Bill Richardson-Private Citizen:

"China is an important player in the world scene," he said. "I am not happy with the way they handled this crisis [the spy plane crisis]. At the same time, they are the world's largest nation. We need to get along with them. We need to coexist", The Associated Press, April 14, 2001.

Bill Richardson-Presidential Candiate:

"We need China, to lean on China, which has enormous leverage over Darfur. And if the Chinese don't want to do this, we say to them, maybe we won't go to the Olympics", June 3, 2007.