The US Secretary of State, Colin Powell, is in Australia today on the final leg of a five-nation Asia-Pacific tour. Mr Powell left Beijing early today where he held an intense round of talks with Chinese leaders including President Jiang Zemin.
Mr Powell gave a positive account of the negotiations. He said the two countries would soon resume a dialogue on human rights and also participate in expert discussions on Chinese missile technology transfers. Mr Powell said he had assured China that the US plans for an anti-missile defence system posed no threat.
His trip also helped smooth the way for a visit by President George W Bush in October. The US President came to office speaking of strategic competition with China and a series of incidents and US policy moves riled the Chinese. Sino-US ties plummeted in April after the mid-air collision of a US spy plane with a Chinese fighter jet.
