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NMD Development Unjustified: Chinese Defense Minister
Chinese Defense Minister Chi Haotian said here Wednesday that the United States' advocate for developing the national missile defense system does not stand to reason.
Chi, who is also a vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission and a state councilor, told visiting US Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Joseph Biden, Jr. that China opposes NMD development, for such a move is detrimental to the trust among nations as well as to world peace and stability.
On the Taiwan issue, Chi said that China's policy is based on " peaceful reunification," "one country, two systems" and Chinese President Jiang Zemin's eight-point proposal.
Within the one-China principle, he said, any issue can be negotiated. The leader of Taiwan, however, refuses to recognize the one-China principle, and is eagerly beating the drum for the `` independence" of Taiwan.
He urged the U.S. side to honor the principles set forth in the three Sino-U.S. joint communiques and not to send a wrong message to the force that advocates Taiwan ``independence."
Chi told Biden that China and the U.S. are two of the most influential nations in the world, and the development of a constructive relationship between them is conducive to both and of vital importance for peace, stability and prosperity in the Asia- Pacific region and the world as a whole.
The Chinese government attaches great importance to ties with the U.S., and China is pleased to see the recent improvement in bilateral ties, he said.
"We are looking forward to the historic summit between President Jiang and President Bush this fall" he said, adding that he hoped the meeting would inject a new impetus into the development of bilateral ties.
On the issue of non-proliferation, he said that China strictly observes international agreements and the commitments it has made, so the U.S. should not make random criticisms based on misleading information. "China keeps its word," he said.
Biden said that the majority of the American people hope to see further development of U.S.-China relations. The members of his delegation are from both the Democratic and Republican parties, but all consider U.S.-China relations to be one of the most important of the U.S.' bilateral ties, and that such ties should be handled well.
The U.S. side hopes to build up active and constructive relations despite some twists and turns in the relations between the two countries, Biden said, adding that he hoped to exchange frank views with the Chinese side.
He said that the U.S. does not support the ``independence" of Taiwan, and that he hopes that cross-straits issues can be resolved peacefully.
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