Chinese officials have hinted that Beijing's ambassador to Washing-ton could be withdrawn if the US Senate approves the Taiwan Security Enhancement Act (TSEA), and warned that its passage would only increase the chances of war in the Taiwan Strait.
The second-ranking Chinese diplomat in Washington, Liu Xiaomin (
"The consequences the bill would have already exceed the question of whether Beijing would withdraw its ambassador from DC," Liu said.
``We have to send this message loud and clear to let every single senator understand the grave consequences, the serious damage this legislation will cause,'' he said.
The diplomat said that China wanted to send "a peaceful message to Taiwan."
"But if Taiwan goes independent, as [Chinese] Vice Premier Qian Qichen (
The US House of Representative on Tuesday passed the TSEA, which calls for closer military ties between the US and Taiwan.
But the bill still has to pass the Senate, where analysts said it would face stiff opposition.
"What I'm saying is this legislation will push Taiwan closer to a war situation with the mainland, which might even drag the United States in ... We do not want to see this happen," Liu said.
The Chinese diplomat's remarks followed CIA warnings of a "high potential" for a military flare-up in the region if President Lee or his successor go further in advocating Taiwan independence.
John Chang (
"This bill is a completely US domestic issue and affair. I do think it is appropriate for us to express our gratitude and appreciation to those in the House and on Capital Hill who are concerned about stability in the western Pacific region and, in particular, the dispute involving Taiwan," Chang said on the television news network.
"US-China relations are important to Taiwan. We will try our best to maintain very stable relations with mainland China, and we will never do anything provocative against them," he added.
Chang and Hsu Shui-teh (
The Clinton administration has made it very clear that the White House would veto the bill if it were to pass the Senate, saying it would alter the nature of US relations with Taiwan.
Liu also challenged the Con-gress to reject granting permanent normal trade relations (NTR) status to China, a move that would delay China's entry into the World Trade Organization.
"To be honest, I am not worried that China will lose the NTR [vote]," Liu said, adding that if Beijing had to choose between lobbying for NTR or against the TSEA, it would opt for the latter.
The Senate vote on the TSEA is not expected until after the March 18 presidential election in Taiwan.
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