1. The China-U.S. relationship

The two sides agreed that regular exchanges between the leaders of the two countries are essential to the long-term, sound and steady growth of China-U.S. relations. The two sides are of the view that the three meetings between the two presidents and other important bilateral exchanges this year have strengthened relations. President Obama invited President Hu to make a visit to the United States next year, and President Hu accepted the invitation with pleasure. Leaders of the two countries will continue to maintain close communication through mutual visits, meetings, telephone conversations and correspondence.

The two sides spoke highly of the important role of the China-U.S. Strategic and Economic Dialogues and recognized that the Dialogues offer a unique forum to promote understanding, expand common ground, reduce differences and develop solutions to common problems. Both sides believed that the first round of the Dialogues held in Washington D.C. in July this year was a fruitful one and agreed to honor in good faith the commitments made and hold the second round in Beijing in the summer of 2010. The two sides agreed that they will continue to use direct communication links among senior leaders to maintain timely communication on major and sensitive issues, institutionalize the annual exchange of visits by the two foreign ministers and encourage senior officials of other departments of the two countries to exchange visits on a regular basis.

The two sides commended the outcomes of the visit to the United States by General Xu Caihou, Vice Chairman of the Chinese Central Military Commission, in October this year, and stated that they will take concrete steps to advance sustained and reliable military-to-military relations in the future. The two sides will prepare for the visit to the United States by General Chen Bingde, Chief of the General Staff of China's People's Liberation Army, and the visits to China by Robert Gates, the U.S. Secretary of Defense, and Admiral Michael Mullen, Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff. The two sides will actively implement various exchange and cooperation programs agreed between the two militaries, including by increasing the level and frequency of exchanges. The goal of these efforts is to improve their capabilities for practical cooperation and foster greater understanding of each other's intentions and of the international security environment.

The two sides agreed to deepen counter-terrorism consultation and cooperation on equal and mutually beneficial basis and to strengthen law-enforcement cooperation. They agreed to exchange evidence and intelligence on law enforcement issues in a timely and reciprocal manner. China and the United States will undertake joint investigations and provide investigative assistance on cases of mutual interest. China and the United States will strengthen cooperation in criminal investigations and deepen collaboration in combating embezzlement as well as counter-narcotics and pre-cursor chemical control and in combating unlawful migration. They also will boost joint efforts to combat transnational crime and criminal organizations as well as money laundering and the financing of terrorism including counterfeiting and recovery of illicit funds. They will work to combat smuggling and human trafficking.

The United States reaffirmed its support for Expo 2010 Shanghai.

The two sides applauded the rich achievements in scientific and technological cooperation and exchanges between the two countries over the past 30 years since the signing of the China-U.S. Agreement on Cooperation in Science and Technology and agreed to further upgrade the level of exchanges and cooperation in scientific and technological innovation through the China-U.S. Joint Commission on Science and Technology Cooperation.

China and the United States look forward to expanding discussions on space science cooperation and starting a dialogue on human space flight and space exploration, based on the principles of transparency, reciprocity and mutual benefit. Both sides welcome reciprocal visits of the NASA Administrator and the appropriate Chinese counterpart in 2010.

The two sides agreed to strengthen their cooperation in civil aviation, and confirmed their intent to expand the Memorandum of Agreement for Technical Cooperation in the field of Civil Aviation between the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) and the Federal Aviation Administration of the United States of America. The two sides welcomed cooperation by public and private bodies on the development of high speed railway infrastructure.

The two sides undertook to implement the newly signed Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Agriculture of the People's Republic of China and the Department of Agriculture of the United States of America on Cooperation in Agriculture and Related Fields.

The two sides agreed to collaborate further in joint research in the health sector including on stem cells. They will deepen cooperation in global public health issues, including Influenza A (H1N1) prevention, surveillance, reporting and control; avian influenza, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria. They will also enhance cooperation in food and product safety and quality.

The two sides underlined that each country and its people have the right to choose their own path, and all countries should respect each other's choice of a development model. Both sides recognized that China and the United States have differences on the issue of human rights. Addressing these differences in the spirit of equality and mutual respect, as well as promoting and protecting human rights consistent with international human rights instruments, the two sides agreed to hold the next round of the official human rights dialogue in Washington D.C. by the end of February 2010. China and the United States agreed that promoting cooperation in the field of law and exchanges on the rule of law serves the interests and needs of the citizens and governments of both countries. China and the United States decided to convene the China-U.S. Legal Experts Dialogue at an early date.

The two sides noted the importance of people-to-people and cultural exchanges in fostering closer China-U.S. bilateral relations and therefore agreed in principle to establish a new bilateral mechanism to facilitate these exchanges. The two sides are pleased to note the continued increase in the number of students studying in each other's country in recent years. Nearly 100,000 Chinese are now studying in the United States, and the U.S. side will receive more Chinese students and facilitate visa issuance for them. The United States has approximately 20,000 students in China. The U.S. side seeks to encourage more Americans to study in China by launching a new initiative to send 100,000 students to China over the coming four years. The Chinese side welcomed this decision of the U.S. side. The two sides agreed to expedite negotiations to renew in 2010 the Implementing Accord for Cultural Exchange for the Period Through 2010-2012 under the Cultural Agreement between the Government of the People's Republic of China and the Government of the United States of America and jointly hold the Second China-U.S. Cultural Forum in the United States at an appropriate time.