On October 12, 2006, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi attended the international councilors meeting luncheon of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) upon invitation and delivered a speech.

Yang said China will try to build a harmonious socialist society and an important blueprint has been drawn in this regard at the recent successful Sixth Plenary Session of the 16th Central Committee of CPC. In its foreign relations, China will as always pursue an independent foreign policy of peace, strengthen friendly cooperation with all other countries across the world based on equality and mutual benefit and jointly commit to world peace and common development to build a harmonious world.

Yang recalled during President Hu Jintao's successful visit to the U.S. this April, he reached important consensus with his U.S. counterpart Bush on comprehensively advancing Sino-U.S. constructive cooperative relations in the 21st century. Both sides should earnestly implement the consensus and look at and handle bilateral ties from a strategic and long-term perspective, Yang said. He urged the two countries to expand cooperation areas from a development perspective and with opening mind and properly handle differences and sensitive issues, especially the Taiwan question according to the principles of the three Sino-US joint communiqués. Yang also proposed both sides to further strengthen dialogue and communication to jointly push for Sino-US constructive cooperative relations for the benefit of both peoples and the people around the world.

The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) is a famous strategy and policy research institution in the United States, whose international councilors include business community leaders, former senior government officials and former parliament members around the world. Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger is chairman of the CSIS. This meeting was co-sponsored by the Chinese People's Institute of Foreign Affairs (CPIFA) with a theme of "focus on China", which is aimed at enhancing understanding of China's foreign policy, social and economic development strategy.