Chinese State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan says that China and the United States should urgently address divisive factors in their relationship.

Tang spoke at a meeting with Samuel Berger, former national security advisor to the president of the United States.

Tang pointed to the recent improvement and development of Sino-US relations, and effective consultations, coordination and cooperation in such major fields as anti-terrorism, the nuclear issue of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), and economy and trade.

He cited in particular the close exchanges between Chinese President Hu Jintao and US President George W. Bush, and the important consensus reached in Evian, France on furthering bilateral constructive and cooperative relations, which laid a foundation for the development of bilateral relations.

Tang noted that both sides should earnestly address some interfering factors existing in the current bilateral relations, especially the Taiwan issue.

The Chinese government adheres to the basic principles of "peaceful reunification" and "one country, two systems", and will try its best with the utmost sincerity to realize a peaceful reunification, said Tang.

However, Tang said, Taiwan authorities have not accepted the one-China principle so far and spared no effort to conduct separatist activities both inside and outside Taiwan, which is the source of the tensions across the Taiwan Straits.

He went on to say that all US governments from both political parties have committed to keeping to the one-China policy and abiding by the three Sino-US joint communiques, and President Bush reiterated repeatedly that the United States is in opposition to Taiwan's independence, which the Chinese side appreciated.

He expressed the hope that the US side would honor its words and stop selling advanced weapons to Taiwan and raising US-Taiwan relations, and would not send wrong signals to Taiwan-independence forces and not encourage their arrogant attempts to split China.

Samuel Berger said the two countries worked together in such fields as anti-terrorism, and maintain close coordination on the DPRK nuclear issue.

Those who view China as a threat do not represent the mainstream of US society, he noted, and US-China relations were strong.

Moreover, Berger said he understood the sensitivity of the Taiwan issue and supported the one-China policy.

(Xinhua News Agency July 29, 2003)