperation in trade, finance and infrastructure development, Hu said while meeting Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama.
Hu said that China's relations with Japan are enjoying a positive momentum, with many common understandings between the two countries' leaders. Cooperation in diverse fields continues to make headway, said Hu, noting that the two countries have maintained coordination on international and regional affairs.
He said that he still saw room for strengthened inter-governmental exchanges—as well as people-to-people ties—between China and Japan.
The Chinese President also voiced his desire to see additional collaboration in the fields of energy, environmental protection, low-carbon technologies, the green economy and high technology. |