The People's Daily in a commentary on October 30 says that 'the Taiwan Security Enhancement Act" passed by the US International Relations Committee is a grave contravention of the three Sino-US joint communiques, an infringement on China's sovereignty and a gross intervention in the internal affairs of China. This cannot but cause the Chinese people's strongest indignation and firm opposition, the commentary notes.

　The act dished up by a few congressmen is in essence an attempt to provide a legal basis for the US to enforce its domestic legislation for the purpose of offering all sorts of sophisticated arms and equipment to Taiwan and building up and brodening direct ties between the US-Taiwan armed forces in a bid to hinder China's cause for reunification. The bill, if enacted, will pose a serious threat to peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits and in the Asian-Pacific region and jeopardize the Sino-US relations, it points out.

　China and the US are all great powers in the world with vital clout, it says, stability and healthy growth of the Sino-US relations will be in the interest of the two countries and the whole world as well. Not long ago, the "two nations theory' uttered by Lee Teng-hui has set stumbling blocks to China's reunification and made trouble for the Sino-US relations. In the circumstances, the Chinese and American Presidents met in Auckland and President Bill Clinton reaffirmed the US one China policy and both sides pledged to continue to build the constructive strategic partnership facing the 21st century. A few US congressmen, however, have not taken this as a basis to bring the Sino-US relations back onto the right track.

　The Taiwan issue, it emphasizes, has always been the core one in the Sino-US relations. The three Sino-US joint communiques have laid the foundation for the two countries' relations. The "three nos" policy declared by President Clinton during his China visit last year has explicitly reiterated the US commitments stated in the joint communiques. Nevertheless, there has invariably a force in the US attempting to hinder China's reunification. The US has gone against the three joint communiques from time to time and based itself on the 'Tiawan Relations Act' in handling the Taiwan issue while reaffirming espousing the one China policy. This inconsistent policy cannot but procreate negative effect on the development of the Sino-US relations and give rise to stern concern among the Chinese people, it notes.

　Recently in disregard of the Chinese government's firm opposition and solemn representation, the US government had announced its sale of a great amount of sophisticated arms and equipment to Taiwan worth a total of US$ 550 million. This year a few congressmen in the House of Representatives and the Senate put forward 'The Taiwan Security Enhancement Act", openly advocating beefing up Taiwan's military strength and requiring the sale of TMD, arms. military equipment and submarines to Taiwan. They even demanded direct link and expansion of cooperation between the US-Taiwan militaries. The act is aimed at making US Congress play a major part in arms sale to Taiwan and in the US-Taiwan military ties. This move has flagrantly violated the Sino-US August 17 Communique, thus adding to the arrogance of the splitting force in Taiwan, it adds.

　The Republican Policy Chairman Cox had reportedly been one of the plotters of the "Taiwan Security Enhancement Act". Previously the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Helms had submitted an almost identical bill. Helms, Cox and the like have conspicuous political leaning. They had come out making trouble whenever there was a little improvement in the Sino-US relations. Helms had come out to the open to boost Lee Teng-hui's morale when the latter announced his "two nations theory". The infamous Cox report had concocted a crime case and vilified China for "pilfering" US nuclear secrets. This time they came out again to put up their shows, fully laying bare their enmity against the Chinese people. But even the US government has expressed opposition to the bills concocted by them. The commentary quotes a White House spokesman as saying that the bills would undermine stability in the Taiwan Straits area and wreck the US policy.

　The commentary warns: A few US congressmen must rain in on the brink of the precipice and halt forthwith their erroneous practice to meddle in China's internal affairs on the Taiwan issue. It demands that the US government keep on the mind the general situation in the Sino-US relations, strictly honor the commitments made in the three Sino-US joint communiques , see clearly the grave damage to be done by the "Taiwan Security Enforcement Act, take effective steps to bar it from being enacted, lest the just improved Sino-US relations should be again jeopardized.