Former U.S. president: Mutual respect is important in U.S.-China relations (2)

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Question: Mr. President, as you just mentioned, in 1978, China saw two important events happening. One is the opening up which was initiated by late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping. The other is establishment of diplomatic relationship between China and the U.S.

Carter: But our announcement came first (laughs).

Question: Obviously, at that time the main drive for your bold decision to recognize China diplomatically has much to do with the Soviet Union. Now I'm just wondering at that time have you ever imagined that your decision to fully recognize China would have a huge impact on China's opening up and reform. Because we Chinese believe that the U.S. is always the main outside factor to our China's development. So my question is: at that time have you ever thought of the impact?

Carter: I have to admit that in 1979, now thirty years ago, I didn't envision such transforming events inside China or between China and outside world. I couldn't come to China before while I was still the President. I had the Iranian hostage crisis and other things. And I had to stay here. Deng Xiaoping was every eager for me to come and visit. And so I went there in August 1981. And He wanted me to see some results of his change in China.

At that time, there was no free enterprise in China. And he had let farmers only have one small project, just one. No villagers, no city citizens could have free enterprise. But farmer could have five pigs, or farmer could repair bicycles, or farmer could make clay pots, or make horseshoes in a home forge. That was all. And at that time, he wanted me to visit these villages to see what was happening. And local farmers could have 15% of the cooperative land. It was 15%, in ditches and other trees. It was a very poor land. But it was a change.

And I didn't ever envision that China would have the most rapidly growing and expanding economic system on earth, in other words, a 10% annual increase, the largest by far of any countries on earth. I've never realized that we would have a trade imbalance with China so heavily at our disadvantage. And I've never realized that China would be owning hundreds of billions of dollars of American bonds, or that China would be a main factor in the present stabilization of global economic crisis by your 586 billion dollars stimulus package you've announced.

We've never dreamed of these things then. And I'm not even sure that Deng Xiaoping could have envisioned, with all of his wisdom, the enormity of the benefits that would come. So I think we underestimated the advantages of changes that took place. And I think we underestimated the capabilities and ambition of Chinese people themselves and their leaders.

Question: Firstly, thank you very much for this precious opportunity. You just said that the American- Sino relations are most important bilateral relations in the world politics. My question is that what do you think are most important factors in maintaining and developing our bilateral relations and co-operations?

Carter: I would say two words, to summarize, mutual respect. This is very important.

And knowing that we will have a new President next year and also because our 30th Anniversary. I will be in China next month. And we have planned the trip so that I can complete my visit and return to the United States just three or four days before Barack Obama is inaugurated. And I will be on the Platform when he takes the oath of office.

And even before then, I will be meeting with him, with his Secretary of State, his National Security Adviser, his Ambassador to the United Nations. In the last two days I talked with all of them. And what are most important issues on my agenda would be to stronger recommend the maintenance of the mutual respect between our two countries and the openness in discussions, so that any potential disagreements we may have, or competitions may arise between our two countries would be resolved in the mutual respect way, peaceful way.

Recognizing that this abiding friendship that we started 30 years ago would never be endangered. So that was my summarized thoughts.

Q: How do you evaluate the decade-long stalemate from Nixon's ice-breaking trip to China to the establishment of the diplomatic relations? Why did you set it a task that had to be filled during your term to establish diplomatic relations with China?

That was a matter I thought about very much when I was seeking the office of the President. I'd had an interest in China for the reason I told you that I was there when the change took place, the same year, 1949. I had a favorite uncle, he served in the navy, who used to send me letters from China and gifts from China. I still have them.

And when Nixon went to China, he and the Chinese leaders issued the Shanghai Communiqué. And Nixon agreed that there was only one China. He didn't say which one. And the general presumption then for ten years, was that the "one China" was still Taiwan. And we had full diplomatic relations with Taiwan. And all of our trade relationships were concentrated in Taiwan. I wanted to change that.

There were some strategic issues that concerned me too. That was the danger of my normalizing relations with China and its impact in Moscow. Because we were in the cold war, and the danger of nuclear conflagration was real. And I wanted to be sure that nothing I did might be threatening to the Soviet Union to the extent that they might lash out militarily in some fashion. So the first person I called on Dec 15 was Premier Brezhnev. And I showed him that our relationship with China was not in alignment of two great nations against his. And there was a peaceful move for the global relations. And I sent my top diplomats to Moscow to make sure that the Soviet Union leaders were not excessively disturbed. They were disturbed and threatened to cancel the planned negotiations between me and Brezhnev for SALT we call it, the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks. But they found it went through. So I had multiple concerns.

And I would say that the main reason we had a ten year stagnation was the unwillingness of my predecessors to sever diplomatic relations with Taiwan. I have to say again, I say it already, that this move toward what is known in our country as "red China" was not popular. That was why Nixon during the remain of his term and President Ford during his term, didn't pursue the route that I found I decided to take. But I made this decision quite early in my presidency. But the first year I was deeply involved in trying to bring peace to the Middle East between Israel and Egypt, because there had been four wars between the two in the previous 25 years. And there was a threat of nuclear confrontation between us and the Soviet Union, because the Soviet was aligned with the Arab countries, and US was supporting Israel. Under Nixon and Brezhnev, they had already had a nuclear alert at the end of '73 war. So those were the considerations I had. But I think there was a political matter in the US that prevented a strong move by my predecessors that I was willing to take.

And after I took it, I was severely condemned by Ronald Reagan. And he used this abandonment of Taiwan against me in the 1980 election, very effectively.

Question: What's the deepest impression did Deng Xiaoping leave upon you?

Carter: He has a sense of humor. He always says funny things. But I think he has obvious ability falling into the pictures and to analyze the impact of current events on the life of people in the future years.

Question: On the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, what message are you going to convey to the Chinese people?

Carter: The message will be that I express in China's gratitude to the Chinese leaders and the people of welcoming my country and me personally as partners and preserving peace and promoting the wellbeing of the people on earth. And I express my pride in that part of the momentous decision. That's my main message.

Question: you are already 80 something, but you are young in heart, active and energetic in action. What's the purpose and motto in your life?

Carter: First of all, my wife is a good woman, almost 63 years ago. She is an excellent dietician. She knows what I should actually eat and what should not eat. She and I take a lot of exercise every day, including this morning we walked together. I swim every day when I am at home. We do things together. We have a good family. I am also blessed by (with) good health so far. All of my family members died of cancer, my father, my mother, my brother and both of my sisters. Four of them died of pancreatic cancer which is very rare. I think the reason the doctors believe just because I never smoke cigarette. All other members of my family smoked cigarette and they died of cancer. I've been blessed in many ways. And actually life keeps me on all my toes.

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