A senior Foreign Ministry official Thursday warned that both Sino-US relations and cross-Straits ties will be harmed by the United States having granted permission to Taiwanese "defense minister" Tang Yiau-ming to attend a forum in Florida.

According to a ministry statement, Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Zhou Wenzhong told US Ambassador Clark T. Randt that the US permission is an open violation of the one-China policy and the three Sino-US joint communiques, and will further encourage Taiwan separatism.

China is strongly dissatisfied with and firmly opposed to this, said Zhou.

He urged the United States to adhere to the one-China policy and the three Sino-US joint communiques and stop official exchanges and military contacts with Taiwan to avoid damaging Sino-US ties and harming US interests.

The US State Department said on Wednesday that Tang would take part in a "defense summit" in Florida sponsored by US weapons suppliers.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan Thursday also asked the US to cancel the planned meeting.

During Thursday's regular Foreign Ministry briefing, the spokesman defended the 17.6 percent increase in China's military budget, which was revealed on Wednesday. He said that, with the development of China's economy, it was natural to effect a corresponding increase in the military budget to guarantee the living standards of service personnel and modernize the army.

However, Kong pointed out that the military budget has been increasing at a slower rate in recent years. Military spending as a proportion of the national budget is also decreasing, he said.

"China is the most populous country in the world... But the amount of China's defense spending is only a small percentage of its GDP," said Kong. "It is far lower than that of developed countries.

"I believe looking at a country's defense policy should look at more than its increases in defense spending. It should primarily be looking at what kind of policy it carries out," he added.

Kong said he appreciated New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark's apology on February 12 for her country's past unfair treatment of Chinese immigrants.

From the late 19th century to the mid-20th century, the New Zealand government imposed a discriminatory poll tax on Chinese immigrants.

Kong said of the apology: "this will be conducive to the enhancement of social unity in New Zealand and encourage the New Zealand Chinese to take an active part in social and economic activities in that country.

"We are confident that the New Zealand Chinese will continue to contribute to prosperity in New Zealand and will play an active role in promoting Sino-New Zealand relations."

Kong also briefed the press on the Sino-Russian consultations on strategic stability that were held in Beijing on Wednesday.

The two sides exchanged their views on the current world security situation and major issues in international arms control and disarmament, according to Kong.

Kong said the two sides agreed that it is of crucial importance to world peace and security to safeguard international arms control and systems of disarmament and to maintain a global strategic balance.

(China Daily March 8, 2002)