On April 21st, 2004, US President George W. Bush met in the Oval Office of the White House with visiting Chinese Vice-Premier Wu Yi who went to Washington to attend and chair the 15th session of the China-US Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT).

Bush extended welcome to Wu Yi who led a Chinese delegation to attend the session. He said, "I'm pleased to know the positive outcome of the 15th session of JCCT. Both the US and China are great countries in the world with extensive areas of cooperation. The US side fully recognizes the importance of economic and trade cooperation to the relationship between the two countries, and hopes to further expand trade with China and bring more tangible benefits to the two peoples through continuous development of bilateral economic and trade relations."

Bush reiterated that the United States sticks to the one-China policy and also stressed that there is no change in the position he stated about the Taiwan issue on Dec. 9 last year.

Wu Yi said that the success of the just-ended JCCT consultation is the result of common efforts. It is another testimony that China and the United States could settle their economic and trade issues properly and further advance their cooperation if both sides show mutual understanding and compromises.

Wu Yi said that China is delighted with the progress of the Sino-US relations made over recent years and hopes the US side to exercise prudence in handling the Taiwan issue and abide by its commitments to ensure steady progress in the Sino-US relationship. China, the biggest developing country in the world, and the United States, the biggest developed country, have a great potential in economic and trade cooperation. The two sides should always treat their relationship from a strategic and long-term perspective. Both sides should also address each other's concerns and broaden common interests through more exchanges and cooperation in the spirit of mutual respect and seeking common ground while reserving difference. China hopes that the United States will recognize China's market economy status at an early date and lift its export restrictions to facilitate the healthy development of economic and trade relations between the two countries.

Chinese Minister of Commerce Bo Xilai, Chief of General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine Li Changjiang, China Ambassador to the US Yang Jielu, Vice Foreign Minister Zhou Wenzhong, the US National Security Advisor Dr. Condoleezza Rice and Assistant to the President for Economic Policy Stephen Friedman attended the talks.