On January 11, 2007, Chinese State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan met with visiting U.S. President's special envoy to Sudan Andrew Natsios at Ziguangge, Zhongnanhai.

Tang said currently Sino-U.S. ties are generally developing well. The two sides have conducted effective cooperation and coordination on major international and regional issues, as well as the United Nations affairs, Tang said. China is ready to work with the United States to strengthen dialogue, mutual trust and cooperation, take care of each other's concerns, properly handle differences and eliminate inferences, so as to push for an all-round and in-depth development of Sino-U.S. constructive cooperative ties, Tang added.

Tang said China has always paid close attention to the Darfur issue and does not wish to see any humanitarian disaster, conflict or war afflicting people in any part of the world. "We actively back the international community's efforts to help the people in the conflict-stricken areas restore peace under the framework of the United Nations and its charter at an early date, which is our basic starting point in addressing the Darfur issue," Tang said. Recently the issue has undergone some positive changes and its solution is at a crucial moment, Tang said. "China agrees to take an all-round and balanced political approach and hopes all sides will maintain dialogue and communication and reach consensus on the solution at an early date while taking all parties' concerns into consideration, in a bid to bring about peace and stability in Darfur," Tang said.

Natsios said the United States has paid much attention to the Darfur issue and would like to work with parties concerned to seek a solution to the issue to realize the peaceful goal, adding that his country is making efforts to this end. Natsios said negotiations remained the best solution to resolving the issue of the war-torn Darfur region of Sudan. He noted the United States appreciates China's important and constructive role in the Darfur issue and would like to maintain communication and cooperation with China and make unremitting efforts to properly handle the issue. Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai and He Yafei attended the meeting. Besides, Vice Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi, Assistant Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai and Zhai Jun also met respectively with Natsios.