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between our governments is good. We’ve South America, you stressed the importance done some—we’ve made some difficult de- of free trade. Will the FTA be on the main cisions together and have acted together. agenda when you visit Korea? For example, troops in Iraq—that was dif- The President. Oh, I think—I’m not sure ficult. That was a difficult decision for your what you mean by ‘‘main agenda,’’ but it’s President. It was a difficult decision for certainly going to be an item we discuss. me, as a matter of fact, to commit troops. And you know, these agreements are im- And yet, we’re working together to bring portant, but so is a more global agreement, democracy, and therefore peace, to a trou- called the Doha round of the WTO. And bled part of the world. of course, I’ll be discussing that as well, We had a base realignment issue that not only with President Roh but at the we worked out with the South Korean Gov- APEC meeting that South Korea is so kind- ernment. That’s not an easy issue, but it’s ly hosting. a necessary issue that the Government— Mr. Lee. Thank you, Mr. President, for South Korean Government thought was sharing your views. necessary and I agreed was necessary. And The President. Well, thank you very we did so in a cordial way. much. I’m looking forward to going back We’ve got a lot of trade. I mean, the to your beautiful country. And I want to trade between South Korea and the United thank the Government of South Korea and States is substantial. There is an oppor- the people of South Korea for hosting me tunity down the road for us to put a free and Laura as we return. trade agreement in. Both countries are Mr. Lee. Thank you, sir. going to have to work hard to make that The President. Yes, sir. happen. There’s a lot of exchange of people back and forth between our countries. So there’s a lot of contact, a lot of com- NOTE: The interview was taped at 1:27 p.m. merce, and a lot of security measures we’re in the Map Room at the White House for taking together. I think the thing to do later broadcast. In his remarks, the President is to keep advancing the relationship and referred to Prime Minister Junichiro working to make it more mature so that Koizumi of Japan; and President Roh Moo- we can work together to keep the peace. hyun of South Korea. A tape was not avail- Mr. Lee. Mr. President, you mentioned able for verification of the content of this free trade. And on your recent trip to interview.

Interview With Phoenix Television of Hong Kong November 8, 2005

China-U.S. Relations There is a lot of good that we’re doing Naichain Mo. Mr. President, thank you together, and there’s a lot of areas where for selecting Phoenix Television for this we may not have full agreement but, never- interview. What greeting and message theless, are able to discuss our disagree- would you like to convey to the Chinese ments in a very cordial way. And so I would people prior to your visit to China? tell the people of China you live in a great, The President. First, that the relationship massive country that’s growing well and between China and America is an impor- that we want to have good relations with tant relationship. It’s a mixed relationship. you.

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President’s Upcoming Visit to China about a cross-strait situation than you were Ms. Mo. This will be your third formal in, like, 2003? visit to China. The President. Well, I’m always con- The President. Yes. cerned that one party or the other will do Ms. Mo. What do you hope to achieve something unilaterally to change the status with this visit? quo, which would then create, you know, The President. Well, first of all, the visit a source of angst and anger. And therefore, is giving me a chance to further get to I’m constantly reiterating my position so know the leadership. President Hu is a per- that both sides clearly know the position son who I enjoy visiting with. He is a smart of the United States. fellow. And the more you get to know a Ms. Mo. Are you optimistic about a person, the better—the easier it is to make peaceful resolution in the end? good policy. The President. I have seen some—yes, Secondly, I’m going to, of course, be I am optimistic there will be a peaceful going to China to represent the interests resolution. Secondly, I am optimistic be- of my people. I’ll talk about the need for cause I have seen cross-straits discussion trade that is free and fair. I’ll talk about starting to take place. And I urge the par- the currency, of course. I’ll talk about intel- ties to continue those discussions. I believe lectual property rights that the President it is possible, through discussion and good and I have discussed before. will, to end up solving this issue in a peace- And then on the international front we’ll, ful way. of course—I’ll confirm my ‘‘one China,’’ China-U.S. Relations three-communique policy, that not only Ms. Mo. You call U.S.-China relationship says that we do not support independence complicated. but as well, we will adhere to the Taiwan The President. Yes. Relations Act. I think that’s important for Ms. Mo. And we heard U.S. officials and the Chinese leadership and the people of experts have variously called China a threat, China to hear. a partner, a competitor, and an opportunity. We’ve also got an agenda to fight ter- So how do you see China, and what’s your rorism, fight narcotrafficking, as well as to plan to deal with China’s emergence? work together to convince the leader of The President. Well, that’s interesting— North Korea that the Korean Peninsula all the different adjectives I guess kind of should be nuclear weapons-free. express a complicated relationship. I would So we’ve got a broad agenda. say—I think we’ve got a lot of issues to Ms. Mo. Keep you busy. deal with, is the best way to describe it. The President. It will keep us busy, but And on issues on which we agree, we can it’s an important agenda, and the people make positive contributions and change. of China must understand that when the Issues we don’t necessarily agree on, we United States and China works together, can work through and do so in a frank we can accomplish a lot. way. And I repeat, I think we have a fan- tastic opportunity by working with China Taiwan and other countries to make sure that the Ms. Mo. You brought up Taiwan. I re- Korean Peninsula is nuclear weapons-free, member in 2001 and 2003 you made strong which will lay a foundation for a peace statements regarding Taiwan—— in the region and the hemisphere, and The President. Yes. that’s important. Ms. Mo. ——and regarding the recent Ms. Mo. You brought up North Korea. development, do you feel less concern What other issues do you most seek China’s

