A Chinese
Foreign
Ministry spokeswoman said yesterday that China is free of any
terrorist funds.
"The People's Bank of
China and all other banks in China have conducted thorough
investigations, and the results indicate that there are no funds of
terrorist organizations or individuals in China," said Zhang Qiyue
at a regular briefing.
China signed the International Convention for Suppression of
Financing for Terrorism last month in New York, pledging its
determination to join the international community in the fight
against terrorism.
In
a related development, US ambassador for counter-terrorism Francis
Taylor visited Beijing on Wednesday and yesterday, in a trip aimed
at carrying out the agreement made by Chinese President Jiang Zemin
and his US counterpart George W. Bush in October to set up a mid-
and long-term mechanism for exchanges and co-operation on
anti-terrorism.
"The two sides have exchanged views on regional and international
anti-terrorism, the situation in Afghanistan and Sino-US
co-operation on terrorism and reached wide consensus," said
Zhang.
According to Zhang, both sides agreed that the international
community should strengthen co-operation and take comprehensive
measures to fight against terrorism. The role of the United Nations
and its Security Council has also been stressed.
The spokeswoman also commented on a recent Washington Post report
advocating that the United States give up its one-China policy.
Zhang said that no matter what political shifts take place on the
island, the basic fact that Taiwan is a part of China will not be
changed.
"The US has made a clear-cut commitment to China on the issue,"
said Zhang. "Any words or deeds that advocate abandoning the
one-China policy is a departure from the facts and the historical
trend and will not succeed."
The United States committed itself to adhering to the one-China
policy, following the three Sino-US joint communiques and not
supporting Taiwan independence.
(China
Daily December 7, 2001)