The Foreign Ministry urged Washington yesterday not to sell
weapons to Taiwan, saying the Chinese government and people "have
always been firmly opposed" to such sales.
The US would violate commitments made in the three Sino-US joint
communiqués, in particular the one signed between the two countries
on August 17, 1982, if it offered arms to Taiwan, ministry
spokesman Liu Jianchao told a regular news briefing.
Such sales would undermine China's national security and the
country's great cause of peaceful reunification, Liu said.
"We urge the US to abide by the one-China policy that has been
repeatedly reiterated by President George W. Bush and the US
government, honor its commitment to conform to the three joint
communiqués signed by the two countries and oppose 'Taiwan
independence'," Liu said.
"The US should stop weapons sales to and military links with
Taiwan and send no wrong signals to pro-independence forces," added
Liu.
The strongly worded warning against arms sales came after
Stephen Young, director of the American Institute in Taiwan, urged
Taiwan over the weekend to sign on to a multi-billion-dollar US
weapons package intended to bolster the island's defenses.
"The US is watching closely and will judge those who take a
responsible position as well as those who play politics on this
critical issue," Young said. Taiwan's "legislators" described the
US official's remarks as an "ultimatum" to Taipei.
Liu said the Chinese government had made solemn representations
to Washington over Young's comments.
The arms bill called for the purchase of a US$16 billion package
of Patriot missiles, submarines and submarine-hunting aircraft. The
five-year-old offer, made by Bush shortly after taking office, was
one of the biggest proposed arms sales to Taiwan. However, the arms
package has been repeatedly blocked on the island.
Turning to Iran's nuclear issue, Liu urged all parties concerned
to refrain from taking any action that may lead to an escalation of
the situation.
He said some new developments on the issue had emerged and China
would continue to consult with other members of the UN Security
Council on relevant matters.?
Iran confirmed it had launched a second cascade of centrifuges
last Sunday and vowed to press ahead with the peaceful use of
nuclear energy.
Regarding North Korea, Liu said China's policy of economic and
trade cooperation with it remained unchanged.
He said the bilateral economic and trade cooperation was aimed
at strengthening the national economy and livelihoods of North
Korean people so as to help the country overcome difficulties in
power and food supply.
In another development, Liu said China congratulated Brazilian
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on his reelection for a second
term of office. President Hu Jintao has sent a message of congratulation
to Lula and Vice President Zeng Qinghong sent a congratulatory message to
newly-elected Vice President Jose Alencar.
Liu said China believed the China-Brazil strategic partnership
would develop further under the new Brazilian government, adding
that China would join hands with Brazil in making concrete efforts
to expand the partnership.
China was happy to see that the China-Brazil strategic
partnership has scored considerable achievements in recent years
with joint efforts from the two countries, he said.
China and Pakistan held their second strategic dialogue on
October 27 in Beijing. Assistant Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai and
visiting Pakistani Foreign Secretary Riaz H. Khokhar exchanged
views on cooperation in various fields.
The two reached important consensus during their meeting, Liu
said. Riaz visited China also to make preparations for high-level
visits between the two nations' leaders, he noted.
In terms of the upcoming summit of the Forum on China-Africa
Cooperation (FOCAC), Liu said the government would make
every effort to minimize traffic inconvenience in Beijing.
He said traffic restrictions were necessary to ensure the
security and organization of the summit, which is the largest
international conference to be held in China since 1949. He said
feedback from Beijing citizens demonstrated their understanding and
support for the restrictions.
The event will see the arrival of delegations from 48 African
countries and more than 20 international organizations.
(China Daily, Xinhua News Agency November 1, 2006)