Taiwan Caucus in US Congress Condemned

China is firmly opposed to the US Congress establishing a panel dealing with Taiwan issues, said Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue Thursday.

China has always stood firmly against any form of official and military exchanges between the United States and Taiwan, said Zhang. The act of establishing the "Congressional Taiwan Caucus" initiated by a few members of US House of Representatives violated the three Sino-US Joint Communiques, and aroused the strong dissatisfaction in China.

A healthy development of Sino-US ties was in the common interest of the two peoples. Any attempt to destroy Sino-US relations would be in vain, Zhang said.

Zhang stressed that Taiwan issue was most sensitive and always at the core of Sino-US relations. The US government had made serious commitments on this issue to the Chinese government and people. To ensure smooth development of the relations meant the US side must adhere to the one-China policy and the Joint Communiques, and stop interfering in China's internal affairs.

China requested the US side to strictly observe the Joint Communiques and stop interfering in China's internal affairs in the name of the Taiwan issue to avoid impeding the development of Sino-US relations.

(Xinhua News Agency April 12, 2002)