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CNN Saturday Morning News

Bush Works to Strengthen Coalition in China

Aired October 20, 2001 - 09:18   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: In Shanghai, China today, President Bush called on Asia Pacific leaders to stand with the U.S. in opposing terrorism worldwide.

CNN senior White House correspondent John King is traveling with the president. He's in Shanghai. Hi, John.

JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you, Kyra. You may hear some booms behind me, that a fireworks display unfortunately just out of our view here, but a fireworks display in honor of the APEC summit, the Asian Pacific economic summit underway here in Shanghai.

The agenda, though, dramatically changed by the events of September 11, President Bush using this summit to try to strengthen the international coalition for the war on terrorism. He had attended a dinner of the leaders tonight. Some skepticism here, even some opposition to the U.S. military strikes in Afghanistan. The predominantly Muslim nations of Indonesia and Malaysia raising concerns about the strikes.

Mr. Bush trying to build support here, even the Chinese and the Russians, who are generally supportive, saying they want the strikes to end as soon as possible and a political solution brought to Afghanistan.

Mr. Bush delivering a blunt message in a speech earlier in the day, perhaps with those wavering nations in mind, saying that all nations had to join this fight. In his words, "There is no isolation from evil."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Every nation now must oppose this enemy or be in turn its target. Those who hate all civilization and culture and progress, those who embrace death to cause the death of the innocent, cannot be ignored, cannot be appeased. They must be fought. This is my firm resolve, and the firm resolve of my nation. This is the urgent task of our time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Earlier today in a meeting with the Japanese prime minister, Mr. Bush voiced regret for the loss of life, two U.S. servicemen killed in a helicopter accident in Pakistan. Mr. Bush saying he would tell the American people those two soldiers would not die in vain. The president saying, "Their cause is just, their cause is right."

He also gave an optimistic assessment of the military campaign under way, refusing to specifically discuss the new use of commandos in Afghanistan, but Mr. Bush saying the U.S. military campaign was decimating the Taliban military in Afghanistan and, in his words, "beginning to encircle the terrorists" so that they could be brought to justice.

Summit discussions here in the morning, a statement condemning terrorism to be released by the 21 members of the Asia Pacific economic gathering. That statement, though, does not endorse the military strikes nor does it criticize the lead suspect in the September 11 attacks, Osama bin Laden. Still the president saying today he believed he was making good progress in building and maintaining international support for the war on terrorism.

He will head back to Washington late tomorrow night after a one- on-one meeting here with the Russian president, Vladimir Putin -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: John, on a little bit of a lighter note, the Japanese prime minister, I understand, gave President George Bush a bow and arrow. Can you tell us what this signified and the discussion that surrounded this gift? I found it quite interesting.

KING: Well, it's a Japanese tradition. It was a bow and arrow from -- used on a galloping horse to fire in it, the Japanese prime minister put an inscription in there that the arrow should be used to rid the word of -- rid the world, excuse me, of evil. So a symbolic gift from the Japanese prime minister to the U.S. president at a time Mr. Bush is leading the war on terrorism. Prime Minister Koizumi quite complimentary of the president's leadership in building the international coalition.

Mr. Bush responded with a gift of his own, a much more lighthearted gift, the prime minister...

(AUDIO GAP)

KING: ... he got a glove from the president signed by Baltimore Oriole great Cal Ripken -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: That's a fair trade. John King following the president, thank you very much.

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