Senior Chinese Diplomat Rebuts US House Report ����A senior Chinese diplomat rebutted in Washington on January 7 US allegations that the satellite launch under US-China cooperation had threatened US national security. ����Minister-Counselor He Yafei told a press conference at the Chinese Embassy that a House panel report on this matter was "absurd and irresponsible," and some people in the US media and Congress "inadvertently or deliberately' blurred the distinction between needed and innocuous technical coordination and illegal divulging of sensitive technologies. ����The U.S. House Select Committee issued last week a 700-page report alleging that American companies had offered "help" for the improvement of Chinese missile technology when China-made Long March rockets were used to launch US-made satellites. ����"This absurd and irresponsible conclusion tarnished the image of the Long-March rocket, and undermined the international reputation of its manufacturer and launch services provider. At the same time, it brought unwarranted damage to normal space commercial cooperation between China and the United States," said He. ����China launched its first satellite, the DFH-1, with a Long-March 1 rocket and began offering services for international commercial launches in 1985. ����The Chinese diplomat confirmed that China and the United States had a smooth cooperation in commercial satellite launch services in the past two decades. China has always adhered to established international practices, upheld the principle of fairness and openness and consistently observed to the letter the three governmental agreements with the United States. ����He believed that a normal commercial activity in the high-tech field serves the national security, political and economic interests of both countries. It also helps build a constructive strategic partnership between China and the United States. ���� WorldNews 1999-01-09 Page3 Full Story in Chinese