The Chinese government firmly opposes the so-called Taiwan Relations Act of the United States, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan said at a regular news briefing in Beijing Tuesday.

Kong said the US government had repeatedly reiterated its adherence to the one-China policy and commitment to the three Sino-US joint communiqués since the two countries established diplomatic ties. US President George W. Bush said the United States opposed "Taiwan independence" and Taiwan's attempts to unilaterally change the status quo.

Kong said China urged the US government to keep its promises, and firmly continue its opposition to "Taiwan independence" and any attempt by Taiwan to use a referendum to this end, so as to ensure the healthy, stable and smooth development of Sino-US relations.

According to Kong at yesterday's briefing, China is concerned about Japan's deployment of its self-defense forces to Iraq.

Kong said the Chinese government held that the Japanese side should strictly abide by its defense-only policy and stick to a peaceful development path.

It was in the interests of Japan itself, and conducive to regional and world peace and stability, said Kong.

He said the Japanese government had stated repeatedly that it would take a peaceful development path, and China hoped that Japan would abide by its commitments so as to gain trust from the international community and the Asian peoples.

It is reported that an advance team of Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force crossed the border into Iraq from Kuwait on Monday to prepare for aid activities in the southern Iraqi city of Samawah.

In response to a journalist's question that certain countries unilaterally invited international bidding on oil and natural gas exploration in water of dispute in the South China Sea, the spokesman said China was gravely concerned over the unilateral oil and natural gas bidding, and urged certain countries to correct the wrongdoing so as to avoid the further complication of the situation there.

Kong reiterated that China claims indisputable sovereignty over the Nansha Islands and the surrounding waters.

In another development, the spokesman said Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Wang Yi will attend a forum for East Asia and Latin American countries in Manila aiming to boost cooperation between the two regions.

Wang Yi will, at the head of a Chinese delegation, participate in the second foreign minister meeting of the Forum for East Asia-Latin America Cooperation, to be held in the Philippines' capital of Manila from January 30 to 31, according to Kong.

The member countries are expected to have a wide-ranging exchange of views over the economy, development, political and security issues of both regions, said the spokesman.

Established in Singapore in 1999, the forum is the only official multilateral cooperation regime across East Asia and Latin America.

Also at yesterday's briefing, Kong said the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) have always kept regular and frequent exchanges and visits.

The spokesman noted that the CPC has very friendly relations with other parties in the world, including the WPK.

He said that a delegation of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee, led by Wang Jiarui, head of the department, visited the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) from Jan. 17, and the two sides discussed bilateral relations and exchanges between CPC and WPK.

Kim Jong-il, general secretary of the WPK Central Committee, met with Wang Monday afternoon, said the spokesman. They outlined their domestic situations, and had an exchange of views on issues of common concern.

(Xinhua News Agency January 21, 2004)