Exchange With Reporters Prior to Discussions With President Kim Yong-sam of South Korea in Manila, Philippines

President Clinton. Hello, Mr. President.

President Kim. Congratulations on your victory. I was assured of your victory much in advance. [Laughter]

President Clinton. You knew about it before I did, then.

Japan-U.S. Trade

Q. Mr. President, did your meeting with Prime Minister Hashimoto produce any expectation of reducing the trade imbalance?

President Clinton. We've made a lot of progress in the last 4 years. And we spent a lot of time on trade in that meeting, and he reaffirmed his willingness to resolve the remaining disputes between us. But if the economy keeps growing in Japan, that should help us reduce the trade imbalance.

Korean Peace Process

Q. Mr. President, are you optimistic that perhaps the four-way talks that were proposed can actually get underway?

President Clinton. Well, we're going to talk about that.

Q. But didn't you talk about it in your meet ing with the Chinese leader?

President Clinton. Absolutely, I did. Thank you.