Chinese Foreign Minister on Diplomatic Work (06/04/2001)

Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan gives a press conference Tuesday briefing Chinese and overseas reporters China's views on major domestic and international issues at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. The press conference is given at the Fourth Session of the Ninth National People's Congress (NPC) which has been in session since Monday.

Sino-US Relations

The coming visit of Chinese Vice Premier Qian Qichen to the United States will contribute to better mutual understanding between the two nations and also contribute its due share on that basis to maintaining stability and cooperation in our region and the world,

Tang Jiaxuan said at the press conference. He said that Qian is scheduled to visit the U.S. from March 18- 24. His delegation will mainly stay in Washington and New York. "His visit marks the first official meeting between the leaders of the two countries since the coming into office of the new administration of the United States," he said.

"His visit will present an occasion for extensive and in-depth exchange of ideas on bilateral relations and a series of important issues concerning the international and regional situation of interest to both sides," he said in response to a question about Chinese Vice Premier Qian Qichen's pending visit to the United States and about Sino-US relations.

Tang said China and the United States have shared interests in quite a number of areas but acknowledged that in their bilateral relationship there exists a number of issues and differences, some of which are quite outstanding, for instance, the Taiwan question.

However, the foreign minister said, "I believe that as long as the two countries work together, and as long as the US side implements the three Sino-US Joint Communiques, and in particular as long as the US side handles the question of Taiwan well, China-US relations will be able to continue to move forward."

According to Tang, Vice Premier Qian will also meet with representative figures of various communities and circles in the US during his visit.

Tang said that Sino-US relationship is in an important time period linking the past with the future.

He said that the top leaders of the two countries have always maintained touch since the coming into office of the new US administration. Both sides have adopted a positive attitude on the further development of their bilateral relations and the advancement of cooperation in various areas, he said.

New Sino-Russian Treaty

Tang Jiaxuan said that China and Russia will sign a new bilateral treaty on good-neighborly friendship and cooperation this year.

Tang told a press conference held by the ongoing Fourth Session of the Ninth People's Congress (NPC), that Chinese President Jiang Zemin will pay a state visit to Russia in July. President Jiang is scheduled to officially sign a Sino-Russian treaty with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Moscow, said Tang.

Tang himself will visit Russia before Jiang's state visit and make some political preparations from the bilateral standpoint. China and Russia have maintained very good exchanges and cooperation in economic, scientific and technological fields, as well as many others including military technology, Tang said.

Positive progress has been made in the exchanges between the two countries, he said. China-Russia relationship now is a new type of normal state-to- state relationship which is neither allied nor targeted at any third country or third party, Tang said.

The two countries have a strong desire to be good neighbors, good partners and good friends. The treaty which is scheduled to be signed in July embodies such kind of spirit, Tang said.

China's Role in World Affairs

Tang Jiaxuan said that China will play an increasingly commensurate role in world affairs with the development of its national economy and the rise of its comprehensive national strength in the new century.

China will make unremitting diplomatic efforts in the new century to promote domestic modernization, peaceful reunification of the motherland, world peace and international cooperation. In the first year of the new century, China will be very active in the world diplomatic arena.

Not long ago, China successfully organized the Asian Economic Forum in Boao of Hainan Province; in May, the third meeting of Asian-European foreign ministers will be held in Beijing; and in June, the "Shanghai-Five" will have a summit in Shanghai for the sixth time; and another big event is that the ninth informal meeting of APEC leaders will convene in Shanghai.

Before and after the meeting, some APEC member country leaders will visit China, and Chinese leaders will also pay some important visits this year. "I believe that through these diplomatic visits China will further promote its relations, exchanges and cooperation with the rest of the world, and strengthen reciprocal understanding and world peace," he said.

Defense Budget Rise Has No Link With NMD

Tang Jiaxuan said here Tuesday that the proposed increase in China's defense spendings this year has no link with the National Missile Defense program of the United States.

