ABSTRACT
George W. Bush visit to China was followed by Chinese Vice President Hu Jintao's visit to the United States in late April and early May 2002. Condoleezza Rice had commented that economic change in China would lead to sustained pressures for political liberalization. The Bush-Hu meeting was followed by the December visit to Washington of Chinese Premier Wen Jiubao. Bush's secretary of defense, Donald Rumsfeld, had previously served in that post under President Gerald Ford. Although many tensions in the Sino-American relationship remained unresolved, President Bush visited China in November 2005 as part of a greater Asian tour. On December 9, President Bush issued a strong statement to Taiwanese President Chen Shui-biun. Another issue that strained US-China relation in the early months of Bush's presidency was national missile defense. China feared national missile defense would obliterate its strategic position. On October 20-21, President Bush attended the Shanghai summit of leaders of states comprising the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) organization.
