SECRETARY-GENERAL VISITS CHINA, 31 MARCH TO 2 APRIL

Press Release
SG/T/2128

SECRETARY-GENERAL VISITS CHINA, 31 MARCH TO 2 APRIL

The Secretary-General arrived in Beijing from Moscow in the morning of Tuesday, 31 March. After a few hours rest, he met in the afternoon with Vice Premier Qian Qichen. The Vice Premier thanked the Secretary-General for the role he had played in defusing the Iraq crisis.

They then discussed the return of Prince Ranarridh to Cambodia and the upcoming elections there, the search for peace in Afghanistan, the four-party talks on Korea, the Asian economic crisis, the peace process in the Middle East, and China-United Nations relations.

The two principals then spoke to the press. Their talks continued over dinner, hosted by the Vice Premier.

In the morning of 1 April, the Secretary-General toured the Palace Museum in the Forbidden City. In the afternoon, he attended an event co-sponsored by the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and the United Nations Association of China, where he was briefed by Tian Zeng Pei, Chairman of the Conference's Foreign Affairs Committee.

The Secretary-General then gave an address to members of the Conference, focusing primarily on prevention as an essential aspect of the United Nations work in the area of peace and security (see Press Release SG/SM/6511 of 1 April). He then took questions on Iraq, the Middle East peace process, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and United Nations reform.

He met later with representatives of United Nations agencies, as well as with local and international staff, at the headquarters of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Beijing. The UNDP then hosted a dinner in his honour.

The Secretary-General concluded his visit to Beijing on Thursday, 2 April, with a meeting with President Jiang Zemin. He thanked the President for China's support in finding a diplomatic solution to the latest crisis in Iraq. The President emphasized the importance of unity among the five permanent members of the Security Council.

- 2 - Press Release SG/T/2128 3 April 1998

Their discussions also touched on the Asian economic crisis. The Secretary-General said that China's policies were contributing to economic stability in the region, and that this view was shared by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and by the World Bank. Other topics discussed were Taiwan, Macao and China's relations with the United Nations.

The Secretary-General then flew to London, where he arrived on Thursday afternoon, 2 April.

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