Bush to attend Beijing Olympics opening ceremony

Bush to attend Beijing Olympics opening ceremony

U.S. President George W. Bush said Wednesday that U.S.-China relations are good and important, and he is "honored" to be invited to attend the Beijing Olympics.

"The fact that both countries are honoring the 30th anniversary of the relationship is a statement about good relations," he told reporters from China, South Korea and Thailand at the White House ahead of his upcoming trip to the three countries.

Also, the fact that both China and the United States are opening new embassies in each other's capitals is "a signal of how important the relationship is," Bush added.

Bush said that during his stay in Beijing, he would attend the opening ceremony of the new U.S. embassy, together with his father, former U.S. President George H. W. Bush.

"Isn't that interesting, two new embassies open the same year, obviously to celebrate the 30th anniversary of what has been a very important relationship," he said.

In retrospect of the development of U.S.-China relationship during his presidency, the president said two things are most important.

One is that he and the Chinese leaders have forged a good personal relationship featured by "sincerity and honesty," as they have met many times during Bush's tenure.

Secondly, the two nations have worked hard to put strategic economic dialogues in place in a bid to broaden and enhance bilateral relations.

To some extent, the president said, China and the United States have become increasingly interdependent as their relationship is becoming more and more interwoven, particularly in the economic field.

He said whoever follows him as the president will continue the policy of "active engagement" (with China) with a constant reminder of the belief in human freedom and liberty.

"And it's an opportunity for our two countries ... to be able to work through common problems and to seize common opportunities," he added.

Moreover, Bush said he has always been committed to broadening defense cooperation and exchanges between China and the United States.

The president believed it was very important for U.S. generals, especially younger U.S. officers, to conduct exchanges and make more contacts with their Chinese counterparts so as to create a feeling of trust.

Asked about how he viewed the changes happening with India and China growing stronger, Bush said he believed the emergence of India and China is a positive thing.

"I view the emergence of India and China as positives and I think it's going to be very important for the United States to stay engaged," he said.

"They will provide great opportunities for development of services and goods that people in our big markets want," he said.

"It provides great opportunities for capital flows which is necessary for economic development. It will provide opportunities to work collaboratively on strong strategic areas, security areas ... as well as on the environment," the president added.

While talking about Taiwan, Bush said it is "a very sensitive issue" for the Chinese government.

People who study this very closely will see that the issue is "in a better place," Bush said.

"I made it abundantly clear that there were some red lines for the United States on this issue, that there would be no unilateral declaration of independence," the president said.

"Our policy was still the same. It's very important for the president to be very consistent," he added.

Bush said he himself was very pleased with the state of (cross-Straits) relations now.

As for the upcoming Beijing Olympics, the president said the message of his visit to China and to attend the Beijing Olympics is "that I personally and America respect the Chinese people -- respect your history, respect your tradition, and I'm honored to have been invited to the Games."

"And I made a decision not to politicize the Games; this is for athletics," he said.

Earlier this month, the White House has confirmed that Bush will attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics.

The president, a sports fan himself, said he will also watch some events during the Games, including the men's basketball game between China and the United States.

"I'm sure we will walk around the different venue sites and just get a sense for the whole atmosphere of people from all around the world coming to Beijing to compete in the Olympic Games. That's going to be a proud moment for the Chinese people," he said.

In the end, Bush said he is looking forward to meeting Chinese President Hu Jintao in Beijing.

He said he and President Hu have "very cordial relations" and "it's important to be able to have those kind of relations."

"I'm very comfortable in his presence, and we will talk about the kinds of issues we always talk about," Bush said.

Bush is scheduled to leave for a three-nation Asia tour on Aug.4. He will visit South Korea and Thailand before going to China on Aug. 7, where he will attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics on Aug. 8.