US President Bill Clinton on Friday reiterated his opposition to a House-passed bill aimed at beefing up U.S. military ties with Taiwan, saying that it would have a "boomerang effect" and diminish the island's security.

Referring to the Taiwan Security Enhancement Act adopted by the

House of Representatives on Tuesday, which has aroused "utmost

indignation" among the Chinese people, Clinton said, "They (the

Chinese) don't like it, but I don't support the bill either."

"I don't think it's in Taiwan's best interest," Clinton said on

NBC's "Today".

"Passing a big, new, sweeping bill like this is not well-

advised and will complicate our long-term task and may well have

the boomerang effect of putting Taiwan under greater pressure," he

said.

"We have a one-China policy but we believe that the resolution

of disputes between Taiwan and China ought to be done by peaceful

means and through dialogue," Clinton said.

But he also alleged that U.S. defense assistance to Taiwan

should be governed by the Taiwan Relations Act.

The Taiwan Relations Act, which passed the Congress in 1979

after the United States established diplomatic relations with

China, has long been denounced by Beijing for its interference

with China's internal affairs with an attempt to keep Taiwan

separated from the mainland for good.

Clinton's remark is the latest in his administration's strong

attack against the Taiwan-related bill, which called for closer

military-to-military ties between Washington and Taipei. Earlier,

National Security Advisor Berger and some other officials voiced

opposition to the legislation and threatened to veto it once it

goes to the president in its current form.