Tags:
Journalism of Courage
Beijing, March 10: Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan said on Friday the United States was responsible for tensions between Beijing and Taiwan and Sino-US relations were at a “critical juncture”.
“What the United States has done on the question of Taiwan has inflated the arrogance of the separatist forces in Taiwan. Therefore, the United States bears unshakable responsibility for the tension in the Taiwan strait,” Tang said.
“Both Sino-US relations and cross-strait relations are at a critical juncture,” he said, citing US weapons sales as the key issue with Washington.
“The United States has increased its weapons sales to Taiwan both in quantitative and qualitative terms,” he said, adding that China’s ambassador to Washington had made a formal diplomatic demarche on the issue in the last 24 hours.
“What the US says and does on the question of Taiwan would have a direct bearing on the future direction of the Sino-US relationship,” Tang said.
“It will also directly bear on peace and stability in the Taiwan strait and also in the Asia-Pacific region.”
Tang also mentioned the Kosoovo bombing and said China was still waiting for the United States to provide a plausible explanation for the NATO bomb attack on its embassy in Kosovo nearly one year ago.
The two sides last year reached agreement on US compensation to families of three Chinese journalists killed and diplomats wounded in the attack last may. They also agreed on reparations for the battered Chinese embassy building.
Beijing agreed in separate talks to pay for damages done to US diplomatic buildings in China during four days of violent demonstrations by Chinese against the bomb attack.
“But these agreements do not mean all conditions that I raised in the first place had been fully met and put behind us,” Tang told a press briefing amid the annual meeting of China’s legislature, the National People’s Congress.
“I continue to insist that the United States has the obligation to inform the Chinese side of the true outcome of the investigation and bring the perpetrators of the bombing to justice,” Tang told the briefing.
China has rejected previous US explanations that the bomb attack on its mission in Belgrade during NATO air strikes against Yugoslav forces was a “tragic mistake” based on outdated maps of the city.
Beijing responded at the time by breaking off high-level military contacts, trade talks and human rights dialogue with Washington. All but human rights talks have been resumed between the two sides despite the US failing to satisfy all of Beijing’s demands.
