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China asks George

Bush to help mend

Sino-U.S. ties

BEIJING: China's President Jiang Zemin asked former U.S. president George Bush on Tuesday to use his influence to help Sino-U.S. ties, battered by disputes on trade, Taiwan, human rights and nuclear sales.

"Bush is an old friend of the Chinese people," the official Xinhua news agency quoted Jiang, who is also head of the Communist Party, as saying in a meeting in Beijing with Bush.

Jiang expressed the hope that Bush, who served as chief of the U.S. liaison office in China before full diplomatic relations were established, would continue to use his influence in development of relations between China and the United States.

Bush's visit comes as ties have plunged over disputes ranging from U.S. grievances over Chinese violations of intellectual property rights to Beijing's rage at what it sees as Washington's interference over Taiwan.

Jiang praised Bush, saying he had worked for many years to promote Sino-U.S. relations and had lent positive efforts to improving ties both as a U.S. official and as a private citizen, Xinhua said.

Bush told his Chinese hosts he hoped the two sides would be able to get over their difficulties, adding that he was ready to contribute his own efforts to the task.

In the long term, he was optimistic about the future of ties, Xinhua quoted Bush as saying. Bush could not be reached for comment.

"The maintenance and development of a stable U.S.-China relationship accords with the interests of both sides," he was quoted as saying.

Chinese leaders have long regarded Bush as an American with whom they can engage and he was the last U.S. president to visit when he made a state trip to China in early 1989.

Ties between the two Pacific giants have see-sawed in the past couple of years and have yet to recover from a chill last month over Taiwan.

Washington sent its largest naval fleet to gather in Asian waters since the end of the Vietnam War to monitor tensions after China launched missile tests in waters off Taiwan and staged large-scale war games in the narrow strait separating the island from the mainland.

China accused Washington of interfering in its internal affairs over the island it regards as a renegade province and saying it would defend its waters against any foreign intrusion.

The Sino-U.S. chill extended beyond the Taiwan Strait to encompass trade disputes, human rights and nuclear proliferation.

U.S. Deputy Trade Representative Charlene Barshefsky was in Beijing for talks on Monday and Tuesday to review progress since the two sides averted a trade war last February through a landmark accord on protecting intellectual property in China.

Western diplomats have said they expect little substantial progress at the talks, which follow meetings in Beijing last week when U.S. trade negotiator Lee Sands addressed U.S. grievances over China's continued violations.

China is eager to enter the World Trade Organisation and blames the United States for holding up progress over demands it dismantle longstanding non-tariff barriers to trade.

In addition, Washington accuses Beijing of selling sensitive nuclear-related technology to Pakistan in a row that has halted financing for nearly $10 billion of U.S. business deals.-Reuter