U.S. AGAINST ANY MOVES TO ALTER MILITARY BALANCE IN TAIWAN STRAIT
ROC Central News Agency
2005-04-08 12:36:59
Washington, April 7 (CNA) A high-ranking U.S. State Department official said Wednesday that the United States does not welcome any efforts that might alter the military balance in the Taiwan Strait.
Nicholas Burns, under secretary for political affairs, made the comments while touching on the European Union's intentions to lift a arms ban on China in a speech he delivered at Chatham House in London. The full text of the speech was released by the State Department Thursday.
Claiming that the United States still seeks to maintain its historic role as the principal guarantor of peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region, Burns said that Washington also seeks a peaceful and constructive relationship with China. "We are China's partner in the Six-Party talks. We have improved our relationship with China," he said.
Nevertheless, the under secretary said that the United States has been dismayed by China's military forces' buildup, particularly its ballistic missile forces across from Taiwan.
He also noted that U.S. President George W. Bush had made it clear during his latest trip in Europe that "due to human rights and regional security concerns, ending the E.U. arms embargo (against China) is a bad idea." "We will not support the E.U.'s efforts to do so. It would have an impact, as Deputy Secretary Zoellick said recently, on our Trans-Atlantic partnership, particularly if the U.S. Congress were to enact legislation limiting the sale of important U.S. technology to E.U. countries," Burns said. "Clearly, it is now time for the United states and the European Union to engage in a serious strategic dialogue about our mutual interests in Asia and the Pacific, " he added.
(By Oliver Lin and P.C.Tang)
Enditem/Li
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