“U.S. – President Roh have Amicable Relations”

“There were concerns over the anti-American sentiments in South Korea for the last several months, but we now have very amicable relationship with South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun,” said U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell in an interview with Washington Times on Tuesday.

“We have firm alliance with Philippines, Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea,” Powel said.

“We have concerns over North Korea when we look at the whole Asian region. However, since George W. Bush took office as president, the relations with Asian countries have improved, particularly with China,” Powel said.

“The Bush Administration, at the beginning, had strong tension with China over the collision between a U.S. spy plane and a Chinese fighter jet, but we’ve come to the best relations with China once again through diplomatic efforts,” Powel emphasized. “We are always sensitive about possible conflicts between China and Taiwan, but except for such issues, the U.S is always willing to cooperate with China.”

maypole@donga.com