US President George W. Bush said on Tuesday that he is looking forward to meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao during their exchange of visits later this year.

Bush made the remarks at a meeting with Sheng Huaren, vice chairman and secretary general of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress (NPC), who is currently on a visit to the United States.

Bush said the current US-Chinese relationship is very good, and that there are reasons to believe the momentum of development in bilateral relations will continue.

It is inevitable that certain issues may emerge in bilateral ties, but what's important is to solve these issues in a proper manner on the basis of mutual respect and to maintain vitality of relations between the two countries, he said.

The US government adheres to the one-China policy, observes the three Sino-US join communiques, and opposes Taiwan independence, Bush said. This is a clear position, and the US side keeps its words, he added.

For his part, Sheng, who is also chairman of the NPC Sino-US parliamentary group (Senate), said the exchange of visits of Bush and Hu is of importance in further promoting the constructive and cooperative relationship between China and the United States.

He said there are signs that the situation across the Taiwan Strait is easing up, but the Taiwan authorities have not stopped their activities aimed at splitting Taiwan from China.

Sheng said the Chinese side appreciates Bush's position of adhering to the one-China policy, observing the three Sino-US joint communiques and opposing Taiwan independence.

China hopes the two sides would make concerted efforts to oppose and contain activities aimed at splitting Taiwan from China, and to maintain peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. This is conducive to the common interests of the two sides, he added.

On outstanding issues concerning bilateral trade and economic cooperation, Sheng said the Chinese side believes that the two countries can find a solution to these issues through dialog and consultation, in accordance with the principle of "development, equality, and mutual benefit" that was agreed upon by Bush and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao during the latter's visit to the Untied States in late 2003.

Sheng arrived in Washington on Monday afternoon, at the invitation of US Senate President pro tempore Ted Stevens, who is also chairman of the US-China parliamentary group in the US Senate, and Senator Daniel K. Inouye, cochairman of the group.

Sheng and his entourage are scheduled to have the second round of formal talks with their US counterparts on Wednesday, within the framework of an exchange program which was initiated by China's top legislature and the US Senate at the end of 2003.

Source: Xinhua