China Policy

Transition Memo

Memorandum for the Record – Transition 4611

Date:
10 November 2008
Author(s):
Dennis Wilder (East Asian Affairs Directorate)
Classification Level:
Secret
Citation:
National Security Council, Executive Office of the President. China Policy-Transition 4611. Dennis Wilder. 10 November 2008.
Related Links:
Asia

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Item Details

Chronology for China Policy

CLASSIFIED

President’s Letter to Chinese President Jiang Zemin (July 2001)

Date: 16 July 2001

Author(s): George W. Bush (letter)

Description: Bush extends greetings to President Jiang Zemin. Bush then states that Secretary Powell’s upcoming trip to China lays the groundwork for Bush’s visit in October, during which Bush hopes to discuss the unlawful detainment of Americans and China’s accession to the WTO. Bush states that Ambassador Sandy Randt is his personal representative in China.

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Press Briefing Material on APEC Meeting (October 2001)

Date: 15 October 2001

Author(s): Condoleezza Rice (National Security Advisor)

Description: National Security Advisor Rice briefs the press about President Bush's upcoming trip to Shanghai for a meeting of APEC. Rice discusses the President's objectives and plans for bilateral meetings before answering a series of questions from the press.

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Memorandum of Conversation of the President’s Meeting with Chinese President Jiang Zemin in Shanghai (October 2001)

Date: 19 October 2001

Author(s): George W. Bush, Colin Powell (Secretary of State), Andrew Card (Chief of Staff), Condoleezza Rice (Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs), Karl Rove (Senior Advisor to the President), Karen Hughes (Counselor to the President), Ari Fleischer (White House Press Secretary), James Kelley (Assistant Secretary of State), Clark Randt (Ambassador to China), Gary Edson (Deputy Assistant to President for International Economic Affairs), Torkel Patterson (Senior Director for Asian Affairs, National Security Council), Jim Moriarty (Director for China/Taiwan, National Security Council) (notetaker), Vicki Segal (interpreter), Jiang Zemin (President of the PRC), Qian Qichen (Vice Premier of the PRC), Huang Ju (Shanghai Party Secretary, PRC), Zeng Qinghong (Party Central Committee Secretary, PRC), Wang Zhongyu (State Council Secretary General of the PRC), Tang Jiaxuan (Foreign Minister of the PRC), Li Zhaoxing (Vice Foreign Minister of the PRC), Yang Jiechi (Ambassador of the PRC to the United States), Qian Yongjiu (interpreter)

Description: Presidents Bush and Jiang exchange greetings and present issues critical to their respective sides of the U.S.-China relationship. Bush brings up GWOT, North Korea, and WTO accession conditions, and Jiang points to Taiwan, population uplifting, and other matters. Bush and Jiang begin discussing solutions and clarifying stances on issues of discussion.

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Memorandum of Conversation of the President’s Meeting with Chinese President Jiang Zemin in Crawford (October 2002)

Date: 25 October 2002

Author(s): George W. Bush, Colin Powell (Secretary of State), Andrew Card (Chief of Staff), Condoleezza Rice (Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs), Sandy Randt (U.S. Ambassador to China), James Moriarty (Senior Director for Asian Affairs; Notetaker), James Brown (Interpreter), Jiang Zemin (President, People’s Republic of China), Qian Qichen (Vice Premier of the State Council, People’s Republic of China), Li Zhaoxing (Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs), Yang Jiechi (Chinese Ambassador to the United States), He Yafei (Director General, Department of North American, and Oceanian Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs), You Xigui (Deputy Director, General Office of the Central Committee of the Communist party of China), Zhang Jianmin (Interpreter)

Description: Presidents Bush and Jiang discuss issues important to U.S.-China relations—counter-proliferation, counter-terrorism, North Korea, Taiwan, Iraq, Chinese religious freedom, and Chinese communism. Jiang urges Bush to pull back American support for Taiwan, and Bush makes his case to Jiang for invading Iraq.

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Six-Party Chairman’s Statement on the Second Round of the Talks (February 2004)

Date: 28 February 2004

Author(s): Unsure who the chairman of this round was, sourced from Xinhua News Agency

Description: Statement says the meeting place/timetable and participants of the second round, declares the round’s conversation topics, expresses the intent of all parties to coexist in peace, and expresses the willingness of all parties to take coordinated steps to address North Korean denuclearization.

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Joint Statement of the Fourth Round of the Six-Party Talks (September 2005)

Date: 19 September 2005

Author(s): Representatives of the governments involved in the Six-Party Talks

Description: The statement summarizes the fourth round of the six-party talks. The statement notes that the U.S. and North Korea agreed to respect each other’s sovereignty, that North Korea agreed to abandon its nuclear program, that the U.S. and South Korea both agreed to not deploy nuclear weapons on the Korean Peninsula, and that negotiations would continue.

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President’s Speech in Kyoto, Japan on Asian Democracy (November 2005)

Date: 16 November 2005

Author(s): George W. Bush (speech)

Description: Bush lauds the U.S.-Japanese alliance and thanked Japan for contributing to missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. Bush celebrates freedom’s growth in Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea and points to APEC and the Doha agreements as critical to freedom’s spread. Bush reiterates his China policy, discusses progress toward a free Chinese society and calls upon the Chinese government to go further. Bush condemns the collapse of freedom in Burma.

