Fact sheet on 'U.S. - China Summit Agreements.'

Business America, July, 1998

The agreements reached between the United States and China as part of President Clinton's visit build on the achievements of the October 1997 summit between Presidents Clinton and Jiang, deepen cooperation between the two countries on a broad range of issues, and contribute toward a more stable, secure, open, and prosperous world.

(Items in bold italics denote initiatives to be implemented by the Commerce Department.)

I. NONPROLIFERATION AND SECURITY: The United States and China confirm their common goal to halt the spread of weapons of mass destruction.

Enhancing Controls

Non-targeting. Presidents Clinton and Jiang announced that the United States and China will not target strategic nuclear weapons under their respective control at each other.

Missiles. The United States welcomed China's statement that it attaches importance to issues related to the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) and missile nonproliferation and that it has begun to actively study joining the MTCR. The United States and China will continue consultations on MTCR issues later in this year.

Chemical Weapons. China and the United States will further strengthen their controls on the export of dual-use chemicals and related production equipment and technology to assure they are not used for production of chemical weapons. China has announced that it has expanded the list of chemical precursors which it controls.

Biological Weapons. Presidents Clinton and Jiang issued a joint statement calling for strengthening of the Biological Weapons Convention and early conclusion of a protocol establishing a practical and effective compliance mechanism and improving transparency.

Anti-Personnel Landmines. Presidents Clinton and Jiang issued a joint statement affirming their commitment to ending the export and indiscriminate use of anti personnel landmines and to accelerating global humanitarian demining.

End-Use Visits. The United States and China agreed on practices for end-use visits on U.S. high-technology exports to China; this agreement will establish a framework for such exports to China.

Political and Security Dialogues

Communications. Presidents Clinton and Jiang inaugurated the direct Presidential link in May and affirmed its utility for consultation on important global, regional and bilateral political, security, and economic issues. They also agreed to continue regular summit meetings.

Regional Stability. Presidents Clinton and Jiang issued a joint statement on their shared interest in a peaceful and stable South Asia and a strong global nonproliferation regime. The United States and China agreed to intensify dialogue on security issues and coordinate efforts to strengthen peace and stability in that region, as well as the Korean peninsula and the Middle East.

Military-to-Military Relations

Military Maritime Consultative Agreement. In July, the United States and China will hold the first annual meeting under the auspices of the Military Maritime Consultative Agreement, whose goal will be to promote safety in naval and air operations and to avoid incidents at sea.

Exchange of Observers. The United States and Chinese militaries agreed to send personnel in the near future to observe a joint-training exercise of the other side on the basis of reciprocity. The size, location, and timing of the exercise will be discussed and decided by the two sides.

Disaster Response. The United States and Chinese militaries expressed satisfaction with the exchanges recently conducted in the area of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief and intend to continue cooperation in this area. As a next step, the United States and Chinese militaries agreed to hold a bilateral humanitarian relief "sand table" seminar game at the earliest opportunity. The exact timing, location, size, and format of the game, as well as further steps in bilateral cooperation, will be discussed and decided by the two sides.

Environmental Security. The United States and Chinese militaries reached an agreement to conduct cooperation and exchange in the area of military environmental protection and security. The two sides are preparing to sign a relevant memorandum to facilitate such cooperation and exchanges.

II. HUMAN RIGHTS: The United States and China affirm their commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms. While the two countries have differences on human rights, they agree that candid dialogue is an important element for resolving those differences. The United States welcomes China's announcement that it will sign in the fall the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and that it has submitted the International Covenant of Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights to the National People's Congress for ratification.

Religious Freedom. The United States and Chinese governments will encourage continued exchanges among officials and religious figures to deepen understanding on issues involving the role of religion in each country.

Dialogues. Senior officials of the U.S. State Department and Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs will resume a dialogue on human rights, holding the next round of discussions in the second half of 1998. American and Chinese organizations involved with human rights issues will convene a forum for non-official discussions in the second half of 1998.