Clinton and Jiang Discuss Korean Issues in Phone Call

The White House has announced that U.S. President Bill Clinton and Chinese President Jiang Zemin held a phone conversation on May 28 in which they discussed Taiwan, trade deals, and issues related to the stabilization of the Korean peninsula.

According to Yonhap News, around 10:30 p.m. (Korean time) Chairman Jiang made a phone call to President Clinton in which he expressed appreciation to the U.S. Congress for approving Permanent Normal Trading Relations (PNTR) with China, along with hopes for a prompt vote by the U.S. Senate.

＂Although there are some minor points of debate within the PNTR agreement, the U.S. House of Representatives made a wise decision in passing the bill,＂ said Jiang on the phone.

The two leaders also agreed to cooperate in promoting the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons and the stabilization of the Korean peninsula. In addition, President Clinton advised Jiang to seek face-to-face dialogue with Taiwan's new leader Chen Shui-bian.