China and the United States reached "a broad ranging consensus" on a number of anti-terrorism issues in talks with visiting US Ambassador-at-large Francis Taylor, which ended Thursday.
Both Chinese Foreign Ministry officials and Taylor agreed that terrorism severely threatens the peace and development and the international community take comprehensive measures to strike against any form of terrorism. Sino-US joint efforts are also necessary.
Taylor, coordinator for anti-terrorism for the US State Department, arrived in Beijing Tuesday and met with Li Zhaoxing and Wang Yi, both vice ministers of foreign affairs, and Xiong Guangkai, deputy chief of general staff of the People's Liberation Army (PLA).
In consultations between Li Baodong, director of the International Department of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, and Taylor, both exchanged views on the international and regional anti-terrorism situation, the Afghanistan situation and bilateral anti-terrorism cooperation, and reached a broad ranging consensus.
The consultation has been a further step in the consensus Chinese President Jiang Zemin and US President George Bush reached in Shanghai in October during anti-terrorism exchanges and cooperation.
During the consultations, both sides reiterated that terrorism severely threatens the peace and development of the world, and the international community should, with joint efforts, take comprehensive measures to strike against any form of terrorism, with the United Nations and its Security Council playing an important role in this respect.
Both sides agreed that the intensified anti-terrorism cooperation between China and the United States and the establishment of medium and long-term exchanges and cooperation mechanism on anti-terrorism between the two countries are in their common interest, conducive to the development of constructive cooperative relations between the two countries, as well as helpful to the advancement of international anti-terrorism cooperation.
Both parties expressed satisfaction over the results of the talks and agreed to keep on with consultation, coordination and cooperation on anti-terrorism.
(Xinhua News Agency December 7, 2001)
