Taiwan debate sets U.S., PRC apart, says Kelly (China)

eTaiwan News ^

[maui_hawaii]

Washington and Beijing work hand in hand in many fields but they are at odds in some others, not least the Taiwan issue, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs James Kelly said Thursday.

At a hearing called by Senator Richard Lugar, chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, about American ties with China, Kelly said Washington's long-standing approach toward the issue is that differences between Taiwan and China should be resolved peacefully.

However, Beijing refuses to denounce the use of force as an option in settling the disputes and targets missiles at Taiwan, which really runs against Washington's policy, Kelly said.

Another irritating point between Washington and Beijing is Beijing's deliberate undervaluing of the renminbi so that it can dump its products in the United States, thus contributing to the surging unemployment rate in the United States, he said.

In response, both the Senate and the House of Representatives called on the government to impose punitive tariffs on China-made products to pressure Beijing to stop intervening in market forces and to allow the free flow of capital.

Beijing's arms exports are another sore point in bilateral ties and Beijing should understand that its illegal arms exports will not only ruin its relations with Washington but could also blow up in its face, according to Kelly.

One bright point in bilateral ties is the anti-terrorism cooperation, with Beijing providing US$150 million for the reconstruction of Afghanistan and agreeing to allow U.S. officials to conduct safety checks at Chinese harbors on containers bound for the United States as a precautionary measure against terrorism, he added.

[HighRoadToChina]

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