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Welcoming Remarks for Chinese President Hu Jintao on the White House Lawn (April 2006)

Date: 20 April 2006

Author(s): George W. Bush, Hu Jintao (president of China) (speech)

Description: Bush states his eagerness to discuss free trade and fair trade; individual political freedoms; foreign policy problems in Iran, Darfur, and North Korea; and U.S.-Taiwan policy with President Hu. Hu thanks Bush for his invitation; commemorates America’s historical ties with China; and highlights his desire to advance citizen/technology exchanges, free trade, foreign policy cooperation, environmental protection, and other areas.

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Memorandum with Conversation of the President’s Meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao at the White House (April 2006)

Date: 20 April 2006

Author(s): George W. Bush, Richard Cheney (Vice President), Condoleezza Rice (Secretary of State), Donald Rumsfeld (Secretary of Defense), Josh Bolten (Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff), Stephen Hadley (Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs), Clark "Sandy" Randt (American Ambassador to China), Dennis Wilder (Acting Senior Director for East Asian Affairs, NSC; Notetaker), Jim Brown (Interpreter), Hu Jintao (President of the People's Republic of China), Tang Jiaxuan (State Council or of the PRC), Li Zhaoxing (Minister of Foreign Affairs of the PRC), Wang Huning (Head of Policy Planning, CCCPC, PRC), Ling Jihua (Deputy Head of Policy Planning, CCCPC, PRC), Zhou Wenzhong (Chinese Ambassador to the United States), Yang Jiechi (Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of the PRC), Chen Shiju (Head of President Hu Jintao's Office, PRC), Fei Shengchao (Interpreter)

Description: Presidents Bush and Hu discuss North Korean denuclearization, Sudanese peace, the Iranian nuclear program, and Taiwan’s movement towards independence. The leaders agree to cooperate where possible, and Bush attempts to reassure Hu that he will work towards a solution on Taiwan’s independence movement.

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Statement by the President Announcing the Strategic Economic Dialogue (September 2006)

Date: 20 September 2006

Author(s): George W. Bush (statement)

Description: Bush announces the creation of the Strategic Economic Dialogue between the United States and China. Bush announces representatives/structure of the Dialogue and clarifies its desired effect of increasing U.S.-China trade cooperation.

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Press Briefing Material on APEC Meeting (August 2007)

Date: 30 August 2007

Author(s): Dennis Wilder (National Security Council Senior Director for Asian Affairs), Dan Price (Deputy National Security Advisor for International Economic Affairs)

Description: Wilder and Price discuss Bush’s upcoming APEC trip, stating that the major topics of discussion will include free trade, climate change, energy security, and sustainable development. Officials outline the trip’s schedule. Officials take questions on topics including Taiwan, Russian inclusion in the summit, and the War on Terror.

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Memorandum of Conversation of the President’s Meeting with Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi at the White House before the Taiwan Elections (September 2007)

Date: 27 September 2007

Author(s): George W. Bush, Steve Hadley (Assistant to the President and National Security Advisor), Dennis Wilder (Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for East Asian Affairs; Notetaker), Yang Jiechi (Foreign Minister of the PRC), Zhou Wenzhong (Chinese Ambassador to the United States), Liu Jieyi (Director General, Department of North American and Oceanian Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the PRC), Liu Jianchao (Director General, Information Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the PRC)

Description: Presidents Bush and Hu discuss human rights violations in Burma, Taiwanese independence, economic ties, North Korean disarmament, and the upcoming Olympics. Bush asks Hu to intervene against the Burmese government in defense of human rights. Hu and Bush agree to encourage Taiwan not to declare unilateral independence, and Bush makes the case to Hu that North Korea’s proliferation activities must be curbed. The leaders agree to pursue free trade policies.

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President’s Letter to Chinese President Hu Jintao (February 2008)

Date: 17 February 2008

Author(s): George W. Bush (letter)

Description: Bush implores Hu to pressure North Korea into giving up its nuclear weapons, worrying that an inability to secure North Korean disarmament means jeopardizing peace in Northeast Asia. Bush declares his readiness to sign a peace treaty ending the Korean War as well as to take part in a new Northeast Asian security arrangement if North Korea fully disarms.

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Non-memo from Secretary Rice’s Meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao in Beijing on North Korea (February 2008)

Date: 26 February 2008

Author(s): Condoleezza Rice (Secretary of State), Hu Jintao (President of the PRC)

Description: Rice iterates President Bush’s concerns and offers steps to securing a full declaration and resolving North Korea’s nuclear proliferation to Syria, as would be necessary to un-designate North Korea as a state sponsor of terror. Hu pushes back, but Rice states that North Korea’s failure to acknowledge Syrian proliferation will break the six-party talks. The leaders agree that China will talk to North Korea alone but with U.S. coordination.

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President’s Speech in Bangkok, Thailand on East Asian Alliances (August 2008)

Date: 7 August 2008

Author(s): George W. Bush (speech)

Description: Bush discusses the progress yielded by democracy support and open markets in Asia. Bush recounts his efforts to forge ties with Asian leaders and to support the aforementioned causes. Bush points to North Korean nonproliferation, climate change, Chinese human rights violations, and Burmese repression as prime concerns.

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