WASHINGTON, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- In articles written for a
U.S. business magazine, both Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama and
his Republican opponent John McCain have advocated stronger U.S. -China
cooperation in trade, global warming, nonproliferation and other issues.
Both articles appeared Sunday on the website of the
American Chamber of Commerce in China, and will be published in China Brief, the
chamber's monthly magazine, on Sept. 22.
U.S. Democratic presidential nominee
Senator Barack Obama speaks to the audience during a rally at Veterans
Memorial Park in Manchester, New Hampshire, Sept. 13, 2008.
(Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery>>>
How the United States and China meet common
challenges, "and the extent to which we can find common ground, will be
important both for our own countries and for others in Asia and beyond," Obama
wrote.
"China has achieved extraordinary, sustained growth
over the past three decades. Hundreds of millions of people in China live better
now than most thought possible even two decades ago," he said in the article.
"We know that America and China can accomplish much
when we recognize our common interests," Obama said, noting that U.S.-China
cooperation in the six-party talks (on the nuclear issue on the Korean
Peninsula) over the past few years "makes clear that we can work together
constructively, bilaterally and with others, to reduce tensions on even
extraordinarily sensitive issues."
U.S. Republican presidential nominee
Sen. John McCain speaks at a memorial service at the Flight 93 Temporary
Memorial outside Shanksville, Pennsylvania, Sept. 11, 2008.
(Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery>>>
The senator from Illinois said his approach to the
U.S.-China economic relationship "is positive and forward-looking: to remove
obstructions to gaining the benefits of trade and thus to enable faster, and
healthier, growth in both economies."
"America and China have developed a mature,
wide-ranging relationship over the past 30-plus years. Yet we still have to do
serious work if we are to create the level of mutual trust necessary for
long-term cooperation in a rapidly changing region," he added.
"Cooperation on the key, enduring global challenges,
such as climate change, can deepen understanding and enhance confidence. We also
need to deepen high-level dialogues on a sustained basis on economic, security
and global political issues. Our militaries should increase not only the
quantity of their contacts but the quality of their engagement," said Obama.
In his article, McCain said he was impressed by
China's economic success. "China's double-digit growth rates have brought
hundreds of millions out of poverty, energized the economies of its neighbors
and produced manifold new economic opportunities," he said.
"The United States shares common interests with China
that can form the basis of a strong partnership on issues of global concern,
including climate change, trade and proliferation," he added.
"Beyond our economic relationship, the United States
shares other common interests with China that can form the basis of a strong
partnership on issues of global concern. In addressing the problem of climate
change, for instance, Chinese cooperation will be essential," McCain said.
China and the United States "have numerous
overlapping interests and I hope to see our relationship evolve in a manner that
benefits both countries and, in turn, the Asia-Pacific region and the world," he
noted.
"Our ties must be rooted in a broader regional and
international order that provides the indispensable bedrock for the shared
prosperity and stability we all desire," McCain said.
"America itself must be a stakeholder in that system,
and we must take seriously our responsibilities to contribute to it. It is in
this spirit that America's relations with China, and with the countries that
comprise the region surrounding it, should proceed," he added.
The American Chamber of Commerce in China
(AmCham-China) is a non-profit organization which represents U.S. companies and
individuals doing business in China. Its membership comprises more than 2,700
individuals from over 1,200 companies.
