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Berlin, Beijing held 'secret' talks

The foreign ministers of Germany and China have conducted two months of "secret diplomacy" to mend relations between the countries ahead of a meeting in Berlin next week, a magazine report said.

German weekly Der Spiegel said German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier had exchanged secret letters with his Chinese counterpart, Yang Jiechi (楊潔箎), to repair ties damaged by Chancellor Angela Merkel's decision to receive the Dalai Lama last year.

Berlin is expected to host the Chinese foreign minister during six-way talks on Iran's nuclear program next week.

A Foreign Ministry spokesman declined to comment on the report, but said Steinmeier was working to patch things up.

"The foreign minister is trying to find a solution to the conflicts that have recently arisen in bilateral relations by working closely and intensively with the Chinese," he said.

Beijing confirmed that talks between the two had been ongoing, following its anger over Merkel's meeting in Berlin in September with the exiled spiritual leader, whom the Chinese government regards as a separatist.

"Over the past period of time, in order to overcome difficulties that emerged in relations between China and Germany and to spur the healthy and stable development of China-German relations, the two sides have held several consultations," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu (姜瑜) said in a statement on the ministry's Web site.

Following Merkel's meeting with the Dalai Lama, China canceled a number of high-level meetings with German officials, raising concerns among Germany's business leaders about the impact the row could have on trade.

Der Spiegel said that Merkel knew Steinmeier had been exchanging letters with Yang, but was not informed about the details. Citing diplomats, the magazine said Steinmeier had come out in support of the "one China" policy in the exchanges.

A Chinese statement said that Taiwan was a key part of the consultations.

"The German side has expressed that the German government pays high attention to the development of relations with China and will continue to resolutely stick to the `one China' policy," Jiang said.

Germany would also "recognize that Taiwan and Tibet are part of China's territory, resolutely oppose Taiwan's referendum on UN membership and not support or encourage any efforts toward Tibet independence," she said.

In response, Chinese Science and Technology Minister Wan Gang (萬鋼) told the Handelsblatt business daily that Merkel is "welcome in Beijing at any time, also for the Olympic Games."

Merkel said last week that she had no regrets about her historic meeting with the Dalai Lama.

"I think that friendly relations can withstand differences of opinion," Merkel told reporters.
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