Chinese and US lawmakers agreed on June 8 to further promote the sound development of bilateral relations, taking advantage of the upcoming exchange of state visits later this year.

The lawmakers, respectively led by Sheng Huaren, vice-chairman of China's National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, and US Senate President pro tempore Ted Stevens and Senator Daniel K. Inouye, co-chair of the Senate's US-China parliamentary group, held their second working session Wednesday since the exchange mechanism was set in motion a year ago.

Both sides exchanged views on a wide range of issues, including Sino-US relations, the Taiwan question, parliamentary exchanges, economy and trade, and other regional and international issues of common concern, and reached important consensus on many issues.

Sheng, also chairman of the NPC Sino-US parliamentary group, briefed his US counterparts on the latest situation across the Taiwan Strait and reiterated China's principled position on the Taiwan question.

The US lawmakers expressed their support for the position President George W. Bush voiced when he met with Sheng on Tuesday.

That is, the United States adheres to the one-China policy, observes the three US-China joint communiques, and opposes Taiwan independence.

The two sides also discussed the exchange rate of the Chinese currency, the protection of intellectual property rights and the bilateral trade imbalance, agreeing to tackle the trade issues properly in accordance with the principle of "equality, mutual benefit and development," so as to safeguard the overall Sino-US economic and trade interests.

China will stick to its road of peaceful development, and its stability and development are an important factor for world peace and prosperity, said Sheng, adding China's development will not pose any threat to any country.

To further promote exchanges between lawmakers of the two countries, Sheng proposed that the two sides maintain the momentum of exchanges of visits by the NPC and the Senate to enhance political trust, and arrange the exchange of visits by the NPC's and the Senate's foreign affairs committees. He invited the Senate's US-China parliamentary group to visit China in 2006.

Stevens and Inouye agreed to Sheng's proposals, and expressed their willingness to make efforts to consolidate and develop the parliamentary exchange program, which was initiated by the NPC and the Senate in 2003.

Sheng arrived in Washington on Monday at the invitation of Stevens and Inouye, for the talks with their US counterparts within the framework of the exchange program.

Source: Xinhua