But the White House wouldn't go as far as describing the president's trip to Beijing a formal state visit. The announcement follows a public invitation by Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji, who surprised the White House on Thursday by announcing in Beijing that Mr. Bush will make his first state visit to China in October when he attends the economic forum. And we are considering how we can respond at this time. The Bush administration has upset Beijing by saying it would sponsor a U.N. resolution faulting China's human rights record and that it would push ahead with a controversial plan for a national missile shield, strongly opposed by China. Beijing is also worried that Washington will agree next month to sell large numbers of advanced weapons to rival Taiwan.
Countries compete and cooperate at the same time.
He restated China's demand that Taipei accept the principle as a basis for talks between Beijing and the self-governing island it claims as a wayward province. Zhu said China was restructuring its system of Communist Party rule, but poured cold water on speculation about reforms to democratize its political system. We will not copy the experience of letting two parties take shifts in running the affairs of the state or introduce a bicameral legislature. In Washington, Fleischer also said Mr. Bush welcomed comments on Wednesday from China's top arms control diplomat, who said Beijing was willing to discuss the National Missile Defense proposal it stridently opposes. Sha Zukang, director general of the Chinese Foreign Ministry's Department of Arms Control, also indicated for the first time that Beijing drew a distinction between NMD and a more local Theater Missile Defense.