Chinese FM Meets PNG Envoy in Singapore
Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan on July 27 met with the Papua New Guinea (PNG) prime minister's special envoy Tarcisius in Singapore and had a friendly conversation with him.
At the meeting, Tang asked Eri to convey his congratulations and cordial greetings to newly-elected PNG Foreign Minister Michael Somare and said he was looking forward to meeting him at an early date.
Tang expressed appreciation for the PNG new government's recent reaffirmation of its adherence to the "one China" policy, and its wise decision to declare as invalid the so-called communique the PNG's previous government signed with Taiwan authorities on establishing "diplomatic ties."
He said "the two-states theory" of Lee Teng-hui has met with strong opposition and condemnation from the whole Chinese people, including the compatriots in Taiwan, and from the international community, and Lee has been left in an extremely isolated position. This shows that "Taiwan independence" can never find a way out, Tang said.
Tang said that China always attaches importance to the development of friendly relations and cooperation with PNG and the Chinese people cherish deep and friendly feelings toward the PNG people.
Over the years, the Chinese government, to the best of its ability and with sincerity, has provided PNG with aid with no political strings attached, he said.
The Chinese government will, as always, make efforts to develop relations with PNG and strengthen and expand the mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries in trade, economic and other fields, Tang said.
Eri said the new PNG government, as soon as taking office, reviewed the decision made by the previous government on Taiwan and announced that it would adhere to the "one China" policy which successive governments had pursued since 1976.
He also said that Prime Minister Mekere Morauta had asked him to reiterate at the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting that PNG will adhere to the "one China" policy and maintain state-to-state relations with the People's Republic of China.
The PNG government recognizes China's increasingly important role in regional and international affairs, and in particular values and appreciates the positive contributions China has made over the years to PNG's economic and social development, he said.
On the same day, Tang also met with Canadian Foreign Minister Lloyd Axworthy. The two sides exchanged views on Sino-Canadian relations and other issues. (Xinhua)
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