Ｆｏｒｍｅｒ ＵＳ Ｐｒｅｓｉｄｅｎｔ Ｊｉｍｍｙ Ｃａｒｔｅｒ Ｖｉｓｉｔｓ Ｃｈｉｎａ

At the invitation of the CPAFFC， former US President Jimmy Carter paid a visit to China from December 3 to 7， 2007. On December 5， Xi Jinping， member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee， met with and entertained him and his party at the Great Hall of the People. Tang Jiaxuan， State Councillor; Xu Kuangdi， vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and president of the China-US Peoples Friendship Association (CUSPFA); Li Xueju， minister of civil affairs; and Li Xiaolin， vice president of the CPAFFC， met with or entertained him on different occasions. Carter attended the meeting marking the 28th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States and the “China Night” activity organized by the American National Geographic Society. He visited the China University of Political Science and Law and gave a speech to the teachers and students.

Party and State Leaders

Meeting with Jimmy Carter

When meeting with Jimmy Carter， Comrade Xi Jinping spoke highly of his contributions to the establishment of China-US diplomatic relations and the promotion of friendship between the two countries. Xi said， over the past 28 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations， thanks to concerted efforts by both sides， bilateral relations have made steady progress with common interests being expanded and fields of cooperation widened continuously. China is willing to work with the United States， strengthen dialogue， mutual trust and cooperation and properly handle differences and sensitive issues so as to continue to push forward China-US constructive and cooperative relations.

Tang Jiaxuan expressed appreciation of Carter’s efforts to bring about the establishment of China-US diplomatic relations during his presidency and his continuous care about and support of China-US relations after leaving the office. Tang said， as the Chinese saying goes “When you drink the water， think of those who dug the well”， the Chinese people will not forget Mr. Carter’s important and valuable contributions to China-US relations.

Carter regarded it as the happiest thing in his life that during his presidency he promoted the establishment of US-China diplomatic relations and the U.S. explicitly recognized that there is only one China in the world and that Taiwan is part of China. He said， the establishment of US-China diplomatic relations in 1979 was a historic event of world influence giving profound impact on the United States， China， Asia and the whole world. He believed， in spite of their different political systems， the two countries can get along well with mutual tolerance. He said that he had full confidence in the bright prospect of China’s development and that he would continue to promote the development of bilateral relations.

Meeting Marking the 28th Anniversary of

China-US Diplomatic Relations

On the afternoon of December 5， the CPAFFC held a meeting marking the 28th anniversary of the establishment of China-US diplomatic relations. Vice Chairman Xu Kuangdi， CPAFFC Vice President Li Xiaolin， former US President Jimmy Carter and US Ambassador to China Clark T. Randt， Jr. attended the meeting among more than 100 council members of the CUSPFA， scholars on China-US relations as well as students from universities in Beijing. Xu Kuangdi， Jimmy Carter and C. T. Randt， Jr. spoke on the occasion and Carter answered the questions raised by the participants.

In his speech， Xu Kuangdi said， the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States， an important event that has great impact on the world and the future， is the result of concerted efforts made by both Chinese and American statesmen. The two countries should continue to strengthen dialogue， perseveringly carry out people-to-people exchanges and deepen mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples.

In his speech， Carter for the first time revealed his personal diaryfrom 1977 to 1979 about the tortuous course of the establishment of US-China diplomatic relations， including how he withstood the huge pressure from the Congress to have secret negotiations with Deng Xiaoping and other Chinese leaders on establishing diplomatic relations between the two countries， to sever diplomatic relations with Taiwan and recognize that Taiwan is a part of China and to finally bring about the establishment of US-China diplomatic relations. He also recalled with feelings Deng Xiaoping’s visit to the United States and the profound friendship between them.

Carter expressed satisfaction with the visit and hoped that he would visit China again at the end of 2008 to attend a series of activities marking the 30th anniversary of the establishment of China-US diplomatic relations.