Tang made the remarks in response to a question by a reporter from the German news agency, DPA, at a news conference held by the Fourth Session of the Ninth National People's Congress (NPC).

Earlier, Chinese Finance Minister Xiang Huaicheng proposed a 17. 7 percent rise in the defense expenditures in his report on the Central and Local Budgets for 2000 and on the Draft Central and Local Budgets for 2001 at the Fourth Session of the National People's Congress (NPC).

China has for long adhered to the principle of limited defense spendings on the modernization of national defense, the foreign minister said. He attributed this year's budgetary increase in this area to two factors.

First, he said, China has achieved economic development and the improvement of the people's living standards, especially, the rise of the per-capita income level and that calls for a "rising income for our servicemen".

Secondly, "There is the need to modernize national defense and the reform of the military structure," he noted. Superficially, the increase seems quite big, but "as I know, China's defense expenditure is the smallest among major powers in the world," the foreign minister pointed out.

He said China's defense budget is only five percent that of United States which is 305.4 billion US dollars, and 30 percent that of Japan, the neighbor of China.

Human Rights

Tang Jiaxuan rejected US criticism of the human rights situation in China as playing "double standard."

Tang said at a press conference Tuesday that the United States has put up a show in the UN human rights commission conference in Geneva nearly every year.

Warn US Against Arms Sales to Taiwan

Tang Jiaxuan warned the United States not to endanger Sino-US relations and aggregate tensions across the Taiwan Straits by insisting on selling advanced weapons to Taiwan at the press conference.

"If the US side continues to fail to honor its commitment on the Taiwan question and insists on selling advanced weapons to Taiwan, including particularly the AEGIS missile destroyers and the Patriot anti-missile defense system, that would send a very wrong signal to the Taiwan authorities, which will encourage a very small number of people -- the Taiwan independence elements -- to continue to engage in separatist activities," he said.

In response to a question about possible U.S. sale of AEGIS missile destroyers to Taiwan, the foreign minister said that arms sales to Taiwan will not be in the interests of the U.S. itself. "The U.S. side should come to the recognition of the serious dangers involved.

It should rein in its wild horse right on the side of the precipice," Tang said. Noting that the Taiwan question is a very sensitive and important question in Sino-US relations, he said that what the US has done on this question is adequate to show that the US factor is now an important outside factor coming into the way of the peaceful reunification of China.

Not Helped Iraq Build Fiber Optic Cables

The foreign minister denied US allegations that Chinese enterprises and corporations have helped Iraq build fiber optic cables in Iraq's air defense system.

"Relevant agencies in China have carried out some serious investigations. The result of the investigations is that Chinese enterprises and corporations have not assisted Iraq in building the project of fiber optic cable used for air defense," Tang said at a press conference.

Text Book Issue

Tang Jiaxuan said that Japan should properly handle the textbook issue to safeguard Sino-Japanese relations.

He said that China has been watching very closely and seriously on the textbook issue and has made its position clearly on several occasions to the Japanese side through diplomatic channel.

He said that the nature of the textbook issue can be put in the very simple term, that is, whether Japan can rightly understand and handle its past history of aggression, and whether it can take practical steps to win the trust of neighboring Asian countries, and whether Japan is willing to continue to go along the peaceful road.

Tang said that the Chinese government has done what it should. The finalization of the textbook involves a long and complicated procedures and in the end it is still up to the Japanese government to decide whether the contents of the textbook are proper and whether it can be published, Tang said.

He stressed that the Japanese government should take up its due responsibility and obligations with regard to the textbook issue, and take practical measures to demonstrate that the representations it has made on the historical issues are dependable, and that Japan keeps to its words.

Tang said that the textbook issue should be properly handled, for only in this way, can the political foundation of Sino- Japanese relations be safeguarded. He said that the historical issues have been clearly stated in the Sino-Japanese joint declaration.

The Chinese government and the Chinese people are watching closely on how the Japanese government acts.

