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Taiwan at Core of Ties with US: Vice Premier
Visiting Vice-Premier Qian Qichen Wednesday reiterated that the Taiwan question is the most important and sensitive issue in China-US relations and one that must be taken seriously and handled properly.
"We will try to resolve the Taiwan question through peaceful means,'' the vice-premier said in his speech "China and Asia in the New Century" given at a luncheon organized by the Asia Society, founded in 1956 to foster understanding between Asians and Americans.
"But we cannot achieve it alone," he added.
Qian said that peaceful reunification of Taiwan with the Chinese mainland conforms to the interests of people on both sides of the Taiwan Straits, as well as people of other parts of the world, including the United States.
"It is fair to say that nobody is more eager to see a peaceful resolution to this question than we are," Qian said.
Explaining that China's "one country, two systems" policy respects the history of Taiwan and the desire of people in Taiwan to manage their own affairs, Qian stressed that Taiwan's current social and economic systems, way of life and judicial independence would remain unchanged after reunification.
The Taiwan question has always been a touchy issue in Sino-US relations, and it has recently become even more so since reports surfaced about the US Senate's desire to pursue an arms deal with Taiwan.
Responding to reports that Taiwan expects Washington to agree to the deal, Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan warned the US side to "rein in its horse before it plummets off the precipice."
In his speech, Qian said China feels justified in expecting the United States to support China's peaceful reunification.
"China and the United States have no reason to become rivals or enemies. We have plenty of reasons to become friends and partners," Qian said.
Besides the arms sales issue, Chinese leaders have also expressed reservations about the US national missile defence (NMD) system, saying it will severely upset the world strategic balance and hinder the process of international nuclear disarmament.
"We advocate a new security concept," Qian said, calling for a cultivation of mutual trust through consultation and dialogue on equal footing.
"We believe that to seek absolute security for oneself through stronger military alliance and intensified arms race is out of tune with the trends of the times," he said.
In a related development, US President George W. Bush reaffirmed in Washington on Monday that his administration will continue to adhere to the one-China policy, and set up "constructive and open" ties with China.
During a meeting with visiting Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori, Bush also said that the United States regards China as a "trading partner," and welcomes its entry into the World Trade Organization.
According to a Japanese official who was on hand at the meeting, Bush told Mori that China is a great country and said "we must establish constructive and open relations with it."
Source: China Daily
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