China firmly opposes the sale of weapons to Taiwan by the US, a
Foreign Ministry spokesperson said at a regular press conference
yesterday.
China has raised solemn representations to the US many times
about the arms sale issue, Qin Gang said.
"It would undermine national security and the reunification of
China and harm Sino-US relations," Qin said when asked about the
impact on China-US relations of a proposed US$11-billion arms sale
from the US to Taiwan.
He pointed out that the US would severely violate the three
Sino-US joint communiqués, in particular the joint communiqué
signed between the two countries on August 17, 1982, if the US
offers the arms package to Taiwan.
He insisted that the sale of weapons to Taiwan by the US
constitutes interference in China's domestic affairs and is
encouragement for secessionists in favor of "Taiwan
independence."
Sino-Japanese issues
China and Japan will hold a third round of talks in Tokyo on
Friday to discuss the disputed waters in the East China Sea, Qin
announced.
Cui Tiankai, director of the Foreign Ministry's Asian Affairs
Department, will lead a delegation at the meeting, which is likely
to discuss jurisdiction over disputed waters and details of the
area's joint development.
"China hopes the two sides will properly resolve the issue
through dialogue and consultation," Qin said.
China appealed for dialogue last week as the Japanese government
discussed what measures to take after Chinese companies began oil
and gas field exploration in the East China Sea. Qin insisted the
operations were taking place in undisputed waters inside Chinese
territory.
China and Japan held the first and second rounds of consultation
in Beijing last October and this May respectively. However, little
progress has been made.
According to international law, both countries have a right to
waters 200 nautical miles (370 kilometers) from their coastline.
However, the width of the East China Sea is less than 400 nautical
miles (740 kilometers), so the two sides' claims overlap. Japan
claims a "demarcation line" equidistant from the shores of the two
countries is the border. China says the border lies further east
where the continental shelf ends.
In July, the Japanese government granted the Teikoku Oil Co
rights to test-drill in a gas field in the disputed area.
President Zhou Shouwei of China National Offshore Oil Corp (CNOOC), the
nation's third-largest oil company, said on August 30 that China
would like to develop the disputed natural gas reserves jointly
with Japanese companies.
CNOOC is developing the Chunxiao field, located in undisputed
waters five kilometers west of Japan's claimed central demarcation
line.
In response to a question concerning the Japanese
side?making a study of Chinese history textbooks, Qin said
Japan should look squarely at history and educate its people with
the correct perception of history.
He said the international community holds that the war started
by Japanese militarists in the 1930s and 1940s caused undue
suffering to its Asian neighbors.
China also hopes Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi Junichiro will
make the right decisions in view of the overall situation of
Sino-Japanese relations during his second term in office, Qin
said.
China has always adhered to the principles embodied in the three
political documents signed by China and Japan, namely the
Sino-Japanese Joint Statement, Sino-Japanese Peace and Friendship
Treaty, and Sino-Japanese Joint Declaration.
China wishes to develop long-term friendly and cooperative
relations with Japan in line with the principle of "taking history
as a mirror and looking forward to the future," he said.
Sino-Indian border talks
The two-day talks on border issues between China and India ended
yesterday with no details issued by either side.
"With the development and improvement of China-India relations,
the atmosphere for resolving the border issue has improved," Qin
said, adding that the two sides are sincere about seeking a "fair
and reasonable" solution "acceptable" to both countries.
The two sides have agreed to hold the next round of talks in New
Delhi.
Speaking of opening the renowned Nathu La pass on Sino-Indian
border, Qin said China takes a "positive" attitude toward the
development of Sino-Indian border trade.
China is drawing up a plan and building the border trade market
"in a serious manner," but when the pass should be opened is
subject to bilateral consultation, he said.
???
Iran nuclear issue
The relevant parties should take effective steps to resume
peaceful negotiations on the Iranian nuclear issue as soon as
possible, Qin said.
China has always advocated an early and proper settlement of the
Iranian nuclear issue through diplomatic negotiations within the
framework of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), he
said.
Qin said China supports a long-term solution to the issue
through negotiations, which will be beneficial to regional peace
and stability, safeguarding the international non-proliferation
mechanism, and will conform to the fundamental interests of all
parties involved.
He pointed out that China abstained from voting for a resolution
at an IAEA conference on September 24 because the resolution failed
to strike a balance between the progress of the IAEA's
investigation over the nuclear issue in Iran and the very framework
of the agency.
He added the way the vote was conducted would not contribute to
the unity of the IAEA.
He said the resolution should be designed to urge Iran to adopt
more transparent measures to fully cooperate with the IAEA and
clarify the unsettled problems and return to negotiations.
WMD proliferation
The Chinese government firmly opposes the proliferation of
weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) and WMD carriers, Qin made the
statement in response to a report from an American institution that
said China failed to do enough to control the export of
technologies related to WMDs.
The report is irresponsible, he said.
Relevant organizations should take a fair and objective attitude
in viewing the Chinese government's serious commitment and active
and unremitting efforts to prevent the proliferation of WMDs, he
said.
China is a responsible country, and the Chinese government has
done a lot in recent years to prevent the spread of WMDs, including
the improvement of its legal system concerning export control,
better awareness of certain enterprises, investigation into and
punishment on illegal export cases, and participation in
international exchanges and cooperation on non-proliferation, he
said.
(Xinhua News Agency, China Daily September 28, 2005)