Chinese President Jiang Zemin gave a cool response yesterday to Australia's push on peacekeepers for East Timor, and he rebuffed Prime Minister John Howard for his views on the use of force against Taiwan.
But the first Chinese head of state to visit Australia hailed the "deep rooted friendship" between the two nations, and dangled the prospect of a giant energy deal.
China's position on international peacekeepers to halt murder and mayhem in East Timor is critical since it is a permanent member of the UN Security Council.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Yet Jiang was noncommittal, suggesting East Timor was simply another world "hot spot" and advocating Beijing's standard solution of dialogue rather than force.
"I can understand the concern of Australia over the East Timor situation," he told reporters in a joint news conference with Howard. "But I think as there are so many hot spots in the world these hot spots should be resolved through peaceful negotiations and dia-logue."
He said the UN Security Council would "find a solution according to the development of the situation".
The cornerstone of Chinese foreign policy is non-interference, and Beijing was adamantly opposed to UN intervention in Kosovo even in the face of overwhelming evidence of ethnic cleansing and other human rights atrocities.
Beijing fears the war in Kosovo established a precedent that could be used to justify international intervention in its own affairs in Taiwan and Tibet.
Later, Australian foreign minister Alexander Downer said he had discussed a peacekeeping force with Chinese Vice Premier Qian Qichen, who is travelling with Jiang, and was confident China would support it if Indonesia gave its blessing.
But if the Indonesians refused, "I don't think that China would be very likely to support it", he said. Indonesia yesterday ruled out any early deployment of foreign peacekeepers.
On Taiwan, Howard said he told Jiang "we would encourage all involved to resolve differences without a resort to military force".
But Jiang rebuffed him.
"Our policy in this regard has always been peaceful reunification -- one country, two systems," he said. "If there were to be foreign intervention in this regard, we would not undertake to renounce the use of force."
On Monday, Howard said he would tell Jiang to "cool it" on Taiwan, whose President Lee Teng-hui has infuriated Beijing with a new policy to conduct all dealings with Beijing on a "special state-to-state basis."
Beijing regards Taiwan as a renegade province, and Lee's stand has now frozen dialogue between the two sides.
Nevertheless, Jiang praised Howard for sticking firmly to the "one China" policy that Lee has all but abandoned.
"I am delighted to hear my old friend, Prime Minister John Howard, say that Australia will continue to pursue a `one China' policy in very explicit terms," he said.
China and Australia yesterday signed a series of memorandums of understanding, which Australia hopes will give it the edge over competitors in landing a A$15 billion supply contract for liquefied natural gas.
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