FM: US to blame for damage of bilateral relations

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-10-07 22:41

The United States had no right to place domestic law above international ones, or use it as an excuse to sell weapons to Taiwan, Qin noted.

Upton also said "uncertainty over the motivations and direction of China's military expansion leads others to hedge," and "this could lead to a security environment less favorable to China's interests, the region's, and our own."

Qin said he noticed the "absurd comment" of Upton on China's military power, saying such a response was totally "confounding black and white" and "making unfounded counter-charges."

"China firmly takes the road of peaceful development and follows an independent foreign policy of peace and a national defense policy that is defensive in nature," Qin said. "China is an active force of promoting world and regional peace."

He said China aimed at safeguarding national sovereignty, territorial integrity and security to maintain limited defense power, adding the country does not seek hegemony or expansionism, nor an arms race. "China's development poses no threat to anybody, " he said.

But the US arms sales to Taiwan had disturbed the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations and damaged peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, Qin said.

He said "we demand the US side to fulfil its commitments of adhering to the one-China policy and opposing 'Taiwan independence' with real action, immediately cancel relevant arms sales to Taiwan and end military relations with Taiwan to avoid damaging peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and China-US state-to-state and military-to-military ties,"

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