Chronologies
US - China
Chronology from Oct 2004 to Dec 2004
: China issues white paper entitled “China’s National Defense in 2004.”
: In an interview on PBS, Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage explains that the U.S. is not required to defend Taiwan and the decision to go to war resides with Congress. He adds “all agree that there is but one China, and Taiwan is part of China.”
: Department of Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham arrives in China where he meets with Ma Kai, chairman, National Development Reform Commission, holds discussions with Vice Premier Zeng Peiyan, tours the Qinghua-MIT Modular Pebble Bed Reactor Project, and delivers a speech at Qinghua University.
: U.S. House of Representatives Committee on International Relations holds hearings on China’s human rights policies.
: Vice Foreign Minister Dai Bingguo unexpectedly returns to Washington to continue talks with U.S. officials that focus on Taiwan.
: FM Li exchanges views by phone with Secretary Powell on the consensus reached by the Chinese and U.S. presidents at APEC in Chile.
: U.S. special envoy on North Korea Joseph DeTrani travels to Beijing, then to Tokyo and Seoul, to promote early resumption of the Six-Party Talks. He meets with Vice Foreign Minister Zhou Wenzhong, Director General of the MFA’s Asia Affairs Department Cui Tiankai, and Ambassador for North Korean Affairs Ning Fukui.
: Treasury Department releases semi-annual currency report that urges China to move to a flexible exchange rate as soon as possible, but stops short of issuing a formal finding that Beijing is manipulating the exchange value of the yuan.
: Sun Laiyan, the head of China National Space Administration visits NASA headquarters where he discusses with counterpart Sean O’Keefe cooperation on the use of space, geoscience, and space science, and agrees to establish a regular exchange mechanism to promote bilateral contact and understanding.
: Vice Foreign Minister Dai Bingguo visits Washington, D.C. for wide-ranging discussions with U.S. officials on bilateral, regional, and global issues as a follow-on the Bush-Hu talks at the Santiago APEC summit.
: U.S. imposes sanctions on four Chinese entities for violations of the 2000 Iran Nonproliferation Act, including a state-run firm, and one North Korean company for selling weapons or cruise and ballistic missile technology and equipment to Iran.
: Presidents Bush and Hu meet on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Santiago, Chile.
: FM Li meets Secretary Powell on the sidelines of the APEC Leaders’ Meeting in Chile.
: Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs Paula Dobriansky and Chinese Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs Shen Guofang discuss proposed “U.S.-China Global Issues Forum” aimed at strengthening bilateral cooperation on transnational issues and exploring new possibilities for joint work on a global basis.
: U.S. Trade Representative Office rejects a petition filed Sept. 30 under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 on the issue of China’s currency.
: Presidents Bush and Hu Jintao exchange views by phone on the eve of their planned bilateral meeting at APEC and Hu congratulates Bush on his reelection.
: FM Li talks with National Security Adviser Rice by phone about bilateral relations and the Iranian nuclear issue.
: Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing talks by phone with Secretary Powell on strengthening coordination and mutually beneficial cooperation in fields such as economy and trade, antiterrorism, the DPRK nuclear issue, and law enforcement, and on how to resolve the Iranian nuclear issue.
: Representatives of foreign affairs departments from China and the U.S. sign a protocol in Beijing to install a telephone hotline between two foreign ministers in the near future.
: China Daily, publishes an article entitled “U.S. Strategy to be Blamed,” by former Vice Premier Qian Qichen, that harshly criticizes President Bush’s foreign policy.
: State Department spokesman says the U.S. will not repatriate Uighurs alleged to be “East Turkistan” terrorists that have been detained in Guantanamo, Cuba to China, and that it was preparing to settle them in a third country to the northwest of China instead.
: Powell gives interviews to Phoenix TV and CNN following talks with Chinese leaders. His comments include the statement that “reunification” between Taiwan and China is the eventual outcome that “all parties are seeking” and Taiwan is not an “independent” country and “does not enjoy sovereignty as a nation.”
: Powell stops in China on a three-day swing through Northeast Asia.
: Chief of the PLA General Staff Gen. Liang Guanglie arrives in the U.S. and meets with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Richard Myers, Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld, Secretary of State Powell, and National Security Adviser Rice. He also visits the U.S. Joint Forces Command, Air Combat Command, Joint Task Force Civil Support, U.S. Army Infantry Center, and the Air Force Academy.
: Under Secretary of State for Economic, Business and Agricultural Affairs Alan Larson visits China as part of U.S. delegation to discuss agricultural issues and market access and delivers a speech at Beijing University.
: President Bush telephones Hu Jintao and they discuss Beijing’s exchange rate policy, Taiwan, and efforts to defuse the North Korean nuclear crisis.
: At the invitation of the Supreme Court of the United States, Chinese Supreme People’s Court President and Chief Grand Justice Xiao Yang visits the U.S., the first such visit in nearly 20 years.
: Congressional-Executive Commission on China releases 2004 Annual Report on China assessing developments in China’s human rights conditions and the rule of law.