(September 1, 1999) The Chinese government
and people firmly oppose any attempt by any country to
include Taiwan in the Theatre Missile Defense (TMD), Chinese
Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhu Bangzao said in Beijing on
August 20.
Zhu said that recently Lee made his
"two states" remarks, which were met with strong
opposition by the Chinese people and criticized by the world
opinion and that Lee and the Taiwan authorities have no
intention of mending their ways, but talk about joining the
TMD, further exposing their vicious intentions to resist
reunification and split the motherland by attempting to
strengthen the military.
Lee and the Taiwan
authorities need to be aware of the fact that separatist
activities and pushing for Taiwan independence will go
nowhere and are doomed to failure, Zhu stressed.
What needs to be pointed out, Zhu said, is
that including Taiwan in the TMD in any way by any country
is a violation of China's sovereignty and a serious threat
to China's national security and something that will
certainly encourage the independence of Taiwan and put a
barrier in the way of China's peaceful reunification and
affect the peace and stability of the Asia-Pacific region.
He went on to say that the Chinese government
has repeatedly stated China's principled stand on the TMD
issue to the U.S. government and it demands that the U.S.
honor its commitment to the three Sino-U.S. joint
communiques and clearly understand the seriousness and
danger of Lee's "two states" remarks and halt arms
sales to Taiwan, and, especially, commit itself not to
providing TMD and relevant technology and equipment so as
not to destroy the peace and stability in the Taiwan straits
and the region and not to damage Sino-U.S. relations, he
said.