Hu Jintao Calls Obama About Taiwan

Chinese President Hu Jintao called President-elect Barack Obama on November 8th to congratulate him on being elected President of the United States. During the conversation Hu Jintao expressed China’s hope that the United States will deal properly with the sensitive issues between the two countries, especially the question of Taiwan, so that a cooperative constructive relationship between the U.S. and China can advance to higher levels.

This was the first time that Hu Jintao and Obama have been in contact since the election. This is also the first time that Hu and Obama have brought up the question of Taiwan. However, according to the report by China’s official media outlet Xinhua, during the course of the conversation, Hu Jintao only briefly mentioned the issue of Taiwan and Obama did not provide a response.

Four days after Ma Yingjiu was elected to office this year on March 22nd, Hu Jintao took the initiative during a telephone meeting with President Bush to suggest using the 92nd Consensus as a foundation to resume cross-straits talks. Soon after, the two sides began a series of high level exchanges; and as a result, the relations between China, Taiwan and the United States appear to be developing smoothly.

According to the analysis of academic scholars in Beijing, the question of Taiwan is a sensitive topic in U.S.-Sino relations, but their stands on this topic have been gradually revised after the recent improvements in cross-straits relations. After Obama takes office next year, the issue Beijing will be paying the most attention to is weapons sale to Taiwan. They believe Obama has ample understanding of this sensitive issue.

Hu Jintao said on the eve of his trip to take part in financial summit meetings in the United States and for the Asia-Pacific economies that the current international financial crisis will have a serious effect on the world’s economic development and on the lives of the people. In order to effectively respond to this global challenge the international community should strengthen their faith in each other, increase coordination between nations, and work together closely.

He went on to say that at the upcoming global economic summit held in Washington, the Chinese delegation will pay special importance to working with public and private interests to adopt measures that will restore market confidence as quickly as possible, contain the spread of the financial crisis, and reduce as far as possible the effects the financial crisis will have on the economic structure, and how to avoid a global economic recession.

Furthermore, Hu pointed out that the financial crisis has revealed many deep administrative malpractices in the global financial system and that the international community should learn from the crisis. It is necessary to conduct reforms, particularly in strengthening international financial oversight, perfecting international financial organizations, and improving the international monetary system.

Obama responded that China is a great nation, and that China’s development and success were in line with American interests. He said that on the current international stage, the U.S.-Sino relationship is the most important relationship, and developing cooperation between the U.S. and China will not only benefit the two countries, but will also benefit the entire world. He added that the U.S.-Sino relationship faces many opportunities for development and that he hopes that the two sides can strengthen their mutual cooperation.

Obama further stated that in settling the current financial crisis, each country’s governments need to engage in close cooperation, and hoped that the U.S. and China will strengthen their cooperation as they head in to the summit meeting to discuss the financial crisis and global economy.