Foreign Minister on Taiwan Question

Tang Jiaxuan said that if the United States had not made troubles, the Taiwan question would have been resolved a long time ago.

Tang said that the Taiwan question has not been resolved up to this day because there are mainly two major contributing factors.

The first is that Chen Shui-bian has failed to recognize the " One China" principle to this day, he said. Tang cited an outside factor, mainly the United States, as the second roadblock to the resolution of the Taiwan question.

He also said that Chinese Vice Premier Qian Qichen, who is scheduled to visit the United States from March 18, will naturally have full exchange of ideas with US leaders over the Taiwan question during his stay in Washington.

Conclusion on Tiananmen Square Disturbance Will Not Change

Tang said that the Chinese government's conclusion about the 1989 political disturbance in Beijing will not change.

He said that the so-called Tiananmen Papers are nothing but fabrications engineered by some people with malicious political motives. With regard to the political disturbance in 1989 in Beijing, Tang said, China has made a correct historical conclusion that will not be changed, and that if China had not taken effective measures at that time, there would not have been the good situation of development and stability China is enjoying today.

Tang said that anybody trying to fabricate stories for ulterior political motives would be doomed to failure. As to US arms sales to Taiwan, Tang said that the US government should fully understand the serious danger of the issue, and that China's reaction depends on US government's attitude.

Preparations for APEC Summit on Normal Track

China's preparations for the unofficial meeting of leaders of Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) members, which is due to be held in Shanghai this October, is proceeding along the normal track, said Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan.

Tang said this year is the first year of the new century and it is also the first time for China to host this very important international conference.

Therefore, the Chinese government and leaders have given much importance to this meeting. China has, long time ago, established a leading group with Vice-Premier Qian Qichen as the chairman and Huang Ju, a member of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee Political Bureau and Shanghai's Party secretary, and Zeng Qinghong, an alternate member of the CPC Central Committee Political Bureau, as the vice- chairmen, according to the minister.

Under the leading group, there is an organization committee which is chaired by Tang, with Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Guangya as the secretary-general to be responsible for specific matters.

The theme of the meeting is "new century, new challenges, participation and cooperation, and promotion of common prosperity. " Leaders of all the 21 APEC member economies will gather in Shanghai to discuss important issues related to the APEC, he said, adding that before the meeting, some important leaders of the APEC members will visit China, he said.

FM on Situation on Korean Peninsula

Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan said he doesn't think the situation on the Korean Peninsula is tense enough to result in the relaunching of missiles by the People's Democratic Republic of Korea (DPRK).

When asked to comment on the DPRK's statement in late February in which it says that if the new administration of the United States continues to adopt a tough attitude towards DPRK, DPRK might consider relaunching its missiles, the foreign minister said: "I don't see DPRK-U.S. relations as that tense."

"Major countries surrounding the Korean Peninsula, even including the United States, will continue to work towards peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula. I do not think there will be a retrogressive step involving this important question," Tang said.

As the leader of the Republic of Korea (ROK) Kim Dae-jung was accorded a warm welcome and reception by the DPRK government headed by Kim Jong Il during his visit to Pyongyang last year, the foreign minister said he believes Kim Jong Il will indeed pay a return visit to ROK this year and that it is only a matter of time.

Conclusion on Tiananmen Square Disturbance Will Not Change

Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan said that the Chinese government's conclusion about the 1989 political disturbance in Beijing will not change.

He said that the so-called Tiananmen Papers are nothing but fabrications engineered by some people with malicious political motives. With regard to the political disturbance in 1989 in Beijing, Tang said, China has made a correct historical conclusion that will not be changed, and that if China had not taken effective measures at that time, there would not have been the good situation of development and stability China is enjoying today.

Tang said that anybody trying to fabricate stories for ulterior political motives would be doomed to failure. As to US arms sales to Taiwan, Tang said that the US government should fully understand the serious danger of the issue, and that China's reaction depends on US government's attitude.