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support and cooperation? And what do you Ms. Mo. ——and went back a number expect them to do? of visit over the years. Can you share with The President. Well, first of all, on the us some of the memories that made the United Nations Security Council we work deepest impression on you when you think on every issue together. And one way for of China? us to be able to work together is just to The President. I think of how different share opinions on different issues. For ex- China is today than it was in 1975. In ample, I’ll bring up Iran. I want the 1975—first of all, I had a fantastic experi- President to understand how I think it’s ence when I went there in 1975. important for the free world and the peace- Ms. Mo. Good to know. ful world to work together to convince the The President. I really did. It was great. Iranians not to develop a nuclear weapon. It was really interesting. The two impres- China has got influence. China is a big, sions—a couple of impressions. One, every- powerful nation. And therefore, it’s in our body was on bicycles; there weren’t many interest that we share ideas and work to- automobiles. I happened to be one of the gether. I’ll also want to continue discussions people on bicycles. I rode all over the place on the economic front, because we’ve got in Beijing, which was fascinating. a big trade imbalance with China, but we’re Secondly, I can remember how odd peo- making progress. The Chinese took a good ple thought I looked. In other words, there first step on having a market currency; I wasn’t much exposure to the West, and all believe they ought to do more. The Presi- of a sudden an American starts riding a dent made a very strong statement in New bike amongst them, and it, frankly, sur- York about intellectual property rights. prised some people. We’ve reached a textile agreement, which And thirdly, I noticed there was uni- is a very important signal to our folks who formity in dress. People wore the same want to make sure that the President works style clothes. And that’s changed, which for fair trade. And with the trade balance means there’s a market; people are begin- as big as it is, you know, it’s important ning to express their own individual desires for people here in America to be able to and somebody is meeting those desires with say to themselves, ‘‘We hope it’s fair.’’ And a product. There’s high-rise buildings that I’m going to continue to insist on fair trade are magnificent. When I went to Shanghai as well. right after September the 11th, 2001, I Finally, there is a couple of other areas was—it was mind-boggling to look at the we can work on, if you’ve got a second. fantastic buildings that had been built be- One is energy. We consume a lot of energy. tween the airport and the old town. China is consuming more energy. And we So this is a country that has progressed need to share information and share tech- a lot since 1975, which shows the vast po- nologies so both of us can diversify away tential of China. And it explains to peo- from hydrocarbons. ple—it should explain to people in America why it’s important for our Government to have a good working relationship—as com- President’s 1975 Visit to China plex as it is, but to have a good working Ms. Mo. My last question, in 1975 you relationship. And we do. And that’s in the visited China, when your father was U.S. interest not only of our respective people Representative in Beijing. but it’s in the interest of the world. The President. Yes, I did. Ms. Mo. Thank you, Mr. President. Ms. Mo. I know you spent your 29th The President. Thanks for coming. birthday there—— Ms. Mo. I wish you a very good trip The President. That’s right. [Laughter] to Asia and a successful visit to China.

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The President. Thank you very much. referred to President Hu Jintao of China; and Chairman Kim Chong-il of North Korea. A NOTE: The interview was taped at 1:34 p.m. tape was not available for verification of the in the Map Room at the White House for content of this interview. later broadcast. In his remarks, the President

Interview With Eagle Television of Mongolia November 8, 2005

President’s Upcoming Visit to Mongolia principles for the U.S. after you leave the Gonchigjav Batjav. So there are many White House? developing countries in Asia. So why did The President. Thank you. That’s a very you choose to visit Mongolia at this time? interesting question. First of all, there are The President. First of all, I am really certain values that are inherent in our looking forward to going. This is going to country that any leader will bring to the be an exciting trip for me and Laura. Mon- White House, the value of human rights, golia has got a certain fascination for me. human dignity, freedom to worship, free- I grew up in the West of the United States dom of the press, freedom to speak your where there’s—where we like wide-open mind. And so foreign policy will have inher- spaces. And when you think about Mon- ent in it those values. golia, you think about a big country with a lot of space. But what’s interesting about The other thing is, is that once democ- Mongolia is it’s more than geography now, racy takes hold—it’s hard work to make as far as I’m concerned. It’s a people that it work, but once it takes hold, it’s hard have worked hard to become free, a de- to change it. Because democracy really mocracy. speaks to the people and says, ‘‘We listen We kind of consider ourselves—and we to you. You’re free. You can realize your like the slogan, ‘‘the third neighbor’’ of dreams.’’ And so one of the things my ad- Mongolia. And so I’ve chosen to go there ministration is doing is working in places because of the spirit of the people and where there hasn’t been democracy. I think a leadership that shares our desire to let of the Palestinian Territories or Iraq. We’re the—to have a government of and by and working in places where there’s a new de- for the people. mocracy to help strengthen those democ- racies. Lebanon is a good example—Geor- Democratic Values gia, Ukraine. We’re working with countries that have dedicated themselves to democ- Mr. Batjav. Great. So, Mr. President, racy but want the friendship of the United let’s talk for a moment about America’s for- States to help them even further democ- eign policy. racy. And Mongolia is such a case. The President. Okay. Mr. Batjav. Democracies change leaders And so one way you leave behind a foun- every few years, so in that change often dation that others can’t undo is to give peo- comes a change in a nation’s foreign policy. ple—help people develop a form of govern- So what steps has your administration taken ment that just can’t be unwound unless to ensure that the foreign policy initiatives something catastrophic were to take place you have taken will continue to be guiding inside the country.

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