China showed serious concern and displeasure over a US
congressional hearing on Taiwan Relations Act and lodged serious
representation with the US side, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman
Kong Quan told a regular news briefing in Beijing Thursday.
Kong made the remarks in response to a report that the House of
Representative Committee on International Relations of the United
States held a hearing on Taiwan Relations Act on April 21.
US officials with state and defense departments were quoted as
saying that the United States would continue to sell defensive
weapons to Taiwan in accordance with the Act. If the Chinese
mainland used force against Taiwan, the United States would
inevitably get involved.
"China has been firmly opposed to the enactment of the so-called
Taiwan Relations Act from the very beginning and US arms sales to
Taiwan based on such act," Kong said.
Taiwan is part of China and no one can impede the process of the
realization of China's reunification, he said.
US leaders have time and again reiterated the adherence to
one-China policy, observation of the three Sino-US joint
communiqués and opposition to "Taiwan independence", Kong said.
"We expect the United States to honor words with deeds, stop
selling advanced weapons to Taiwan and interfering in China's
internal affairs, and send no wrong signal to 'Taiwan independence'
forces so as to maintain the peace and stability across the Taiwan
Straits and the common interests of China and the United States
with concrete actions," the spokesman said.
Kong also revealed that China decided to offer assistance to the
Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) during DPRK leader Kim
Jong-il's visit to China.
Kong said China has repeated several times that DPRK people are
facing difficulties while making great achievements in domestic
construction. China has decided to offer assistance to the DPRK
with a view to strengthening the traditional friendship between the
two peoples.
The amount of the assistance is limited and the two countries
are still discussing the details, Kong stressed.
Kim Jong-il, general-secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea
(WPK) and chairman of the National Defence Commission of the DPRK,
visited China from April 19 to 21, at the invitation of Chinese
President Hu Jintao.
Meanwhile, Kong said that China and the DPRK will continue
pushing forward the process of the six-party talks.
Kong said during Kim's unofficial visit, China and the DPRK had
in-depth discussion in this respect, and both sides agreed to
continue the talks.
The DPRK will stick to peaceful solution to the nuclear issue on
the Korean Peninsula through dialogue, and to the general goal of
being nuclear weapon free, Kong said.
The current work of the six-party talks is to establish a
working group, Kong said. With all parties' efforts, some consensus
has been reached despite disparities.
China expects that the meeting of the working group begins soon
so as to prepare for the next round of the six-party talks, he
said.
Kong also confirmed that Kim Jong-il had left Beijing on April
21 after his visit to China.
When commenting on a report yesterday that 84 non-party
congressmen visited Yasukuni Shrine, Kong said China's stance on
the visit of Yasukuni Shrine by Japanese officials is clear and
consistent.
"The Japanese government needs to have a correct position and
face history squarely as it faces the future," Kong said. "It would
be good for the healthy and stable development of relations between
Japan and China and other countries in Asia."
Moreover, a correct attitude towards history would help Japan
win trust from its Asian neighbors and the international community
as well and conform with its own interests, Kong said.
A Japanese court ruled on April 7 that Japan's Prime Minister
Junichiro Koizumi violated the constitution by visiting a shrine
honoring top class war criminals, reports said. But Koizumi vowed
to keep visiting the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo.
Also at yesterday's briefing, Kong kindly suggested media in
some developed countries let the voice of the leaders of their own
countries and other countries be equally heard.
In response to a question that some parts of US Vice President
Dick Cheney's speech delivered on April 15 at Fudan
University in Shanghai were left out by Chinese media, Kong
said China's television station had broadcast live Cheney's entire
speech as part of his visit to China.
As for the report on the speech, Kong said it was up to the
Chinese media to decide how to write their stories.
Kong recalled Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's speech at Harvard
University of the United States last year, saying that Wen's speech
covered not only cultural differences between China and the United
States, but also the cooperation between the two countries as well
as disputes of the two sides on some key issues and China's
opinions on how to reduce the effect of disputes to China-US
relations.
"But to my disappointment, there was few news reporting by major
US media on the speech," Kong said, adding that US media's report
on Wen's speech was far less than Chinese media's report on
Cheney's speech.
Kong went on saying that some media of the developed countries
cared too much to let the whole world hear their leaders' voice,
but paid less attention to what other countries said to them.
"I am afraid this attitude might need to be adjusted a little
bit so as to enable all people to have dialogue on a more equal
footing," he said.
(Sources including Xinhua News Agency and China Daily, April 23,
2004)