Posted on 12/04/2002 3:34:33 PM PST by knighthawk
BEIJING: China has asked the US not to undermine bilateral ties by supporting Taiwan's bid for independence through closer military links.
"The United States should desist from meddling in the Taiwan issue to avoid damaging Sino-US relations," Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Liu Jianchao said.
"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 communiques," he said.
Liu made the remarks on Tuesday when asked to comment on the newly-signed US-Defence authorisation 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 Washington in turn made clear 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, he said.
China resolutely opposed the provisions of the bill which sent wrong signals to proponents of "Taiwan independence", he said.
He said China urged the US to adhere to the one-China policy and abide by the three Sino-US joint communiques and its commitments to oppose "Taiwan independence".
If the U.S. does NOT support Taiwan with military relations, we will be breaking the Taiwan Relations Act.
Decisions, decisions.
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