China, US not adversaries: Obama
- Source: Global Times
- [03:16 November 17 2009]
- Comments
A child presents a bouquet to US President Barack Obama as Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping gestures at the airport in Beijing Monday. Photo: Xinhua
After meetings with officials and students in Shanghai, US President Barack Obama arrived in Beijing Monday evening to continue his maiden Chinese trip that is expected to elevate relations between the two countries to a new high.
Obama will meet with Chinese leaders and exchange views on bilateral relations and major international and regional issues. His itinerary also has him visiting the Forbidden City and the Great Wall, two of China's most cherished heritage sites.
The president said economic recovery, climate change and stopping the spread of nuclear weapons would be the main topics in his upcoming talks with Chinese President Hu Jintao today. And he noted that the development of clean energy and the promotion of peace and security in Asia would be discussed.
Monday, during his town hall meeting with about 500 Chinese college students at the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum, Obama covered a wide range of topics, notably Sino-US cooperation and youth exchanges between the two countries.
Starting with the historic relationship between the two nations, he highlighted common areas of concern, "economic recovery, development of clean energy, stopping the spread of nuclear weapons and the surge of climate change, the promotion of peace and security in Asia and around the globe."
Obama stressed that more is to be gained when great powers cooperate than when they collide.
He noted that the Sino- US relationship hasn't been without disagreements or dif-ficulties, "but the notion that we must be adversaries is not predestined," adding that one country's success need not come at the expense of another.
"That is why the United States insists we do not seek to contain China's rise; on the contrary, we welcome China as a strong and prosperous and successful member of the community of nations," Obama said.
He announced during the encounter that the US would further expand its youth exchanges with China by increasing the number of students studying in China to 100,000.
He said young people in China and the US are the best ambassadors, and that cooperation between the countries should go beyond the governments. He also noted that different countries should learn from each other to promote cultural diversity throughout the world.
In the question-and-answer session, Obama took eight questions, half from the live audience and half from Internet users who had submitted their questions online.
"It is very important for the United States not to assume what is good for us is automatically good for somebody else," he said.
