China firmly opposes any form of military cooperation or contact
between the United States and Taiwan, as it violates the principles
of the
three
Sino-US joint communiquis.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao made the remarks Tuesday
when asked to comment on the newly-signed US Defense Authorization
Bill for fiscal year 2003 passed by the US Congress.
China had on many occasions made representations to the US
government on the bill and the US side had made clear time and
again its opposition to the Taiwan-related provisions in the bill,
Liu said.
The Taiwan-related contents of the bill, though weakened, still
violated US commitments to China on the Taiwan issue. China
resolutely opposed the provisions of the bill which sent wrong
signals to proponents of "Taiwan independence," he said.
China urged the United States to adhere to the one-China policy and
abide by the three Sino-US joint communiquis and its commitments to
oppose "Taiwan independence." The United States should desist from
meddling in the Taiwan issue to avoid damaging Sino-US
relations.
Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to China, which was
crowned with a success, has injected new vitality into the growth
of bilateral ties, the spokesman said.
President Putin and President Jiang Zemin reviewed the course of
development of Sino-Russian relations over the past decade,
formulated plans to promote the strategic partnership of bilateral
cooperation, and also defined the direction and major areas for
future cooperation, Liu said.
The two presidents, he added, also exchanged views on major
international issues and reached wide-ranging and significant
consensus.
Moreover, the two presidents signed a lengthy joint statement of
the two countries concerning politics, trade and economics, science
and technology, education, culture, and other areas, as well as on
major consensus concerning some important international issues and
a number of Asia-Pacific regional issues, the spokesman said.
When asked to comment on the preemptive anti-terrorism strikes
proposed by Australian Prime Minister John Howard, Liu said that
all countries must abide by international law and the United
Nations Charter in the fight against terrorism.
Liu said China firmly supports the fight against all forms of
terrorism, but strikes should based on conclusive evidence,
clear-cut targets and in accordance with the Charter of the United
Nations and international codes of conduct.
All this is also the common understanding of the international
community, he said.
China is willing to further ties with India and to build on their
steady development in recent years, the spokesman said.
Liu said the two nations continued frequent high-level exchanges,
reinforcing political trust and expanding trade and economic
cooperation, as well as promoting exchanges in other fields.
China welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to India
and believed Russia would play a positive role in promoting
stability in south Asia and dialogue between India and Pakistan,
Liu said.
(People's Daily December 4, 2002)