On the evening of April 5, Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan called U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell at invitation.

Powell briefed Tang about the U.S.' view on the current situation in the Middle East, saying that President George W. Bush will send him to the region in the next few days. Powell said the United States will make the utmost efforts to calm down the situation in the region.

Tang thanked Powell for his briefing. He told Powell that in the afternoon he had telephone talks with Palestinian President Yasser Arafat and Secretary-General of the League of Arab States Amr Mahmoud Moussa, respectively. Tang said that the Chinese side is deeply concerned with and worried about the escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in recent days. The Chinese side welcomes the news that Powell would go to the Middle East for mediation. China hopes Powell's visit to the region will help reverse the very dangerous situation in the Middle East. Tang pointed out that what is the most important at present is to urge the Israeli side to implement the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council, withdraw all troops from Palestine and lift the siege of President Arafat. Tang also said that China hopes the U.S. would play an active role in easing the conflict between Israel and Palestine. China has been working for the realization of peace and stability in the Middle East and is ready to maintain consultation and cooperation with the U.S. on this issue.

The two sides also exchanged views on major issues such as Sino-U.S. relations and the situation in South Asia.